Trumpeter “Tan Tan” Thornton hailed a devoted J’can
Edward “Tan Tan” Thornton, a trumpeter who recorded with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Aswad, died in London on December 10 at age 94.
His son Jason, speaking in an interview with the Jamaica Observer on his passing, said even though his father’s health declined over the last three years, he remained the consummate musician.
“He was devoted to his music; his trumpet was his best friend,” he disclosed.
A graduate of the Alpha Boys’ School in Kingston, Thornton was born in Spanish Town. He had lived in the United Kingdom since 1954, making his name as a session musician by playing on albums by Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames, fellow Alpha alumnus Rico Rodriquez (Man From Wareika) and Aswad (New Chapter).
Thornton also toured with Aswad and Boney M.
With trombonist Vin Gordon and saxophonist Michael “Bami” Rose he was part of a formidable horn section that played on classic songs such as Dennis Brown’s Promised Land.
Notably, Thornton played on The Beatles’ Got to Get You Into My Life, from their Revolver album. He can also be heard on She’s A Rainbow by The Rolling Stones.
In a 2018 interview with unitedreggae.com Thornton recalled meeting The Beatles through his association with Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames. It was Paul McCartney who recruited him to play on Got to Get You Into My Life, a song allegedly inspired by ganja.
“I didn’t even know the words. All I did was just go in to play the part. If you told me the words I wouldn’t know,” he said then.
Despite the acclaim he enjoyed in the UK, Jason Thornton said his father remained grounded and never forgot his roots.
“He visited Jamaica plenty of times, he was very devoted to Jamaica,” he told the Observer.
At Alpha, the teenaged Thornton befriended Don Drummond, a troubled but gifted trombonist. After leaving that school both joined jazz-based bands and played in Kingston’s clubs during the late 1940s and early 1950s.
While living in England in the 1950s Thornton did stints in West Germany. He worked in jazz venues throughout that country, working in major cities, including Berlin, Cologne, and Hamburg.
Edward “Tan Tan” Thornton is survived by May, his wife of 54 years, seven children, and grandchildren.
