Delroy George Wilson CD (5 October 1948 – 6 March 1995) was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer. Wilson is often regarded as Jamaica's first child star, having first found success as a teenager. His youngest son, Karl "Konan" Wilson, has found success as part of British duo Krept and Konan.

Biography

Delroy Wilson began his recording career at the age of 13, while still a pupil at Boys Town Primary School. Wilson released his first single "Emy Lou" in 1962 for record producer, Clement "Coxsone" Dodd. His early years with Coxsone yielded a number of ska hits, the biggest of which, the Lee Perry-written "Joe Lies" was an attack on rival producer and former Dodd employee Prince Buster. This was followed by another Perry-written attack on Buster, "Spit in the Sky". Further singles followed, including "One Two Three", "I Shall Not Remove", "Look Who Is Back Again" (a duet with Slim Smith), and another anti-Buster song, "Prince Pharaoh", notably the only record featuring the voice of Dodd himself. He is regarded as Jamaica's first child star.

In 2015 Wilson's childhood friend Everard "Jah Ruby" Metcalf released the album The Delroy Wilson Story, featuring 21 cover versions of Wilson's songs.

Albums

  • I Shall Not Remove (1966) Studio One
  • Good All Over (1969) Coxsone/Studio One
  • Better Must Come (1971) Dynamic Sounds
  • Captivity (1973) Big Shot
  • For I And I (1975) Grounation
  • Sarge (1976) Charmers
  • Last Thing on My Mind (1977) Harry J
  • Money (1977) Clocktower
  • Mr. Cool Operator (1977) EJI
  • Lovers' Rock (1978) Burning Sounds
  • Who Done It (1979) Third World
  • True Believer in Love (197?) Carib Gems
  • True Believer in Love (197?) Micron
  • Unedited (197?) Hulk
  • Living in the Footsteps (1980) Joe Gibbs
  • Go Away Dream (1982) Black Music
  • Nice Times (1983) Vista Sounds
  • Reggae Classics (1984) Londisc
  • Worth Your Weight in Gold (1984) Burning Sounds
  • The Dean of Reggae (1985) Mister Tipsy
  • Looking For Love (1986) Phill Pratt
  • Million Busters in Reggae (198?) Top Rank
  • Super Mix Hits (198?) Pioneer International
  • Dancing Mood Studio One
  • Oldies But Goodies Pioneer International (with Owen Gray)
  • Now (19??), Real Wax

Wilson's work has also been collected on over 15 'Best of' compilations and he features on dozens of compilations of reggae and ska music.

See also

  • List of reggae musicians
  • List of roots reggae artists
  • Rocksteady
  • Lovers rock
  • Music of Jamaica

References

  • Delroy Wilson at Roots Archives
  • Delroy Wilson:
  • Delroy Wilson: