Before Bob Marley
Before the world knew who Bob Marley was, there was Desmond Dekker. One of the fore fathers of Jamaican ska music, Dekker and his backing group The Aces went on to create one of the first international Jamaican hit songs - "Israelites." Within Jamaica, Dekker knew popularity - and outside Jamaica, he was one of the most well-known ska artists of his time.
His Life, His Legacy
Born Desmond Adolphus Dacres in St. Andrew, he grew up in Kingston until his mother died. Then, he was subsequently shifted around by his father to St. Mary, then St. Thomas where he began an apprenticeship as a tailor. Eventually, he returned to Kingston and took up welding where he would sing around the workplace at the encouragement of his co-workers.
During early 1961, Desmond auditioned for two recording studios without much success. They didn't like his talent, so he moved on to Leslie Kong's record label where he auditioned in front of Derrick Morgan, the label's biggest star at the time.
He had the support of Morgan, and was immediately signed to the label. However, he didn't start recording until 1963. Why? Because Leslie Kong wanted to wait for the "perfect" song to launch Desmond's career. "Honour Your Father and Mother" did turn out to be a success, as did the two successive songs "Sinners Come Home" and "Labour For Learning."
Shortly thereafter, he even changed his name from Desmond Dacres to Desmond Dekker. While his first three recorded songs were a hit, his fourth single was what launched him into one of Jamaica's biggest ska artists of the time. "King of Ska", where Dekker was backed by The Maytals, remains a favorite among ska fans to this day. Eventually, he recruited four brothers to form him backing group, The Four Aces.
Recording Career
Dekker and his backing fan continued to record a number of hits which included such songs as "This Woman," "Edina," and "Mount Zion." Up until 1967, Dekker's songs were respectable, containing mainstream messages and lyrics nearly everyone could identify with. Later that year however, Dekker appeared on Derrik Morgan's "Tougher than Tough." This song launched a trend that glamorized the Island's "rude boy" culture.
While Dekker's own songs did not go to such extremes, he did become a popular icon among the rude boy culture as well as the United Kingdom's mod scene with his song "007 (Shanty Town.)" In the U.K., Shanty Town became one of the Top 15 hit's, and his tour of that country proved he remained popular with the mod scene.
He continued producing songs along the same vein, as well as music that spoke of his original themes of morality and religion. His song "Pretty Africa" remains a favorite of his many fans to this day, and was quite popular among ska followers.
The following year, "Israelites" was released and appeared on the United State's AND U.K.'s singles chart, topping the U.K. and creeping into the top 10 hits in the United States. He was actually the first artist to enter the U.S. market with purely Jamaican music, though unfortunately, that success was not to be repeated.
The 1970's
During most of the 1970's, Dekker moved to the U.K. and spent the majority of his time touring. He continued to record during this time period, his best song being Jimmy Cliff's "You Can Get It If You Really Want." When Kong died in 1971, Dekker lost a bit of himself and his musical direction.
When Dekker did return to music, he enjoyed very limited success until 1974, when he began producing with Bruce Anthony. "Sing a Little Song" was his first hit with the duo, which creeped into the British Top 10. Afterwards, he didn't chart in the U.K. for a long time and seemed to have lost most of his audience in Jamaica.
Finally, towards the end of the 1970's, Dekker signed with punk label Stiff Records which was actually a fusion of both punk and ska music. The first album he recored for Stiff, Black and Dekker, featured his previous hits, only backed by The Rumour. He then recorded another album, Compass Point, which did not sell as well as Dekker had hoped. Regardless, he was still a popular fixture among the ska/punk culture and continued to tour wit The Rumour.
The End
The early 1980's brought hardship for Dekker, and he had to declare bankruptcy in 1984. The late 80's saw only one live album released by Dekker, but in 1990 his version of "Israelites" brought him back into the attention of the public when it was used in a Maxell commerical. In 1992, he worked with The Specials for King of Kings.
On May 25, 2006, Dekker died of a heart attack at the age of 64. While he may be gone, his music lives on in the hearts of ska fans everywhere.
