Desmond Dekker
Probably no other Jamaican artist has brought more international acclaim to his island home than Desmond Dekker, barring, of course, Bob Marley, but Dekker came first.
Most people\'s introduction to the island\'s unique musical sound came via the singer\'s many hits, most notably "The Israelites" and "007 (Shanty Town)." Needless to say, he was even more influential in his homeland.
Born Desmond Dacres in Kingston, Jamaica, on July 16, 1941, the star-to-be was orphaned in his teens. He auditioned before the stable\'s biggest hit maker, Derrick Morgan, who immediately spotted the young man\'s potential. However, it was to be two long years before Kong finally took him into the studio, waiting patiently for him to compose a song worthy of recording. In 1963, Dacres presented Kong with "Honour Your Father and Mother," and the producer knew the wait had been worth it. Upon its release, the song\'s heartfelt message soared to the top of the Jamaican charts. Having been renamed Desmond Dekker, the new star followed up ith "Sinners Come Home" and "Labour for Learning," which were also successful. However, it was with his next release, "King of Ska," that Dekker\'s star was truly established. "Get Up Edina," the advise to "Parents," the bouncy love letter "This Woman," and the sublime "Mount Zion." All were big hits.
Across the water in Britain in the wake of its own mod revolution, the Jamaican singer was seen as one of the mod\'s own. The single looted and shot its way into the U.K. Top 15, and Dekker immediately set off on his first visit to England. The response there astonished him, and he was trailed everywhere by mods almost acting as informal bodyguards. "It Pays," another hit from 1967, features some of the most exquisite falsetto harmonies ever to be recorded and showcases the Aces as their best. Although none repeated the success of "007," Dekker remained a powerful force in the U.K. and a superstar at home. Many of the hits from this era were included on the singer\'s debut album, which was naturally titled after "007 (Shanty Town)."
In 1968, the singer unleashed the mighty sufferer\'s lament "The Israelites" on an unsuspecting world. For half a year, the song simmered on the U.K. charts, finally coming to a boil in March when it topped the chart. Meanwhile in the U.S., the song had also begun to rise, peaking three months later just inside the Top Ten. Dekker had achieved the dream of every Jamaican artist, to break into the U.S. market. He was the first to do so, at least with a pure Jamaican song. Although Dekker would never put another single so high into the U.S. charts, his career continued unabated both at home and in the U.K. Before the year was out, the Beverley\'s label gathered up a group of hits from the year for the Action collection.
In 1969, the upbeat "Problems" spoke directly to the Jamaican public, who bought the single in droves. But the year was defined by "It Mek,". Dekker composed the song about his rambunctious younger sister. The re-recorded version was much stronger and smashed into the Jamaican chart, then soared into the Top Ten across the water. "Pickney Gal," however, did less well in the U.K. As to be expected, Beverley\'s rounded up this year\'s hits for a new album, The Israelites. In the U.K., fans were treated to This Is Desmond Dekker, which the Trojan label also released in 1969, a virtual non-stop chartbusting party, drawn from the three Beverley\'s sets.
By the time the \'70s dawned, Dekker had relocated to Britain and was spending most of his time touring. However, he continued releasing excellent singles, as always backed by the superb Beverley\'s All Stars house band and accompanied by the exquisite Aces. Unusually, Dekker\'s next hit would not come from his own pen, but another\'s. Leslie Kong had to argue vociferously to convince the singer to cover Jimmy Cliff\'s "You Can Get It If You Really Want," but in the end, Dekker put his faith in the producer. He was rewarded with a timeless masterpiece that was a smash on both sides of the Atlantic. The song titled yet another hit-laden collection, released by Trojan in 1970 as well. In August 1971, the great producer, still only in his thirties, died unexpectedly of a heart attack. Dekker had spent his entire career under Kong\'s wing and was devastated by his death.
However, as the \'70s came to a close, the Two-Tone movement gave fresh impetus to the singer\'s career, and Dekker inked a deal with the independent punk label Stiff. A series of singles also announced his return, with the first, a re-recorded "Israelites," almost breaking into the Top Ten in Belgium. Dekker was in big demand on stage, where he continued to be accompanied by the Rumour. As the Two-Tone movement disintegrated, so too did Dekker\'s revival. In 1984, the singer was forced to declare bankruptcy, although this was less a reflection on him than on his past management. Dekker disappeared from view for the rest of the decade A new version of "The Israelites," utilized in a Maxell tape ad, brought the singer back into public view in 1990. The following year, Dekker released King of Ska, again featuring re-recordings of past glories. Two years later, he entered the studio with an equally revitalized Specials for the King of Kings album. And although this set too featured old hits, this time around the vast majority weren\'t Dekker\'s own, but his personal heroes, including, of course, Derrick Morgan, the man who had discovered him.
In 1996, Moving On appeared, not one of Dekker\'s best. However, the Trojan label has continued to keep the singer\'s back catalogue to the fore. Beginning back in 1974, when they released the humorously titled Double Dekker, across Sweet 16 Hits (1978), The Original Reggae Hitsound in 1985, and 1992\'s Music Like Dirt, there\'s never been a dearth of excellent Dekker material for fans to revel in. Other labels have jumped in on the action, and the shelves have quickly filled with compilations of the singer from varying stages of his career. Dekker\'s vast catalogue of music, songs that defined both the ska, rocksteady, and reggae era have provided the singer with a rich legacy that has rarely been equalled.
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