LION STAGE A living legend of the Jamaican music formed in the prestigious Alpha Boys School in Kingston. In the fifties Rico became one of the best Jamaican trombonists, with remarkable jazz influences, after winning the famous local contest John Opportunity Hour. He recorded a multitude of sessions for top Jamaican producers of the moment like Coxsone Dodd, Duke Reid and Prince Buster.
At the end of the fifties, Rico embraced the Rastafarian faith setting up his residence in the Rasta community led by Count Ossie at the Renock Lodge in Wareika Hills, where the great group The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari was also established.
From that moment, his career took off meteorically collaborating in many occasions with people like Roland Alphonso and Blues Blasters, mainly. During the early sixties, tired of the persecution suffered by the Rastafarian community, he emigrated to UK where he played with Georgie Fame, Red Price and J.J.Jackson, and also recorded the albums: Come blow your horn (Trojan 1965) and Rico in Reggaeland (Pama 1967) as well as collaborating with Laurel Aitken, D.Harriot and J.Edwards.
Rico later returned to Jamaica and did not go back to London until the late seventies, with a few more albums published between Kingston and London, playing an important role in the explosion of the 2 Tone era and with his militancy with The Specials.
Rico is a great trombonist still active, who plays all around the world and is part of the Jools Holland’s band, which plays during his shows at the English BBC on Saturday night.
