187:, and the emphasis on the off-beat was widely imitated. The song is considered a forerunner of ska. Although Beckford was credited as the writer, he received no royalties from the song. A second hit followed with "Jack & Jill Shuffle", and a few more singles were recorded for Dodd before Beckford formed his own King Pioneer label in the early 1960s.
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In 1992, "Easy
Snappin'" was used in a television commercial for jeans, but again, Beckford received no royalties. Although he performed on hundreds of popular records, the lack of financial reward received by Beckford was a constant complaint, as he said in 2000: "Today as I listen to music on radio
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before he released it three years later on his
Worldisc label. The single was a number one in Jamaica and stayed on the chart for eighteen months, also selling well in the
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and sound system and recognise that I created some of these tunes. I feel strongly that I am not given full recognition for my work".
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wound to the head after an argument with a neighbour in the
Washington Gardens area of Kingston. He left nine children.
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in the late 1950s. He had a huge hit in 1959 with "Easy
Snappin", recorded in 1956 and played at dances by producer
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and one of the pioneers of
Jamaican popular music during the transition from rhythm 'n' blues to Jamaican ska.
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The bulk of
Beckford's recorded work is as a session musician with bands such as
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Beckford died on 19 February 2001 as a result of injuries sustained from a
217:' classic song "Fade Away", and in 1978 he appeared as himself in the film
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Remembering
Theophilus Beckford... the man they called Snappin'
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171:. His piano playing helped to define the sound and feel of
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260:Trojan Battlefield: King Pioneer Ska Productions
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226:In 1991, Beckford performed as part of the
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231:The Beat Goes On: 35 years in the Business
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233:shows at the National Arena in Kingston.
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132:(26 June 1935 – 19 February 2001) was a
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297:The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae
198:in this capacity, as well as for
175:music, as distinct from Jamaican
428:Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica
192:Clue J & His Blues Blasters
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147:Beckford was born in 1935 in
213:In 1975, he played piano on
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70:19 February 2001 (aged 65)
423:Jamaican reggae musicians
355:Campbell, Howard (2003) "
381:14 December 2010 at the
443:Deaths by blade weapons
374:Wilson, Claude (2000) "
438:Trojan Records artists
433:Island Records artists
448:20th-century pianists
295:Larkin, Colin (1998)
319:Katz, David (2001) "
256:(1999) Jamaican Gold
112:Mid-1950s–2001
376:Where Are They Now?
321:Theophilus Beckford
130:Theophilus Beckford
33:Theophilus Beckford
391:, 3 September 2000
177:rhythm & blues
83:rhythm & blues
418:Jamaican pianists
153:Kingston, Jamaica
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62:Kingston, Jamaica
16:(Redirected from
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365:, 10 August 2003
362:Jamaica Observer
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299:, Virgin Books,
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383:Wayback Machine
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215:Junior Byles
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181:Coxsone Dodd
169:calypsonians
157:Rosco Gordon
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120:King Pioneer
108:Years active
42:26 June 1935
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413:2001 deaths
408:1935 births
204:Leslie Kong
161:Fats Domino
149:Trench Town
45:Trench Town
402:Categories
270:References
228:Studio One
97:Instrument
196:Duke Reid
143:Biography
379:Archived
134:Jamaican
49:Kingston
262:(2004)
242:machete
220:Rockers
137:pianist
79:Calypso
53:Jamaica
307:, p.22
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264:Trojan
248:Albums
206:, and
117:Labels
91:reggae
75:Genres
59:Origin
101:Piano
301:ISBN
159:and
67:Died
39:Born
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173:ska
87:ska
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