Grounation for Dizzy Johnny Moore:
Friday September 5th 7pm Ashanti Oasis/Hope Gardens

Church Service:
Saturday September 6th
Ethiopian Orthodox Church 11am

Internment: Dovecot 1pm

Repast Ashanti Gardens 4pm

Memorial Fund to be announced early next week.

John Arlington "Dizzy" Moore
October 5, 1938 - August 16th 2008

**People Who Don't Use Myspace, Please Email your remembrances by clicking HERE and we'll post them for you

A Tribute from
Reggae Archivist
Historian and Lecturer
Roger "Ras Rojah" Steffens

Dizzy was a great guy. I got to hang out with him for a few days at the EMP in Seattle in June of 2001. I'm attaching a photo I took at the opening ceremony for the reggae exhibit they had there. It shows Cedric 'Im Brooks, Johnny Moore and Sister Ignatius - or, as they referred to themselves, 'Dizzy, 'Im 'n' Iggy -not long before her passing. Dizzy was a most imposing figure, and drew stares wherever he walked through the rock museum. His locks reached his waist, and his lanky figure testified to the benefits of an ital life, one who had sighted Rasta from yout'.

I'll never forget Sister Ignatius speaking at the podium that night, while the seated 'Im and Johnny sat behind her listening to her memories of the early days of the Alpha Boys School. "Some of our students," she said, "went on to have nice careers in music." She turned to the men and said, "Isn't that right Johnny?" With his head bowed, he raised his eyes to her and meekly murmured, "Yes, Sister." And the whole crowd laughed.

One Heart, Rojah Steffens

A Tribute from
Orthodox Muzik Records &
DanDeLion Booking Agent
Roy G. MCPherson

Cynthia my older sister owned and operated Kelly-Scott's Beauty Parlour and Hairdressing School in Montego Bay during the 1960s. This was the City's premier hairdressing establishment and some 15 to 25 trainees graduated from here each year.

An annual elaborate graduation banquet was held at the then famous Sun Valley Club on Albion Road every year and either the Skattelites or Soul Vendors provided musical entertainment. My mother supervised the kitchen operation for my sister every year and always took me along to Montego Bay with her for the occassion.

Being fully aware of how fascinated I was with Music and Musicians, Mom always allowed me to sit close to the kitchen on a raised platform overlooking the stage from where I could see and enjoy everything. So for three years in a row during my early teenage years, from this most ideal vantage point, I enjoyed the great privelege of witnessing first hand the great keyboardist and bandleader Jackie Mitoo in action along with Roland "Rolando Al" Alphonso, Johnny "Dizzy" Moore, Lloyd Brivette, Lloyd Knibbs and others whose names I did not know at the time.... an unparallel unforgettable experience to say the very least. Long live the Rastaman Johnny "Dizzy" More. May his soul rest in peace and may he be granted a place in the pending Kingdom of the Most High JAH.
Roy G. McPherson

A Tribute from
Reggae Producer
Tabou 1 Records
Guillaume Bougard

I met Johnny Moore in 1999 and I was immediately charmed by this cool guy who had this amazing cool laissez faire attitude... He was touring France with RIco Rodriguez, Justin Hinds and Flabba Holt. Needless to say his presence onstage was mesmerizing: a real jazzman immersed in heavy Roots Reggae and Ska, wow! He quickly agreed to let me use a track from a recent album he'd just released so U Roy could drop his atomic style rhymes on it for his "Serious Matter" album. Needless to say, I made sure Johnny would be part of U Roy's band when Roy toured Europe to promote "Serious Matter". The result was just spectacular. Johnny was a unique individual and was bustling with ideas, projects and simply put, creative energy. We recorded a full album, called Jah Cha Ska, in which he invited ska and pre-ska legends Skully Simms and Stranger Cole. Johnny even sang a tune called "I Love Paris", a tune he'd written after spending a week in Paris with the reformed Skatalites... Throughout the years, he would keep contact, inviting me to hang out in New York, where he spent several years in the 70's and 80's, I loved to hear him tell stories, like a kid listening to a grand father tell Christmas stories to starry eyed kids. I will miss him, although I know he's up there jamming with Coltrane and Miles. Guillaume Bougard

A Tribute from
Reggae Film Producer
of Legends Of Ska Movie
General Moses

When searching for a Jamaican trumpet player from the early 1960s to perform for the Legends of Ska concerts in Toronto during the summer of 2002, there was one man on my “A” list: John Arlington Moore.

Little did I know he would be such a tough guy to reach. Johnny had stopped performing with The Skatalites years earlier and clues to his whereabouts were slim. I found other vintage hornsman along the way. Some even contacted me, but I kept searching for the jazzman from Alpha.

Then one day, the hard work paid off. Our initial conversation was brief. I simply asked if he was interested to participate in a film project, featuring a reunion concert with 30 of his old friends.

“Wow,” he uttered softly. “That would be great!” Three months later, there he was smiling, talking, hugging, laughing, reasoning, talking louder… He was a kind, gentle man, who truly enjoyed the experience and appreciated being included in the event.

After learning of his passing, I gazed at the original concert poster, which all the performers autographed from the Legends of Ska concerts. At the very top, Johnny wrote:

Jah Loves You! Dizzie Moore

That was the first time I have ever seen Dizzie spelled that way. Then again, I had never seen him write it before.
General Moses

July 10, 2002 Stranger Cole. Justin Hinds. Johnny Moore & Lord Tanamo Photo Credit: Greg Lawson

http://www.legendsofska.com

A Tribute from
Producer of
Fishbone, Sublime, Matisyahu and Paul Mcartney
David Kahne

Sorry to hear about your loss. Watching the video you sent (Skatalites Should Have Known Better) was really poignant for me, esp after having been to Jamaica and see what it's like there. Watching all the people dancing, and then seeing Paul and the Beatles, and then back to the dancing, the music. Also, getting a fix on the influence of the music on bands like Fishbone.Matis is almost done. Mastering next week. I'll forward the site info along to the Fishbone guys, and ask them if they'll take the time to post a tribute. Hope you're doing ok down there. onward and upward, david