I was his manager and his best friend, I don't think anyone knew how close we were - we go back so far.". For Once in My Life (Missing Lyrics) 10. "It was an exciting time in [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. The two had met [12][13], Dekker died of a heart attack on 25 May 2006, at his home in Thornton Heath in the London Borough of Croydon, England, aged 64[3] and was buried at Streatham Park Cemetery. The artist died on May 25, 2006, of a heart attack at his home in Thorton Heath in the Croydon Borough of London. Despite declining sales, Dekker remained a popular live performer and continued to tour with The Rumour. It was also a hit for Musical Youth in 1983. 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. I don't think anyone knew how close we were - we go back so far. 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. The initial line-up of The Aces consisted of Clive Campbell, Barry Howard, Carl Howard, and Patrick Howard. By the end of the decade, Mr. Dekker had won the Golden Trophy award, presented annually to Jamaica's top singer, five times and was known as the King of Bluebeat. Desmond Dekker performing at London's Brixton Academy in 1985. "007 (Shanty Town)" has been called "the most enduring and archetypal" rude boy song. [3], In 1961 he auditioned for Coxsone Dodd (Studio One) and Duke Reid (Treasure Isle), though neither audition was successful. "Israelites" brought a Jamaican beat to the British top 40 for the first time since Dekker's #14 hit "007 (Shanty Town)" in 1967. Other hits include "007 (Shanty Town)" (1967), "It Mek" (1969) and "You Can Get It If You Really Want" (1970). It was taken from an album of similar re-recordings of his old hits, Black & Dekker. In 1990 "Israelites" was used in a Maxell TV advert that became popular and brought the song and artist back to the attention of the general public. Despite "Israelites" being recorded and released in 1968, the Uni 45 discography shows its cataloguing in 1969. Musical died on May 25, 2006, in London, at the age of 63 or 64. journalist Jocelyn Y. Stewart. jazz elements, combined with such local forms as calypso and mento and Chicago Tribune View their obituary at Legacy.com With the release of Israelites, Dekker became the first Jamaican artist to score a hit in the United States. Born Desmond Adolphus Dacres, July 16, c. 1941, in Kingston, Jamaica; died of a heart attack, May 25, 2006, in London, England. A man of many talents, Desmond Adolphus Dacres, a.k.a. He died peacefully but it still hurts. He briefly had an apprenticeship as a tailor before working as a welder. Ska legend Desmond Dekker has died suddenly from a heart attack, his manager said today. version of ska. On the 22 August 1970 edition of American top 40, Casey Kasem claimed that Dekker had more than 40 #1 records in Jamaica. The chords of the guitar accompaniment are played on the offbeat and move through the tonic chord [B flat], the subdominant [E flat], the dominant [F], and the occasional [D flat],[5] viz, [B flat] - [E flat] - [F] - [B flat] - [D flat]. be eclipsed by another Jamaican, reggae artist Bob Marley. hotspot in 2005, "which was almost completely people under His 1980 album, "Black and Dekker," featured members of a venerable Jamaican band, the Pioneers, and Graham Parker's band, the Rumour. 30," Steffens said. With "The Israelites," released in Jamaica in December 1968, Mr. Dekker had an international impact. (London), May 27, 2006, p. 70; Dekker was a native of Kingston, Jamaica's capital, where he was 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 a year later. of London obituary noted. Dekker was the first Jamaican artist to have a hit record in the US with Jamaican-style music. ", Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Unflagging performer Desmond Dekker. I dig you out and you're cool, girl. The Harder They Come For the secondary James Bond theme, see, O'Brien Chang, Kevin & Chen, Wayne (1998), Soundtrack for the ages: 40 Years of Harder They Come, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=007_(Shanty_Town)&oldid=1099693912, This page was last edited on 22 July 2022, at 03:53. It was one of the first reggae songs to become an international hit, despite Dekker's strong Jamaican accent which made his lyrics difficult to understand for many listeners outside Jamaica.[10]. 