A Celebration of the Life & Transition of Johnny “Dizzy” Moore, Co-Founder of The Skatalites
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Johnny “Dizzy” Moore, founding member of the Skatalites, the most important band & collective of musicians central to the development of the most successful studios & labels that are the foundation of the Jamaican Music Industry; and seminal creators of the popular expression, Ska, departed from family, friends & fans on August 16, 2008.
A celebration of his life through music is an apt expression of imprinting his legacy for future generations as he certainly “put music before anything else”!
As his biography that will play out through the memories & tributes of his friends & peers in speech & music will attest, he was born with music in his loins & he challenged all that was in his way to express it on his terms, which was furthered by his acceptance of the Rastafari view of life & living.
A Grounation Service that will put music before anything else will be held on Friday September 5th at 7pm at Ashanti Oasis Restaurant & Lawn at Hope Gardens, that will see the gathering of family, friends, musical peers & those whom have been influenced to pay tribute to an extraordinary life.
A Spiritual Service that prepares the crossover from the physical will be held on Saturday, September 6th at the Ethiopian Orthodox Church at 89 Maxfield Avenue at 11am, with internment at Dovecot at 1pm, charting a new beginning of active remembrance with a Repast at Ashanti Oasis at 4pm.
A Memorial Fund is being set up at Jamaica National & will be announced next week. The ‘Dizzy Johnny Moore Skatalites Foundation’ is being registered to promote and preserve the legacy of Johnny ‘Dizzy’ Moore as a musician and social activist which is to promote and preserve the legacy of the Skatalites with a special focus on identifying the historical birth of Ska as an indigenous African-Jamaican creative expression to the national and global markets. For instance, of the 2,000 ska bands touring annually, only two were Jamaicans.
The Jamaica Association of Vintage Artistes & Affiliates (JAVAA), to which Dizzy Johnny & now his Foundation remains an active member, will be a central part of this public education process as it is a national cultural imperative to preserve & plan for the health & welfare, through appropriate financial mechanisms, for this musical generation whose creative Intellectual Property is the foundation of so much of our national wealth more currently expressed as ‘Brand Jamaica’.
