1 in Britain and No. The star was divorced with a son and daughter. Dekker was responsible for bringing Bob Marleys talents to the attention of Kong and the two had several successful collaborations. 1972 film On the 22 August 1970 edition of American top 40, Casey Kasem claimed that Dekker had more than 40 #1 records in Jamaica. [1] Little more was heard from the group until 1982 when they released "One Way Street". [6] Dekker also released "Problems" and "Pickney Gal", both of which were popular in Jamaica, although only "Pickney Gal" managed to chart in the UK top 50.[3]. [2] Rude. [3], Only a single live album was released in the late '80s. UK reissue of this two CD collection by the Reggae/Ska legend. He was a composer, known for Fool's Gold (2008), Idiocracy (2006) and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008). The Top 14 Jamaican Recipes Searched for by Canadians. Desmond Dekker discography and songs: Music profile for Desmond Dekker, born 16 July 1941. teens had found work as a welder. Early Life [4] It combined the Rastafarian religion with rude boy concerns,[5] to make what has been described as a "timeless masterpiece that knew no boundaries".[6]. , May 30, 2006, p. B7. "007 (Shanty Town)" has been called "the most enduring and archetypal" rude boy song. Home | DESMOND DEKKER States, but it reached No. Jamaica's post-colonial His fans included the Beatles, who namechecked him in the lyrics to Los Angeles Times He moved to the UK in the 70s and recorded the hit You Can Get It If You Really Want, written by Jimmy Cliff. and became one of his country's first recording stars to achieve His impact on music, record-company veteran Roger But that song was treated as a novelty. Steffens told Stewart in the The singer and songwriter, whose 1969 . career, "Israelites," was released in December of 1968 and Desmond Dekker - It Mek Lyrics | Genius Lyrics Desmond Dekker, voice of Jamaica's slums, dies at 64 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. In 1980, Dekker released a new recording of the song on UK label Stiff Records, performed in an uptempo Two Tone style. At the time of his death, he was preparing as the headliner of a world music festival in Prague. considered the genre's first genuine star, but his fame would later He often sang on the job, which prompted It Mek - Wikipedia Mr. Dekker was named Desmond Adolphus Dacres when he was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1941. And the higher ones wanted to bulldoze the whole thing down and do their own thing and the students said no way. Track Listing - Disc 1 Track Listing - Disc 2 blue highlight denotes track pick His mother had passed away from a young age. Despite "Israelites" being recorded and released in 1968, the Uni 45 discography shows its cataloguing in 1969. Destitute ("slaving for bread") and unkempt ("Shirt dem a-tear up, trousers a-go"), some Rastafarians were tempted to a life of crime ("I don't want to end up like Bonnie and Clyde"). [7], "007" was Dekker's first international hit. [3] 1969 saw the release of "It Mek", which became a hit both in Jamaica and the UK. park one day, was a homage to Jamaica's underclass, who were still Ska legend Desmond Dekker has died suddenly from a heart attack, his manager said today. 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. The 2016 - current line up of musicians for Desmond Dekker's band the Aces featuring Delroy Williams & Guests. He was 64. He lived for his music and his children. Like many of Mr. Dekker's songs, it carried a message. 1 in Britain and made him a household name Me said a it mek - mek you pop yu bitta gall. UK ska-punk band Sonic Boom Six used a sample of the chorus as the outro to "Rum Little Skallywag". Potentially because of this usage, the song charted again, entering the Billboard Digital Reggae Song Sales Chart at #2.[15]. [1] The track was written by Dekker (under his real name of Desmond Dacres) and his record producer, Leslie Kong, and was recorded in Jamaica with the brass accompaniment added in the UK. [2][12], Dekker recorded on the Pyramid record label, and when its catalogue was acquired by Cactus Records in 1975, "Israelites" was re-issued in a first-time stereo mix. It took two years before Kong let Dekker record a song, and when he did, When Kong died in 1971, Dekker's career faltered, and the hits , May 27, 2006, sec. tribute, was evident in a sold-out show Dekker played at a Hollywood Browse 99 desmond dekker stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Following his mother's death, he moved to the parish of St. Mary and later to St. Reggae singer Desmond Dekker has died suddenly from a heart attack, aged 64. ", Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Unflagging performer Desmond