Tyrone Downie
Tyrone Ralph Downie (20 May 1956 – 5 November 2022) was a Jamaican keyboardist and pianist best known for his involvement as a member of Bob Marley and the Wailers. He studied at Kingston College and joined the Wailers in the mid-1970s, making his recording debut with the band on Rastaman Vibration, having previously been a member of the Impact All Stars. He also played with the Abyssinians, Beenie Man, Black Uhuru, Buju Banton, Peter Tosh, Junior Reid, Tom Tom Club, Ian Dury, Burning Spear, Steel Pulse, Alpha Blondy, Tiken Jah Fakoly and Sly & Robbie.
Tyrone Downie

G.Garitan · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Tyrone Downie
- Birth Name
- Tyrone Ralph Downie
- Born
- 20 May 1956
- Birthplace
- Kingston, Jamaica
- Died
- 5 November 2022
- Occupation
- Arranger, pianist, musician
- Nationality
- Jamaica.
- Fields
- reggae.
- Languages
- English.
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Documentary summary
Tyrone Ralph Downie (20 May 1956 – 5 November 2022) was a Jamaican keyboardist and pianist best known for his involvement as a member of Bob Marley and the Wailers. He studied at Kingston College and joined the Wailers in the mid-1970s, making his recording debut with the band on Rastaman Vibration, having previously been a member of the Impact All Stars. He also played with the Abyssinians, Beenie Man, Black Uhuru, Buju Banton, Peter Tosh, Junior Reid, Tom Tom Club, Ian Dury, Burning Spear, Steel Pulse, Alpha Blondy, Tiken Jah Fakoly and Sly & Robbie.
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wikidata · Q710588 · wikipedia · Tyrone Downie
In this article
Biography
Biography
He resided in France and was a member of the touring band of Youssou N'Dour, whose album Remember he produced. In 1983, Grace Jones released the single "My Jamaican Guy". Unbeknown to Downie, he (though in a relationship and not romantically linked to Jones) was the subject of the song. Downie released the solo album Organ-D in 2001. Downie played keyboards on the album 'Maroon Songs: Born Free, Live Free, Ever Free' with Earl Chinna Smith's InnadeYard Binghistra Movement, released on August 17, 2022. Downie died in Kingston on 5 November 2022, at the age of 66.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Tyrone Downie • Birth Name — Tyrone Ralph Downie • Alias — Organ D • Born — 20 May 1956 • Birthplace — Kingston, Jamaica • Died — 5 November 2022 • Place of death — Kingston, Jamaica • Instrument — Keyboards (piano, rhodes piano, organ, synthesizers, mellotron), guitar • Genre — Reggae • Occupation — Arranger, pianist, musician • Years Active — 1970–2022 • Past Member Of — Bob Marley & The Wailers, The Wailers Band, Tom Tom Club, Peter Tosh, Burning Spear, Steel Pulse, Sly & Robbie Has also toured Zambia and elsewhere with Jimmy Cliff.
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reference work
- “Tyrone Downie”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
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authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q710588: Tyrone Downie
General reference · Wikidata
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Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. SPREAD THE LOVE. ascap.com.
- 2.Foster, Chuck (1999) Roots Rock Reggae, Billboard Books, , p. 66, 116
- 3.Moskowitz, David V. (2006) "Tyrone Downie", in Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall, Greenwood Press, , p. 92-3
- 4."Wailers bands carry on tradition for survival", Jamaica Gleaner, 19 July 2009, retrieved 31 October 2010
- 5.Simon Hattenstone. Grace Jones: 'God I'm scary. I'm scaring myself'. The Guardian. www.guardian.co.uk. 17 April 2010.
- 6.Maroon Songs: Born Free, Live Free, Ever Free. Reggae-vibes.com.
- 7.www.jamaicaobserver.com. Bob Marley and The Wailers pianist Tyrone Downie is dead. Jamaica Observer.
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1- JamaicaPlace
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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