Community News
The life and times of trombonist Don Drummond – A comic book series
BY MICHAEL THOMAS
Trombone Man: Ska’s Fallen Genius – A comic book series is the tragic story by an influential musician named Mr. Don Drummond.
Drummond, who was a trombonist with the legendary Ska band “The Skatalites,” is featured in this full-color 32 -page comic book volume, which will hit stores in early summer 2023 and will later be published as a full-length novel.
Here is a look at Mr. Adam Reeves, the man behind this interesting project.
Reeves is a: lifelong ska and reggae devotee, co-author, and publisher of Alpha Boys’ School: Cradle of Jamaican Music. The other writer in this book is Heather Augusyn. He trained as a journalist at Brighton College of Journalism and wrote for trade magazines including the leading UK trade paper for the natural and organic products industry. This is Reeves’ first venture into comic creation, and he is confident about getting this project done.
I spoke with Reeves at length about this project, Reggae, and his future story-telling plans.
“I’ve been a fan of Jamaican music since the 1980s growing up as a teenager,” Reeves said.
“The UK, particularly London, is the second home for Reggae, because so many West Indians came to the UK in the 1950s and brought with them the “Sound System Culture” and later the live Reggae music industry, recording industry, and Reggae was always around for us.”
Reeves said that Reggae always went hand in hand with the rest of the music that he and the youths of that era listened to regularly.
Later in his life, he got into Ska music and that was where his interest in the Skatalites came into play.
Speaking of Drummond Reeves said, “I knew a little bit, nobody knew too much except he was a trombonist who allegedly had mental problems, and that he murdered his lover, apart from that there was nothing else available.
We knew that his girlfriend made a record, and I knew somebody who had that single which was called “The Woman Ah Come” by Margarita on Juke Reid’s Treasure Isle label.”
Reeves said that it was historian Heather Augusyn’s coverage of Don Drummonds’ life in her book called “Don Drummond the Genius and Tragedy of The World Greatest Trombonist,” that opened his eyes to a lot of information on this troubled musical genius.
From there, Reeves said he had the idea that this man’s story would make a great movie, but he wanted to do a comic book series.
Reeves explained to me how expensive it is to make comic books. “I am not an artist and so I will have to pay one, I wanted to publish it myself, I wanted to take full control, so I figured I could through crowd funding.
I invited the global Reggae fan base and the global West Indian community around the world to support it, and I have been crowd-funding since the middle of November. I have one week left.”
Some of the people behind this project include: Costantino Pissourios (Aka Versioncos)14 digital artist, Nicholas da Silva of Dread and Alive Comics to name a few.
When asked about other future comic books, Reeves said, “This is going to take some time. It is issue number one, and it might be series number one as well, because I do have plans for other Jamaican music series after we do this one.”
In conclusion, Reeves would like the public to know that this is a project that highlights music and creativity against all odds. Don Drummond, like many Reggae musicians, came from poverty, yet still he made his mark musically.
If there were a takeaway here, it would be that survival is for the fittest.
Here is where you can reach Adam Reeves, Reggae Historian and Comic book Producer.