Tony Greene

Born Anthony Greene in March 1957 in Kingston, Jamaica, his first musical experiences unfolded at the celebrated Alpha Boys School, an institution whose former pupils included the brass players from the Skatalites—Don Drummond, Tommy McCook and Roland Alphonso among them. He began on clarinet, yet transferred to saxophone once he enlisted with the Jamaican Military Band. Those abilities earned him a place at the Royal Academy Of Music in the UK for the period 1975-77. Upon returning to Jamaica in the late 1970s he contributed to recordings by the Roots Radics, performed in Sonny Bradshaw’s Band and subsequently spent time in Lloyd Parks’ We The People Band. His path therefore mirrored that of saxophonist Dean Fraser, another musician who had appeared with both ensembles. By the middle of the 1980s their trajectories separated: Fraser embraced the new digital reggae sound while Greene instead backed touring R&B artists. Appearances with Gladys Knight, Lou Rawls and Aretha Franklin on the island opened doors to steady work as a saxophonist on the global touring circuit. The 1990s saw him revisit his origins through the album Sax Man. Although instrumental releases seldom matched the sales of vocal projects, the recording generated additional solo sessions. Those albums found particular favour across North America, even as traditional reggae listeners found the style overly jazzy. A later project incorporated vocals from Tanya Stephens together with samples drawn from Beenie Man, Bounty Killer and Capleton. Beyond his own output Greene founded the Sax Man label to support emerging Jamaican artists.