Fil Callender

Filberto Callender (25 August 1946 – 27 May 2022; Colón, Panama), known professionally as Fil Callender, was a Jamaican reggae vocalist, guitarist, drummer and producer, and a founding member and bandleader of the acclaimed reggae showband The In Crowd.

Early Life

Callender was born in Colón, Panama, and raised by his mother alongside a younger brother and sister; he did not know his father. Amid political unrest in Panama during the 1950s, his mother relocated the family to Jamaica, settling in the Molynes Road area of Kingston, where Callender, then a young teenager, was initially reluctant to leave behind the only home he had known.

His musical foundations were laid soon after arriving in Jamaica, when jazz musician and engineer Headley Jones took an interest in teaching him the rudiments of drumming after noticing his fascination with the Skatalites and other groups rehearsing at Studio One.

He continued his development under jazz keyboardist Aubrey Adams, whose nephew's band gave Callender regular rehearsal experience, eventually leading to opportunities to play alongside guitarist Ernest Ranglin.

Career

In the late 1960s, Callender served as resident house drummer at Coxsone Dodd's legendary Studio One Records, playing drums on foundational reggae recordings, most notably "Satta Massagana" by the Abyssinians, alongside further Studio One staples including "Real Rock," "Nanny Goat," "Full Up" and "Hot Milk."

He is credited with helping to develop the "Rockers" beat before creating the "Steppers" kick drum pattern, a rhythm that became a lasting template for reggae drummers. He also played guitar on classic cuts including "Sunday Coming" by Alton Ellis, "No Man Is an Island" by Dennis Brown, and "Johnny Too Bad" by the Slickers, and backed artists such as the Heptones, Ken Boothe, John Holt, Bob Andy and the Gladiators.

After leaving Studio One, he freelanced across Kingston's studio scene, including at Lee "Scratch" Perry's Black Ark, Byron Lee's Dynamic Sounds, and the Harry J and Joe Gibbs studios, contributing to recordings such as Bob Marley's "Punky Reggae Party" and Max Romeo's "War Ina Babylon," on which he played lead guitar.

Following his time as a session player, Callender formed and fronted The In Crowd, serving as bandleader, guitarist, principal songwriter and lead vocalist on several tracks; the group's line-up included his younger brother Tony Lewis on bass alongside musicians including Robbie Lyn, Mikey Chung, Clevie Browne and Errol Walker.

The In Crowd built a strong following in England and Europe, crossing over beyond reggae audiences, and released two albums, His Majesty's Coming and Man From New Guinea, featuring the singles "His Majesty is Coming," "We Play Reggae," "Back a Yard," "Baby My Love" and "Mango Walk," with the group's music twice entering the British charts.

In 2021, "Baby My Love" reached a new generation of listeners when it was sampled by American rapper Tyler, the Creator on "Sweet / I Thought You Wanted to Dance," from his album Call Me If You Get Lost. The In Crowd disbanded in the 1980s, coinciding with Callender's decision to recommit his life to Christianity, after which he largely stepped back from secular music and recorded a gospel album, Creator. The group reunited in 2014 to record new material. In 2013,

Callender was awarded Jamaica's Order of Distinction in recognition of his contribution to Jamaican music.
 

Personal Life

Following his religious conversion in 1980, Callender devoted much of his later musical life to playing in church bands, while continuing to reunite periodically with his In Crowd bandmates.

He died on 27 May 2022 in Kingston, Jamaica, at the age of 75; a specific cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.

Callender is remembered as one of reggae's most influential yet often uncredited architects, having helped shape the genre's rhythmic foundations during his years at Studio One and left a lasting mark through The In Crowd's international success.