his name in 1973 on the Studio One record label. During the 1970s, ′80s, and ′90s, he kept on playing on numerous records coming out from Jamaican studios, especially for Bunny Lee, and he toured with many bands. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he played with the band Jah Malla, performing regularly on the live circuit around New York. He was awarded Officer of the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican government in 1977, and started to tour more often in the US. He took part in the reformation of the Skatalites in 1983, with whom he toured and recorded constantly until he suffered a burst blood vessel in his head during a show at the Key Club in Hollywood on 2 November 1998. He died on 20 November 1998 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, after suffering a second burst blood vessel, and spending four days in a coma. Discography I Cover The Waterfront, 1962 – Port O Jam Hi-Fi – produced by Coxsone Dodd ABC Rock Steady (with The Originals Orchestra), 1968 – Gayfeet/High Note – produced by Sonia Pottinger The Best of Rolando Alphonso, 1973 – Studio One (compilation) – produced by Coxsone Dodd King of Sax, 1975 – Studio One (compilation) – produced by Coxsone Dodd Brighter Shade of Roots, 1982 – Imperial – produced by Bunny Lee Roll On, 1984 – Wackies – produced by Lloyd Barnes Something Special: Ska Hot Shots, 2000 – Heartbeat (compilation) – produced by Coxsone Dodd Max's Skansas City (Lost Recordings from the N.Y.C. Club) - Jungle Records (Compilation) Notes References Kevin O'Brien Chang & Wayne Chen (1998), Reggae Routes: The Story of Jamaican Music, Ian Randle Publishers, Steve Barrow & Peter Dalton (2004), The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn., Rough Guides, Moskowitz, David V. (2006), Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall, Greenwood Press, Dave Thompson (2002), Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, Richie Unterberger, "[ Roland Alphonso Biography]", Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation "Really Randoms", Rolling Stone, 24 November 1988. External links Complete bio Obituary Discography at Discogs 1931 births 1998 deaths People from Havana Jamaican people of Cuban descent Jamaican reggae musicians Jamaican ska musicians Jamaican saxophonists Cuban people of Jamaican descent Male saxophonists The Skatalites members Island Records artists Officers of the Order of Distinction 20th-century saxophonists 20th-century male musicians