Winston Wright

Born in 1944 and deceased in 1993, Winston Wright remains largely unrecognized beyond dedicated reggae circles, yet his unmistakable Hammond organ sound resonates with anyone possessing even moderate familiarity with the genre. He first surfaced amid Kingston’s music community during the mid-1960s, supplying session work through the rocksteady period initially under Duke Reid’s employ. Growing recognition soon placed him in steady demand among numerous leading producers. His command and instinctive grasp of the Hammond organ secured him a central position within Tommy McCook’s Supersonics, the house band for Duke Reid’s operations. In 1969 he reached the UK charts as a member of Harry J.’s All Stars on the track “Liquidator,” while that same year he also cut some of his most distinguished sides alongside Clancy Eccles’ Dynamites. Across the 1970s he formed part of the core musician roster at Dynamic Sounds, and beginning in 1975 he joined Toots And The Maytals’ touring ensemble. Whenever home and nominally “resting,” he maintained session contributions for Kingston producers, his input on numerous landmark 1970s recordings remaining as uncredited and anonymous as his earlier 1960s work. In later years he rejoined Dynamic Sounds in the capacities of arranger, mixer, and keyboardist. His sudden, tragic passing in 1993 deprived the reggae community of one of its most exceptional unrecognized figures.