Albums include The Harder They Come, The Harder They Come, and Tougher Than Tough: The Story of Jamaican Music. migrating across the Atlantic along with a growing West Indian expatriate [2] While at St. Thomas, Dekker embarked on an apprenticeship as a tailor before returning to Kingston, where he became a welder. Desmond Dekker in Comanche Park video Sony Records (1994), Saint Andrew Parish (Greater Kingston), Jamaica, Jamaica Independence Festival Song Contest, "Desmond Dekker - full Official Chart History", "Desmond Dekker Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography", "British certifications Desmond Dekker", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Desmond_Dekker&oldid=1133815021, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in Jamaican English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Aubrey Mulrain keyboard player and session musician, Steve Roberts guitarist and session musician (also a member of the British band Dubzone), Stan Samuel guitarist and session musician, Charles Nelson keyboard player and session musician, Delroy Williams Vocals (also featuring guests Winston 'Mr Fix It' Francis and Glenroy Oakley from Greyhound 'Black & White'), Gordon Mulrain bass guitarist and session musician, Learoy Green drums, backing vocals and session musician, Bryan Campbell Keyboard player and session musician, Steve Baker Guitarist, backing vocals, peripatetic guitar teacher and session guitarist. The punk era of the late 1970's brought with it an English revival of ska by groups like Madness and the Specials. His last concert was at Leeds Metropolitan University on 11 May. All tracks composed by Desmond Dekker; except where indicated "It Mek" (Dekker, Leslie Kong) - 1:40 "Too Much Too Soon" (Dekker, Leslie Kong) - 2:38 "Coconut Water" - 3:27 "Sweet Music" - 2:29 By 1971 the line-up had changed again, with Barry Howard now rejoined by Carl Hall. , May 30, 2006, p. B7. The artist took a permanent residency in the UK in 1969. (London), May 27, 2006, p. 70; Eventually in 1963 Kong chose "Honour Your Mother and Father" (written by Dekker and the song that Dekker had sung in his Kong audition two years earlier), which became a Jamaican hit and established Dekker's musical career. Desmond Dekker - Rate Your Music A series of songs including "Rude Boy Train" and "Rudie Got Soul" made Mr. Dekker a hero of Jamaica's rough urban "rude boy" culture. May 25, 2006 - Desmond Dekker was born Desmond Adolphus Dacres on July 16th 1941 in Saint Andrew Parrish, Kingston, Jamaica. Desmond Dekker, 64, Pioneer of Jamaican Music, Dies He was also a songwriter and a musician as well. [9] Desmond headlined Jools Holland's 2003 Annual Hootenanny. even the most obscure ones.". Dekker spent his early formative years in Kingston, the capital of Jamaica. Desmond Dekker was born on July 16, 1941. "The Israelites" reached No. His lyrics drew The two had met With the release of Israelites, Dekker became the first Jamaican artist to score a hit in the United States. [8] King of Kings consists of songs by Dekker's musical heroes including Byron Lee; Theophilus Beckford, Jimmy Cliff, and his friend and fellow Kong label artist, Derrick Morgan. He also collaborated on a remix of "Israelites" with reggae artist Apache Indian. Dekker had also begun working on new material with the production duo Bruce Anthony in 1974. Several more hits followed, and Dekker became a major He continued to tour regularly; his final concert was on May 11 at Leeds University. Although newcomers should be directed to Trojan's 1997 best-of, The Original Rude Boy, among the many retrospectives, fans of Dekker and original Jamaican ska, rocksteady, and founding reggae are well served by this narrowly focused CD. I don't think anyone knew how close we were - we go back so far. [3], The new group recorded a number of Jamaican hits, including "Parents", "Get Up Edina", "This Woman" and "Mount Zion". He lived for his music and his children. An energetic live performer, he was about to start a European summer tour and was booked to play in Prague next week. [3] Dekker's version uses the same backing track as Cliff's original. Home | DESMOND DEKKER Desmond Dekker - Wikipedia A . Desmond Dekker, who has died of a heart attack aged 64 in Surrey, was one of the first Jamaican vocalists to make a significant impact outside the land of his birth. Photograph: PA. Dekker recorded on the Pyramid record label, and when its catalogue was acquired by Cactus Records in 1975, "Israelites" was re-issued in a first-time stereo mix. [1] By 1967, the only remaining members were Barry Howard and Winston Samuels and it was their backing vocals that featured on Dekker's track, "Israelites". He died after collapsing from a heart attack at his home in Surrey, England, his manager, Delroy Williams, told