Derrick Harriott

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Derrick Harriott launched his career in music as a reggae singer and producer after spending the years 1958 to 1962 with the Jiving Juniors. He moved on to a solo path while also handling production work for the Ethiopians, Keith, and Tex. Many of his recordings adapted vintage R&B love songs into reggae form, yet the track that became his signature, "The Loser," was written originally by him. In 1971 Swing Magazine designated him Top Producer of 1970, noting that he ranked among the earliest artists to record at the soon-to-be-famous King Tubby’s studio. The decade that followed brought solo albums such as Undertaker, Songs for Midnight Lovers, and Psychedelic Lovers. Solo activity stayed quiet through the 1980s, but fresh releases appeared in the mid- to late 1990s, among them Sings Jamaican Rock Steady Reggae, For a Fistful of Dollars, Derrick Harriott & Giants, and Riding the Roots Chariot.