Music - Live
: Ska
Born Desmond Dacres, July 16, 1941, Kingston, Jamaica
Albums:
1969- The Israelites (Uni)
1970- You Can Get It (Trojan)
1974- Double Dekker
1978- Sweet 16 Hits
1980- Black and Dekker (Stiff)
1981- Compass Point
1992- Rockin' Steady: The Best of Desmond Dekker (Rhino)
Desmond Dekker was one of the pioneers of reggae and the creator of one of the genre's best-known songs, "The Israelites."As a teenager in Jamaica, he worked in the same welding shop as Bob Marley, who encourages him to audition for producer Leslie "King" Kong. Kong helped Dekker put together a group, the Aces, and produced their first record, "Honour Thy Father and Mother," in 1963. Eventually a #1 hit in Jamaica, it was followed by a score of Carribean hits that won Dekker the title "King of the Bluebeat" and the annual Golden Trophy (awarded to Jamaica's top singer) five times between 1963 and 1969.
In 1964 Chris Blackwell released "Honour Thy Father and Mother" in Britain on his Island label. Dekker's first U.K. Top Twenty hit was a 1967 single on Pyramid, "007 (Shanty Town)," later featured on the soundtrack of The Harder They Come (1972). Dekker's only U.S. hit, "This is Isrealites" (#9, 1969), personalized imagery from the Biblical Exodus story. It sold over a million copies worldwide, reaching #1 in Britain.
A handful of British hits followed "The Israelites," including "It Miek" (#7, 1969) and "You Can Get It If You Really Want" (#2, 1970), written for him by Jimmy Cliff. A reissue of "The Israelites" returned him to the British Top Ten in 1975. "Sing a Little Song" made the Top Twenty later that year. Dekker didn't record again until 1980, when Stiff Records signed him at the height of the ska and rock-steady revival. His comeback album, Black and Dekker, featured one of the original rock-steady groups, the Pioneers, and Graham Parker's band the Rumour in supporting roles. Its followup, Compass Point, was produced
by singer Robert Palmer.
In 1984 Dekker was declared bankrupt by a British court. He claimed that his former manager had withheld funds. Things looked up for Dekker, however, when a 1990 British TV ad for Maxell Tapes used the melody of "The Isrealites" for its jingle, and the song was reissued once again.
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