Allan Octavio Myles, the original drummer of legendary ’70s band, Memory of Justice, passed away on 27 Aug., at the age of 70.
Myles, known to many as Tabby O or Tabio, was the second son of nine siblings and born into a family of music, a dominant part of what they called ‘Harlem’.
His daughter, Trudi Myles, told the Cayman Compass, “From a very young age of 9, Tabby expressed a natural gift for music, but, more importantly, the skill that is very difficult to measure. Drumming with his fingers or tapping on a bucket just so he could create music, and, with an infectious smile, it wouldn’t be long before you would find yourself bopping your head to what he was playing.
“His passion for music had a profound impact on my life, as far as I can remember. Going to the studio to watch him practise as a baby, influencing my appreciation for the art that he was so passionate about. He breathed, ate, and slept drumming.”
Myles was a part of several local bands in the late 1960s, including Soulful Flames, Howell and The Links, Soul Revival, The Kiemanaires, The Regeneration, The Barefoot Man and Kon Tiki band.
The self-taught drummer was perhaps best known for being a part of the Memory of Justice reggae band, which he joined in 1976. Also in the band were Lammie Seymour, Leonard Bodden, Henry Leslie, Jonathan Ebanks and Charles ‘Greggie’ Gregory.
The band produced more than 50 songs and recorded several albums over the years, with popular hits including, ‘The Pie,’ ‘Right on Time,’ ‘Me and My Crew,’ and Jammin’ in the Park’.
As a songwriter, Myles also wrote songs for the band, including two (‘The Pie’ and ‘Searching for The Truth’) which contributed to the production of the ‘Right on Time’ album in 1981.
The band was placed number one for eight weeks and two on the Caribbean Charts in 1996. Their song, ‘Me and My Crew’ also reached number one on the Jamaican charts.
A near-fatal car accident at the age of 23 brought Myles’ career to halt, but despite his medical setbacks and various other challenges, he did not give up learning to use his hands.
Friends and family referred to him as ‘Lion,’ “as a symbol of courage, possessing exceptional bravery and resilience to deal with the external forces against him,” Trudi Myles said.
Her father played with the band up until around 1982. He later worked as a tour bus driver.
“He continued to drum for as long as he could until it was no longer possible,” she said. “Unfortunately, this caused him to concentrate on another career, in which he could still use his hands to drive his own tour bus.
“He still could make a beat or two for the tourists, with his hands tapping away on the steering wheel to his own beat while still smiling away. He never left his drumsticks. After all, it was what he loved!”
‘One of Cayman’s most respected drummers’
The band’s last surviving member, Lammie Seymour, told the Compass Myles was “one of the finest drummers I have had the privilege of working with. He will surely be missed. He was a good friend, a good person, good all-around everything.”
He said, “It was a joy, playing with him. He was a very talented drummer … natural-born drummer. He was naturally gifted.”
He added, “His legacy as one of Cayman’s most respected drummers will live on forever.”
Tributes have flooded in for the drummer from fans and community members across social media.
On Facebook, one user commented, “Tabio, you will be missed. I didn’t know much about your music … only heard how good you were, but I did know of you being a great tourism ambassador and had the privilege to work with you several times, to which our guest always commented “what a great person and tour guide you were”. Tabio, you will be missed, and I thank God for the time I got to know you.”
“RIP, he was a kind and loving gentleman …#1 GT bus driver,” another person wrote.
One user said, “Oh my, what a shock. Rest now in the arms of the Lord, my brother.”
Myles’ longtime friend David Wight told the Compass, “For all the years [my brother and I] knew him from when we were young, he remained a happy, pleasant and respectful person. We grew up close with his sisters and brothers and remained in touch with them over the years.”
Musician and former president of Cayman Music and Entertainment Association, Eric ‘Notch’ Jean Smith, told the Compass, “He was the appreciative recipient of financial assistance raised at the CMEA’s 2017 Sounds of Love Benefit concert. He was a very jovial, fun-loving and naturally talented drummer and, like many of Cayman’s musicians of yesteryear, was predominantly self-taught.”
Details of a service of remembrance for the late drummer will be announced at a later date, according to Bodden Funeral Service.
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