Reuters. "He was at his peak fitness, he had this big tour coming up for this summer and he was looking forward to it - and then that was it," Mr Williams said. ", He added: "I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye properly.". This is one of the pioneers that has passed away - his place is definitely cemented in reggae history.". [1] Dekker's international success led to him touring overseas, although The Aces did not accompany him due to Samuels refusal to fly (Samuels stating that "Rastas did not fly on iron birds") and Barry Howard's decision to emigrate to the United States. It was during this period that Desmond Dacres adopted the stage-name of Desmond Dekker. ", He added: "People like Desmond Dekker only come along once in a lifetime. By 1970 Dekker was living in England, but still worked steadily with Kong. His fans included the Beatles, who namechecked him in the lyrics to 1 in Britain and made him a household name Desmond Dekker, the orphan who trained as a welder alongside one Robert Marley and led the march of Jamaican music on to the global charts, has died aged 64. Born Desmond Adolphus Dacres, July 16, c. 1941, in Kingston, Jamaica; died of a heart attack, May 25, 2006, in London, England. "He died peacefully but it still hurts. Desmond Dekker (16 July 1941 25 May 2006)[1] was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer-songwriter and musician. As a teenager he worked in a welding shop alongside Bob Marley and auditioned unsuccessfully for various producers until Mr. Marley encouraged him to try out for his own first producer, Leslie Kong. "When he released Israelites nobody had heard of Bob Marley - he paved the way for all of them.". Dekker spent his formative years in Kingston. "007 (song)" redirects here. Privacy Policy & Terms of use. Desmond Dekker - Israelites (Official Music Video) Weedy Weed Smoker 7.04K subscribers Subscribe 349K views 5 years ago Music video by Desmond Dekker performing Israelites. Destitute ("slaving for bread") and unkempt ("Shirt dem a-tear up, trousers a-go"), some Rastafarians were tempted to a life of crime ("I don't want to end up like Bonnie and Clyde"). The song has appeared in numerous movies and television programs,[14] including the soundtracks of the 1989 American film Drugstore Cowboy and the 2010 British film Made in Dagenham. The movie's hero, played by Jimmy Cliff, sang it this time, and [2] It spent eleven weeks in the UK chart, and by September 1970 had sold over a million copies worldwide. Desmond Dekker was born on 16 July 1941 in Kingston, Jamaica. Dekker, whose 1969 hit Israelites was the first reggae song to top the UK charts, collapsed at his Surrey home. 15 on the British charts. Dekker's last gig was in Leeds on 11 May (Photo: egigs.co.uk), Dekker's hits included Israelites, It Mek and 007 (Shanty Town), The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites, BBC Radio 2's Mark Lamarr pays tribute to Desmond Dekker. teens had found work as a welder. years earlier, when both worked as welders in Kingston, and Dekker [13] Paul McCartney slipped Mr. Dekker's first name into the lyrics to the Beatles' ska song, "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," on "The Beatles" (also known as the White Album) in 1968, the year Mr. Dekker moved to England. In 2000 he released the album "Halfway to Paradise." 007: The Best of Desmond Dekker is a two-disc collection that features 25 classic hits from Dekker's catalog, as well as another 25 rare and unreleased sides including alternate takes of some of the artist's fan favorites of the '60s and '70s. Dekker, who lived in England, co [2][12], Dekker recorded on the Pyramid record label, and when its catalogue was acquired by Cactus Records in 1975, "Israelites" was re-issued in a first-time stereo mix. 2, p. 11; Desmond Dekker, voice of Jamaica's slums, dies at 64 He had been due to perform at the Respect Festival in Prague on 2 June, and numerous dates across Europe during the summer. "007 (Shanty Town)" has been called "the most enduring and archetypal" rude boy song. tribute, was evident in a sold-out show Dekker played at a Hollywood After being re-released in June 1969, the single reached number 7 in the UK Singles Chart. It Mek - Wikipedia Compass Point [3], In 1968 Dekker's "Israelites" was released, eventually topping the UK Singles Chart in April 1969 and peaking in the top ten of the US Billboard Hot 100 in June 1969. Desmond Dekker - Cultural Jamaican Musical Talisman - uDiscover Music his co-workers to dare him into auditioning for a record label. of musicians and producers Dekker cut two more albums, Born July 16, 1941 Died May 24, 2006 (64) Add or change photo on IMDbPro Add to list Known for Fool's Gold 5.7 ", Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Unflagging performer Desmond Dekker.