Desmond Dekker

Desmond Dekker stands apart from nearly every other Jamaican performer in the worldwide recognition he earned for his birthplace, save for Bob Marley, though Dekker arrived on the scene earlier. Listeners around the globe first encountered the island's singular musical voice through the vocalist's succession of successes, above all "Israelites" and "0.0.7. (Shanty Town)." At home his sway ran still deeper.

Desmond Dacres entered the world in Kingston, Jamaica, on July 16, 1942, and lost both parents while still a teenager. Forced to support himself, he trained as a welder. Colleagues at the workshop first detected his vocal gifts when the youth sang during shifts. Spurred by their urging, Dacres auditioned in 1961 for Coxsone Dodd at Studio One and for Duke Reid at Treasure Isle. Neither producer detected special promise and turned the hopeful away. Undaunted, Dacres approached Leslie Kong of the Beverley's imprint. He performed for the label's leading artist, Derrick Morgan, who recognized the newcomer's promise at once. Two further years nevertheless elapsed before Kong scheduled a session, insisting the singer first write material he judged worth committing to tape.

In 1963 Dacres offered Kong "Honour Your Father and Mother," and the producer concluded the delay had been justified. Released under the new professional name Desmond Dekker, the single's earnest lyric climbed to the summit of the Jamaican hit parade. Dekker next issued "Sinners Come Home" and "Labour for Learning," both of which also fared well. Yet it was the subsequent "King of Ska," recorded with the Cherrypies, better known as the Maytals, that cemented his reputation. The exuberant boast, a riotous tribute to ska itself, rapidly achieved classic standing. Before year's end Dekker assembled his own quartet of backing vocalists, the Aces, comprising brothers Carl, Clive, Barry, and Patrick Howard, formerly the Four Aces. The five recorded a run of strong ska-driven sides, among them the exuberant "Get Up Edina," the advisory "Parents," the buoyant romantic tribute "This Woman," and "Mount Zion," all substantial successes.

Dekker's earliest persona, as reflected in those titles, was that of a courteous young man. The image shifted sharply in 1967. Derrick Morgan paved the way with his series of rude-boy courtroom narratives that opened with "Tougher Than Tough," on which Dekker and his brother George supplied backing vocals. Dekker himself avoided the ensuing courtroom saga and instead stormed the Jamaican charts with "0.0.7. (Shanty Town)." Driven by a robust rocksteady rhythm, the track became an instant rude-boy anthem and cast Dekker as a virtual symbol of that culture. In Britain, amid the aftermath of the mod movement, the Jamaican singer was embraced as one of their own. The single reached the U.K. Top 15, prompting Dekker's first trip to England, where the enthusiastic reception left him astonished; mods shadowed him like an informal security detail. Additional rude-boy successes followed, among them the deeply soulful "Rudy Got Soul" and "Rude Boy Train." Other releases returned to the measured themes of his earlier work: the spiritually inclined "Wise Man," "Hey Grandma," the cautionary "Mother's Young Girl," the heartbroken "Sabotage," the lively "It's a Shame" in which a young woman receives a rebuke, and the uplifting "Unity," which placed second in Jamaica's Festival Song Competition. Among the most memorable was "Pretty Africa," an early repatriation song whose lingering beauty and wistful tone have kept it a perennial favorite. "It Pays," another 1967 hit, showcased some of the most refined falsetto harmonies on record and highlighted the Aces at their peak. Although none matched the reach of "0.0.7.," Dekker retained strong standing in Britain and superstar status at home. Many of these tracks appeared on his debut album, titled after "0.0.7. (Shanty Town)."

In 1968 Dekker released the powerful sufferers' lament "Israelites." The song simmered on the U.K. charts for six months before reaching number one in March. In the United States it also climbed, peaking three months later just inside the Top Ten. Dekker thereby realized every Jamaican artist's ambition of cracking the American market, and he did so with an unadulterated Jamaican recording. Although he never again placed a single that high on the U.S. charts, his momentum continued undiminished at home and in Britain. The poignant "Beautiful and Dangerous" became another major success, as did the lively "Shing a Ling" and the equally catchy "Music Like Dirt." For spiritually minded listeners there was "Writing on the Wall," yet purchasers of that popular release also encountered the equally successful and overtly suggestive "Bongo Girl." By year's end Beverley's assembled several of the year's hits into the Action! collection.

