“Alpha Boys’ School: Cradle of Jamaican Music”
by Heather Augustyn and Adam Reeves
“Alpha Boys’ School: Cradle of Jamaican Music”, written by Heather Augustyn and Adam Reeves is a unique oral history, told to them by surviving members of Jamaica’s most influential musicians.
Though infamous for its harsh treatment of students, the school was renowned for its music program, and over the years they turned hundreds of wayward boys into performers of note.
Almost eighty years have passed since many original members graduated from Alpha to the musical circuit of post-war Jamaica, their stories of working with some of the most influential bands and orchestras of the 20th century are a unique perspective on the musical world of the second half of the 20th century.
Heather Augustyn and Adam Reeves shed light on this remarkable institution “Alpha Boys’ School” and the life and works of over 40 of its most influential graduates. Their detailed interviews with former pupils make this book an invaluable historic contribution to the story of Jamaica’s musical heritage.