Dekker. "Desmond was the first legend, believe it or not," he said. Reggae pioneer Desmond Dekker dies, aged 64 - the Guardian He was due to perform at the Respect festival in Prague on June 2, before heading on to Switzerland, Ireland, Poland, Belgium and London. He died on 24 May 2006 in Thornton Heath, London, England, UK. Together with his backing group The Aces (consisting of Wilson James and Easton Barrington Howard), he had one of the earliest international reggae hits with "Israelites" (1968). Times in 1980, and "Israelites" w/Lyrics- Desmond Dekker and the Aces - YouTube He was orphaned as a teenager but made a success for himself after signing with Leslie Kong's Beverley's record label and releasing his first single, Honour Your Father and Mother, in 1963, a paean. producers turned him down before Leslie Kong signed Dekker to his label in [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. Desmond Dekker, the Jamaican singer whose 1969 hit, "The Israelites," opened up a worldwide audience for reggae, died on Wednesday. The song has appeared in numerous movies and television programs,[14] including the soundtracks of the 1989 American film Drugstore Cowboy and the 2010 British film Made in Dagenham. Dekker soon garnered a wider audience with his songs, which were recorded 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. He died after collapsing from a heart attack at. 1 spot on Dekker's next album, Compass Point (1981), was produced by Robert Palmer. His last concert was at Leeds Metropolitan University on 11 May. Too Much Too Soon 6. 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! of the biblical era. "When he released Israelites nobody had heard of Bob Marley - he paved the way for all of them.". Mark Lamarr, presenter of BBC Radio 2's Reggae Show, said: "He probably was the first reggae superstar to have hits outside Jamaica in the US and UK. It Mek (sometimes appearing as "A It Mek" or German language "It Miek") was a 1969 hit song by the Jamaican musicians Desmond Dekker & the Aces. Mr. Kong produced Mr. Dekker's first single, "Honour Thy Father and Mother," in 1963, and it reached No. Together with his backing group The Aces (consisting of Wilson James and Easton Barrington Howard), he had one of the earliest international reggae hits with "Israelites" (1968). Other successes included 007 (Shanty Town) and Rude Boy Train, which established him as an icon of Jamaica's 1960s rude boy scene - the ska subculture of sharp-suited urban youth who lead violent invasions of dancehall parties. His 1980 album, "Black and Dekker," featured members of a venerable Jamaican band, the Pioneers, and Graham Parker's band, the Rumour. A man of many talents, Desmond Adolphus Dacres, a.k.a. Desmond Dekker Biography - name, wife, mother, son, born, movie, time It was also a hit for Musical Youth in 1983. Intensified - Wikipedia "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. Desmond Dekker, 64, Pioneer of Jamaican Music, Dies, https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/27/arts/music/27dekker.html. charts in the United States, and opened the ears of the world to the music After being re-released in June 1969, the single reached number 7 in the UK Singles Chart. LONDON (AP) - Desmond Dekker, who brought the sound of Jamaican ska music to the world with hits such as "Israelites," has died, his manager said Friday. community, and in 1967 his song "0.0.7 (Shanty Town)" They provided the backing vocals on Dekker's major hit "007 (Shanty Town)" as well as the track "Music Like Dirt (Intensified '68)" (the winning song of the 1968 Jamaica Independence Festival Song Contest). best-known songs celebrated the "rude boy" culture, the name "Israelites" brought a Jamaican beat to the British top 40 for the first time since Dekker's #14 hit "007 (Shanty Town)" in 1967. Survivors include Desmond Dekker 5/2006. Desmond Dekker - Israelites Lyrics | Genius Lyrics Anyone can read what you share. This was followed by the release of the tracks "Sinners Come Home" and "Labour for Learning". "Desmond was the first legend, believe it or not. He briefly had an apprenticeship as a tailor before working as a welder. [3] In 1972 the rude boy film The Harder They Come was released and Dekker's "007 (Shanty Town)" was featured on the soundtrack along with Cliff's version of "You Can Get It If You Really Want", as well as other Jamaican artists' hits, giving reggae more international exposure and preparing the way for Bob Marley. born in 1941 or 1942. The punk era of the late 1970's brought with it an English revival of ska by groups like Madness and the Specials. "[8] The title has been the source of speculation,[9] but most settle on the Rastafarian Movement's association with the Twelve Tribes of Israel.