Reggae Great Cedric Brooks Dies At 70, Leaves Behind Legacy Of Great Music

Jamaican saxophone player and reggae great Cedric Brooks passed away on Saturday. He was 70-years-old.

The reggae musicians sister Paulette Keise revealed his death, which was caused by cardiac arrest. Brooks passed away at New York Hospital Queens.

Cedric had a few tough years leading up to his heart attack. The saxophonist fell ill and lost his ability to speak.

Cedric began rising through the ranks of Reggae’s elite in the late 1960s where he played as a studio musician. During his career, Brooks contributed to such songs as Burning Spear’s “Door Peep” and David Madden’s “Money Maker” and “Mystic Mood.”

In 1970 Brooks teamed up with Rastafarian drummer Count Ossie and together they released the hits “So Long Rastafari Calling”, “Black is Black”, and “Give Me Back My Language and Culture.”

Brooks didn’t just sit behind the glass of a studio recording room; he also played and traveled with the Jamaican ska band the Skatalites. Brooks also played with The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari and The Light of Saba.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Cedric Brooks once against began performing as a studio musician, eventually recording a 20-piece ska and mento orchestra known as “Zimbobway’s King Kingston Orchestra”.

Along with playing the saxophone, Brooks was also a flautist who often recorded additional parts on some of his own recordings.

Cedric Brooks is survived by seven children and four sisters.

Our condolences go out to Cedric Brooks’ family during their time of loss.