Keith Lyn passes
Byron Lee and the Dragonaires singer hailed as easy to work with
Keith Lyn, a member of the classic Byron Lee and the Dragonaires (BL&D) line-up from the 1960s, died in Miami, Florida on February 24.
He was 88 years-old.
Keyboardist Neville Hinds, his former bandmate, said he was informed of the singer’s passing by Lyn’s sister.
The cause of death is said to be cancer-related.
Lyn died two months after Carole Joan Crawford, the first Jamaican to win Miss World, passed away in Canada. Inspired by her victory in 1963, he wrote and sang Portrait of My Love for BL&D.
The diminutive Lyn also wrote the ballad Empty Chair for the band, which became his signature.
He shared lead vocals with Ken Lazarus on Jamaican Ska, their biggest seller, released in 1964 at the height of the ska craze.
In a 2019 interview with the Jamaica Observer Lyn reflected on how BL&D got involved with that sound.
“We were introduced to the ska by Eddie Seaga, who had us go to Chocomo Lawn to listen and learn this fascinating rhythm; and Ken Lazarus and myself spent many a night there listening and helping. BL&D then introduced this [sound] to the uptown fans,” he recalled.
Chocomo Lawn was located in Seaga’s Kingston Western constituency. He had a strong relationship with Byron Lee and his musicians, who were signed to his West Indies Recording Limited label.
Lyn, who joined the band in 1963, performed with them at the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York, one year later. Crawford, singers Prince Buster, Eric “Monty” Morris, and Jimmy Cliff were also part of the Jamaican delegation.
Hinds remembers Lyn as “very affable, likeable, and easy to work with. He never got into quarrels with anyone”.
Lyn left BL&D in 1978 and migrated to South Florida where he lived for many years. In Miami, he led a band that included fellow Jamaicans Paul Douglas on drums, Trevor Lopez on guitar, and keyboardist Leslie Butler.
Lyn was invested with the Order of Distinction by Jamaica’s Government in 2020 for his contribution to the country’s music.
He is survived by six children, eight grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, brothers and sisters.
