Lynn Taitt

Nerlynn “Lynn” Taitt (22 June 1934 – 20 January 2010) was a Trinidadian-born guitarist who became a pioneering figure in Jamaican rocksteady music. Born in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, Taitt began his musical journey playing in local steelpan bands before taking up the guitar at age 14. After forming his own band, he was invited by Byron Lee to perform at Jamaica’s 1962 independence celebrations, and he chose to stay in Kingston, where he became a prominent session musician and bandleader, performing with groups such as The Sheiks, The Cavaliers, The Comets, and most notably, The Jets. Taitt’s guitar work was inventive and distinctive, featuring sharp, percussive riffs that helped define the rocksteady sound. He played on hundreds of recording sessions for major Jamaican producers, including Bunny Lee, Duke Reid, Joe Gibbs, Coxsone Dodd, and Sonia Pottinger. Notably, he is credited with creating the first rocksteady bassline on Hopeton Lewis’ hit “Take It Easy,” a track that reached number one in Jamaica and is regarded as one of the genre’s earliest singles. Taitt’s influence extended to reggae musicians who followed, including Hux Brown, and his guitar can be heard on recordings by Derrick Morgan, Desmond Dekker, Lee Perry, Ken Boothe, Bob Marley, and Johnny Nash. In 1968, Taitt emigrated to Toronto, Canada, to work as an arranger for the West Indian Federated Club, but he remained active as a musician in Montreal for decades, performing with The Kingpins, the Montreal Ska All Stars, and The Jets at festivals such as the Montreal International Jazz Festival. His contributions to Jamaican music were documented in films like Lynn Taitt: Rocksteady (2006) and Ruff ‘n’ Tuff. Taitt passed away on 20 January 2010 in Montreal after a long battle with cancer, leaving behind a legacy as one of rocksteady’s most influential guitarists.