THE latest incarnation of ska pioneers The Skatalites are coming to York on Tuesday.

From Jamaican origins in 1964, they backed all the developing artists of the day such as Toots and The Maytals, Alton Ellis, Ken Boothe, Prince Buster and The Wailing Wailers, alias Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, and their infectious music grew into a “wildfire worldwide movement still unstoppable to this day”.

Such has been their influence that The Skatalites’ sound has permeated rock, dub, rocksteady, dancehall, reggae, ragga, ska-punk, 2 Tone and now third-wave ska, while the likes of The Clash, The Police and 1980s’ ska revivalists The Specials and The Beat have all acknowledged their debt.

The original line-up lasted only 14 months but recorded “thousands of tunes”, some of which are still being discovered in the archives today. Although the group broke up in 1965, the members remained active in the evolution of Jamaican popular music as it increased in popularity. The band first re-grouped in 1983 after a long hiatus, responding to the resurgence of interest in their music by performing at Jamaica’s famed Sunsplash festival.

Subsequently, in 1986, they migrated to the United States and began touring all over the world. They still do so after 53 years, performing at some of the world’s largest festivals, twice receiving nominations for the Grammy Awards and continuing to record new music in the inimitable Jamaican style, despite changes in personnel over the years as members leave one stage for another.

The road has been long and hard, and sadly most of the original members have passed on, but the ska-full likes of Guns Of Navarone, Skandy, Occupation, Latin Goes Ska, James Bond and Eastern Western Time live on.

The Skatalites forever will be indebted to the inspiration and talent of Roland Alphonso; Lloyd Brevett; Don Drummond; Jerome “Jah Jerry” Haynes; Lloyd Knibb; Tommy McCook; Donat “Jackie” Mittoo; John “Dizzy Johnny” Moore and Lester Sterling.

The aforementioned Lloyd Knibb, the group’s original drummer, who died in 2011, featured on some tracks on The Skatalites’ most recent recording, last August’s Platinum Ska. He is regarded as the creator of the ska beat as well as the “onedrop” rhythm, the foundation of most reggae music.

Original alto sax player Lester Sterling, still active at 81 but no longer touring regularly with the band, played on the record too, while original vocalist Doreen Shaffer contributed a vocal track and still leads the line-up in concert.

Often asked “When will you stop?” and “How do you keep doing it after all these years?”, The Skatalites’ answer is simple: Never. “It’s the love of the music and the way our fans respond that keep us going forward,” they say.

The Skatalites play Fibbers, York, on Tuesday, August 22, supported by Magnificent 7 and Selecter B (Bangarang). Tickets cost £20 at fibbers.co.uk or on the door from 7.30pm.