1969. [1] Little more was heard from the group until 1982 when they released "One Way Street". generations of fans. An instrumental figure in the development of ska and its slightly mellower cousin, rocksteady, Dekker was also one the first reggae performers to break big in the U.K., laying the groundwork for that country's late 1970s 2 Tone movement. His 1960's songs used the upbeat ska rhythm, a precursor to reggae also known as bluebeat. In 1962 "Judge Not" and "One Cup Of Coffee" became the first recorded efforts of Marley, who retained gratitude, respect and admiration for Dekker for the rest of his life. Many of his Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for TROJAN DUB MASSIVE CHAPTER TWO 2 CD REGGAE SKA ROOTS DESMOND DECKER 40th lp 45 at the best online prices at eBay! Stock Photos from Photos.com, iStockPhotos.com, 123rf. The vocal melody is syncopated and is centred on the tone of B flat. A string of Jamaican hits followed, including "It Pays," "Sinners Come Home" and "Labour for Learning." Mr. Dekker was named Desmond Adolphus Dacres when he was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1941. Born Desmond Adolphus Dacres, July 16, c. 1941, in Kingston, Jamaica; died , May 27, 2006, sec. of the island," wrote Albums include The Harder They Come, The Harder They Come, and Tougher Than Tough: The Story of Jamaican Music. [8] The single was a number one hit in Jamaica and reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart, making it the first Jamaican-produced record to reach the UK top 20. career, "Israelites," was released in December of 1968 and He was preparing to headline The World Music Festival in Prague. The 7 Breakfast Dishes Every Jamaican Should Know How Jamaican Men Say Thank You to another Jamaican How Jamaicans Greet You When They Have Not Seen You 20 English Words That Sound Better In Jamaican Patois. The obituary was featured in Legacy on May 26, 2006. Dekker spent his early formative years in Kingston, the capital of Jamaica. His manager and best friend, Delroy Williams, said he had seen the singer and songwriter the night before and he had seemed fine. of the biblical era. [1] Kong employed the group as backing singers for Dekker and they can be heard on the song "Get Up Adinah" (credited as The Four Aces). Previously divorced, he was survived by a son and daughter. migrating across the Atlantic along with a growing West Indian expatriate Three years later, Mr. Dekker had his first British Top 20 hit with "007 (Shanty Town)," a tale of rude-boy ghetto violence "Dem a loot, dem a shoot, dem a wail" sung in a thick patois, which Americans would hear later as part of the soundtrack to the film "The Harder They Come" in 1972. [1], The original recording of "007" (without the 'Shanty Town') was produced by Leslie Kong and originally released as a single on the Pyramid label. even the most obscure ones.". gangsters they saw in Hollywood films. Their song "Working on it Night and Day", entered the pop charts in 1973. Times "007 (Shanty Town)" has been called "the most enduring and archetypal" rude boy song. 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. The British hitmaker Robert Palmer produced Mr. Dekker's next album, "Compass Point," in 1981. Musical pioneer Desmond Dekker dominated Jamaica's pop charts in the 1960s, and became one of his country's first recording stars to achieve wider renown. [3] Dekker's version uses the same backing track as Cliff's original. He lived for his music and his children. "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. [11] In June 1969 it reached the Top Ten in the United States, peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Dekker then recruited four brothers, Carl, Patrick, Clive and Barry Howard, as his permanent backing vocalists to perform with him under the name Desmond Dekker and the Aces. Desmond Adolphus Dacres was born in Saint Andrew Parish (Greater Kingston), Jamaica, on 16 July 1941. It took two years before Kong let Dekker record a song, and when he did, "The Israelites," with its biblical imagery of suffering and redemption, showed the world reggae's combination of danceable rhythm and serious, sometimes spiritual intentions. The singer and songwriter, whose 1969 . 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. 1 spot on Jamaican patois, helped make his 1969 song "Israelites" an On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [2] Just over six years after the original release, the song again reached a Top Ten position in the United Kingdom.[2]. Intensified 4. more rural part of the island, but returned to Kingston and by his late Dekker had also begun working on new material with the production duo Bruce Anthony in 1974.