The cheerful "Problems" addressed the Jamaican public directly in 1969 and sold briskly. The year, however, belonged to "It Mek," another tale of a girl facing consequences; Dekker wrote it about his lively younger sister. The original issue drew modest attention, charming but lacking force, while the re-recorded version proved stronger, entering the Jamaican chart and then rising into the British Top Ten. "Pickney Gal," though popular locally, made less headway in the U.K. Beverley's again compiled the year's successes into an album titled Israelites. British fans received This Is Desmond Dekker, issued by Trojan in 1969 and drawn from the three Beverley's collections.

As the 1970s opened, Dekker had moved to Britain and devoted most of his time to touring. He nevertheless continued issuing strong singles backed by the Beverley's All Stars and the Aces. His next British hit came not from his own pen but from Jimmy Cliff's "You Can Get It If You Really Want." Leslie Kong argued forcefully before the singer agreed to cover it; Dekker ultimately trusted the producer and was rewarded with a timeless classic that succeeded on both sides of the Atlantic. Trojan titled a further hit-filled collection after the song and released it in 1970. In retrospect the collaboration of Kong's two leading artists felt fitting. In August 1971 the producer, still in his thirties, suffered a fatal heart attack. Unlike nearly every other island artist, Dekker had remained under Kong's guidance throughout his career and was shattered by the loss; Jimmy Cliff, barring a handful of early sides, had likewise worked exclusively with Kong and felt comparable grief. Trojan's Original Reggae Hitsound of Desmond Dekker and the Aces remains the definitive anthology of their partnership.

At first uncertain how to proceed, Dekker eventually found his footing and over the ensuing years issued a steady stream of fine singles. None, however, registered on the British charts. Seeking to reverse that trend, he teamed in 1974 with pop producers Bruce Anthony (Tony Cousins) and Bruce White. The sessions yielded "Everybody Join Hands" and "Busted Lad," issued in Britain by Rhino, yet they made little impression. In 1975 another track from those dates, "Sing a Little Song," eased into the British Top 20. Its sweet tone and polished production stood far from the material Dekker had cut with Kong. A new album, also titled Israelites (distinct from the earlier Beverley's set), appeared the same year; despite a fierce reading of the title track it faded swiftly, as did the single. For the next five years Dekker vanished almost completely from the U.K. radar. He kept releasing records in Jamaica, though far less frequently than during his prolific 1960s output.

The 2-Tone movement at the decade's close revived interest in Dekker's work, and he signed with the independent punk imprint Stiff. His first release for the label was the playfully named Black & Dekker, comprising re-recordings of earlier successes backed by the British rock band the Rumour, known for their association with Graham Parker. Several singles marked his return, beginning with a new version of "Israelites" that nearly reached the Belgian Top Ten. Subsequent releases included "Please Don't Bend" and a reading of Jimmy Cliff's "Many Rivers to Cross." A fourth single, "Book of Rules," proved especially potent and was produced by Will Birch, renowned for his power-pop work. Dekker's follow-up, 1981's Compass Point, contained mostly fresh material and was produced by Robert Palmer, yet both the album and the single "Hot City" underperformed. Live demand remained high, however, and he continued performing with the Rumour. As the 2-Tone wave subsided, so did Dekker's resurgence. In 1984 he declared bankruptcy, a circumstance attributable more to earlier management than to his own standing.

Dekker largely withdrew from public view for the remainder of the decade, broken only by Trojan's 1987 Officially Live and Rare album, captured during an animated club performance in London. A fresh rendition of "Israelites" featured in a Maxell tape commercial returned him to visibility in 1990. The next year he issued King of Ska, again consisting of re-recordings of past triumphs. Two years later he entered the studio with a similarly reinvigorated Specials for the King of Kings album. Although that set also revisited older material, most of the songs were drawn not from Dekker's own catalog but from those of his personal heroes, notably including Derrick Morgan, the man who had first discovered him.

Moving On appeared in 1996 and ranks among Dekker's weaker efforts. Trojan, however, continued to spotlight his catalog. From the humorously titled Double Dekker in 1974 through Sweet 16 Hits in 1978, The Original Reggae Hitsound in 1985, and 1992's Music Like Dirt, a wealth of strong Dekker recordings remained available. Other companies added further compilations spanning every phase of his career. Dekker's extensive body of work, which helped define the ska, rocksteady, and reggae periods, has secured him a legacy seldom matched. On May 25, 2006, he died at age 64 in his London home.