Everett Morton
Bringer of The Beat BORN 1950
Born in St Kitts, Everett Morton moved to the England in 1965, and played drums in reggae and soul bands in Handsworth, Birmingham. In 1978, with his mother Leila accompanying him to early rehearsals, he joined multiracial ska band The Beat, soon introducing them to masterful sax elder Lionel ‘Saxa’ Martin. When Morton’s spin on the reggae ‘Steppers’ rhythm met post-punk nervous energy, a sublime musical cross-pollination resulted. “I’d have to follow them, they were going so fast,” he told me. “Then I had to take control. They started following me and it fell into place.” From 1979 to 1983 the drummer would drive seven Top 30 singles and two Top 5 LPs, including 1980’s faultless debut
I Just Can’t Stop It. After the group’s unfortunate split in 1983, he briefly joined successor band Fine Young Cannibals, played with Saxa in The International Beat, reunited with Ranking Roger in the UK-based line-up of the group, joined the band’s 2003 reunion at the Royal Festival Hall, and led his own formation, The Beat Goes Bang.
Ian Harrison