by Howard Campbell
MIAMI – Keith Lyn, who sang one of the songs that defined ska music, died in Miami on February 24 at age 88. His son Steven told South Florida Caribbean News that his father’s death was cancer-related.
Lyn shared lead vocals with Ken Lazarus on Jamaican Ska by Byron Lee and The Dragonaires. Released in 1964, it started a ska dance craze in Jamaica and parts of the United States.
Jamaican Ska was so popular that Jamaica’s government made The Dragonaires part of the country’s delegation to the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York in April, 1964. Carole Joan Crawford, the first Jamaican to win Miss World, singers Prince Buster, Eric “Monty” Morris, and Jimmy Cliff also participated in that global showpiece.
In 1963, soon after Crawford became the first black woman to win the title, Lyn wrote Portrait Of My Love to celebrate this achievement. Along with Empty Chair, it remained part of his live performance.
Like Lee, Lyn attended St. George’s College in Kingston, a leading high school run by Jesuits. It also had many Chinese students. Some of them made a name in music. This includes bassist Phil Chen, who played with Rod Stewart. It also includes guitarist Mikey Chung, who recorded with Peter Tosh’s Word, Sound And Power Band.
Lyn left The Dragonaires in 1978 and settled in South Florida where he lived for many years. Like fellow Jamaicans Pluto Shervington and Ernie Smith, he was a regular on the Miami club scene.
Keith Lyn leaves behind six children, eight grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren, along with siblings. In recognition of his contributions to Jamaican music, he received the Order of Distinction from the government in 2020.
