Dillinger

Matching the renown of the outlaw whose moniker he claimed, Dillinger ranked among the next generation of Jamaican toasters who rose after U-Roy, Big Youth, and Dennis Alcapone achieved breakthrough success. By the middle of the 1970s the young performer had climbed to the forefront of the style and earned worldwide recognition. Celebrated for rapid-fire cleverness, irreverent rhymes, and an off-kilter comic sensibility, the DJ stands as one of the era’s most inventive and amusing practitioners. Born Lester Bullocks on June 25, 1953, in Kingston, Jamaica, he spent his youth frequenting sound-system events and occasionally helped load gear for the El Paso outfit that hosted Dennis Alcapone. That connection eventually earned him the microphone, yet it was Prince Jackie’s system that supplied the teenager with his first steady engagement. When Alcapone left El Paso, Bullocks assumed the vacated slot and adopted the name Dennis Alcapone, Jr. Producer Lee Perry urged him to alter the handle, declaring, “You’re different from Alcapone. You’re Dillinger.”

In 1973 the freshly renamed artist already commanded a sizable following within the sound-system circuit. Perry welcomed him to Black Ark studio and captured a sizable body of work issued on 45s, beginning with “Dub Organizer.” None of those sides registered strongly, so the following year Dillinger approached producer Yabby You. Given the rhythm of “Jah Vengeance,” he delivered a strong Rastafarian-themed performance that appeared as the single “Freshly” and immediately caught on. Demand for his services surged, prompting recordings for Niney Holness, Augustus Pablo, and Count Ossie that yielded several strong tracks. Clement “Coxsonne” Dodd, who had already cut the DJ’s “Killer Man Jaro,” guided the sessions for the debut LP Ready Natty Dreadie, issued in 1976 and built around Studio One rhythms. Only early purchasers encountered the title track, a striking reworking of Burning Spear’s “Creation Rebel”; Dodd later substituted “Natty Kung Fu” on subsequent pressings to exploit the prevailing martial-arts fad. Although the album consolidated Dillinger’s local standing, its successor, CB 200, delivered international visibility. Channel One rhythms, many drawn from the Mighty Diamonds, underpinned the set, with Jo Jo Hookim at the controls. The title song, recasting Gregory Isaacs’ “Sun Shines for Me,” became a hit in tribute to the artist’s favored motorcycle. Additional standouts included “Plantation Heights” and “Crankface,” the latter a collaboration with longtime associate Trinity, yet nothing matched the worldwide reach of “Cocaine in My Brain.”

Britain’s punk upheaval embraced Dillinger, and London appearances drew ecstatic audiences that included an awestruck Joe Strummer. There he also recorded the Clement Bushay-produced Clash, a series of exchanges with Trinity. Those tracks fared well in Jamaica, with cuts such as “Rizla Skank” becoming local successes, yet they failed to satisfy overseas listeners still craving further doses of “Cocaine.” The public appetite proved double-edged. Bionic Dread, another 1976 Hookim production filled with powerful rhythms and sharp toasts, vanished abroad. Talkin’ Blues followed the same pattern in 1978. Top Ranking, released the same year, lived up to its name with a collection of intense performances rivaling anything on CB 200. Corn Bread, the DJ’s third LP of 1978, teamed him with producers Shrowder and Sevitt, and all parties emerged victorious. Answer My Questions arrived in 1979, but none of these albums registered outside Jamaica. On the island Dillinger kept issuing strong singles and maintained a thriving domestic career, notably through numerous Bunny Lee collaborations between 1977 and 1979 that paired him with Johnny Clarke, Hortense Ellis, and Delroy Wilson. He also appears on Sugar Minott’s “Lamb’s Bread.” Still seeking broader exposure, he recaptured international attention late in 1979 with the long-promised sequel “Marijuana in My Brain,” which also named the accompanying album. The single topped the Dutch chart, prompting A&M to sign him for 1980’s Badder Than Them. Attempting to secure that momentum, Dillinger adopted the electronic and new-wave currents then sweeping Europe and the United States. The album offered an intriguing fusion, yet neither new-wave listeners nor Jamaican audiences fully embraced the hybrid, and A&M quickly withdrew support.

Dillinger’s British followers remained steadfast, as evidenced by the enthusiastic reception captured on Live at the Music Machine, recorded in London in 1980 and released the next year. A second live document, Live in London, issued the same year, paired him with Clint Eastwood, elder brother of former sparring partner Trinity. Expanding his production activities, the DJ oversaw a series of 12-inch singles for the British Oak Sound label in 1982, featuring both his own material and that of other artists. The self-produced Join the Queue appeared in 1983; for Funky Punk, released the same year, he reunited with Shrowder and Sevitt, who supplied disco-funk backings, the highlight being “LSD in My Brain.” The same team handled 1984’s Blackboard Jungle, a respectable effort, though King Pharaoh, also issued that year, marked a stronger return to form. Tribal War surfaced two years later. By then it was apparent that Dillinger’s peak period had passed, and he stepped away from music for several years until Bunny Lee and Superblack persuaded him to record 1993’s Say No to Drugs. The 3 Piece Suit compilation, gathering Bunny Lee productions alongside King Tubby dubs, further revived interest that year. Dillinger resumed live work and has toured steadily ever since. At decade’s end the two-CD Rebel With a Cause anthology surveyed his career, while Cocaine in My Brain focused on 1970s hits and added nearly a dozen Lee Perry recordings. The DJ has continued to release new singles.