Desmond Dekker

Desmond Dekker (born Desmond Adolphus Dacres; 16 July 1941 – 25 May 2006) was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer-songwriter and musician. 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 hits include "007 (Shanty Town)" (1967), "It Mek" (1969) and "You Can Get It If You Really Want" (1970).

Early life

Desmond Adolphus Dacres was born in Saint Andrew Parish (Greater Kingston), Jamaica, on 16 July 1941. Dekker spent his formative years in Kingston. From a young age he regularly attended the local church with his grandmother and aunt. This early religious upbringing, as well as Dekker's enjoyment of singing hymns, led to a lifelong religious commitment. Following his mother's death, he moved to the parish of St. Mary and later to St. Thomas. While at St. Thomas, Dekker embarked on an apprenticeship as a tailor before returning to Kingston, where he became a welder. His workplace singing had drawn the attention of his co-workers, who encouraged him to pursue a career in music.

In 1961 he auditioned for Coxsone Dodd (Studio One) and Duke Reid (Treasure Isle), though neither audition was successful. The unsigned vocalist then auditioned for Leslie Kong's Beverley's record label and was awarded his first recording contract. "007 (Shanty Town)" was a top 15 hit in the UK and his UK concerts were attended by a large following of mods wherever he played. Many of the hits from this era came from his debut album, 007 (Shanty Town). Dekker also released "Problems" and "Pickney Gal", both of which were popular in Jamaica, A re-recorded version of "Israelites" was released in 1980 on the Stiff label, followed by other new recordings: Jimmy Cliff's "Many Rivers to Cross" and "Book of Rules". Dekker's next album, Compass Point (1981), King of Kings consists of songs by Dekker's musical heroes including Byron Lee; Theophilus Beckford, Jimmy Cliff, and his friend and fellow Kong label artist, Derrick Morgan. He also collaborated on a remix of "Israelites" with reggae artist Apache Indian. Desmond headlined Jools Holland's 2003 Annual Hootenanny.

Personal life and death

In 1969, Dekker took permanent residency in the UK. In 1984, he was declared bankrupt.

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,

Tribute band

The 2006 to 2015 line-up for Dekker's backing band, The Aces, who are still performing tribute concerts, includes:

Delroy Williams – backing vocals/M.C.
Gordon Mulrain – bass guitarist and session musician (Mulrain, also known as "Innerheart", is co-founder of the British record label Ambiel Music)
Aubrey Mulrain – keyboard player and session musician
Steve Roberts – guitarist and session musician (also a member of the British band Dubzone)
Learoy Green – drums and session musician
Stan Samuel – guitarist and session musician
Charles Nelson – keyboard player and session musician

This particular line-up also recorded with Dekker on some of his later studio sessions in the 1990s.

The 2016 to present line-up of musicians for Desmond Dekker's band the Aces featuring Delroy Williams & Guests:

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
Aubrey Mulrain – keyboard player 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. Also founder and MD of reggae and ska tribute/backing band Zeb Rootz
Paul Abraham – guitarist and backing vocals

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

007 Shanty Town (1967) – Doctor Bird (Desmond Dekker & the Aces)
Action! (1968) (Desmond Dekker & the Aces)
The Israelites (1969) – Pyramid, reached No. 153 in the United States
Intensified (1970) – Lagoon
You Can Get It If You Really Want (1970) – Trojan
The Israelites (1975), Cactus – completely different album from the 1969 release
Black and Dekker (1980) – Stiff
Compass Point (1981) – Stiff
King of Kings with The Specials (1993) – Trojan Records
Halfway to Paradise (1999) – Trojan
In Memoriam 1941 – CD Album – (2007) Secret Records
King of Ska – Red Vinyl (2019) Burning Sounds

Compilation albums

This Is Desmond Dekkar (1969) – Trojan Records (UK #27), reissued on CD in 2006 with 19 bonus tracks
Double Dekker (1973) – Trojan. Reissued on Music on Vinyl February 16, 2022
Dekker's Sweet 16 Hits (1979) – Trojan
The Original Reggae Hitsound (1985) – Trojan
20 Golden Pieces of Desmond Dekker (1987) – Bulldog
The Official Live and Rare (1987) – Trojan
Greatest Hits (1988) – Streetlife
The Best of & the Rest Of (1990) – Action Replay
Music Like Dirt (1992) – Trojan
Rockin' Steady – The Best of Desmond Dekker (1992) – Rhino
Crucial Cuts (1993) – Music Club
Israelites (1994) – Laserlight
Action (1995) – Lagoon
Voice of Ska (1995) – Emporio
Moving On (1996) – Trojan
The Israelites (1996) – Marble Arch
First Time for a Long Time (1997) – Trojan
Desmond Dekker Archive (1997) – Rialto
The Writing on the Wall (1998) – Trojan
Israelites (1999) – Castle Pie
Israelites: The Best of Desmond Dekker (1963–1971) – Trojan (1999)
The Very Best Of (2000) – Jet Set
Israelites – Anthology 1963 to 1999 (2001) – Trojan
007 – The Best of Desmond Dekker (2011) – Trojan
Live – Live at Dingwalls (2021) – Secret

Singles

{| class="wikitable"

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title

! scope="col" colspan="2"| Peak chart positions

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Certifications

! style="width:40px;"| US

! style="width:40px;"| UK

| "Christmas Day"

| align=center | ―

| rowspan="2"| 1969

| "It Mek"

| align=center | ―

| align=center | 7

| "Pickney Gal"

| align=center | ―

| align=center | 42

| colspan="5" style="font-size:90%" style="text-align:center;"| As Desmond Dekker

| rowspan="2"| 1970

| "You Can Get It If You Really Want"

| align=center | 103

| align=center | 2

| "The Song We Used to Sing"

| align=center | ―

| 1971

| "Licking Stick"

| align=center | ―

| 1972

| "Beware"

| align=center | ―

| rowspan="2"| 1973

| "It Gotta Be So"

| align=center | ―

| "Everybody Join Hands"

| align=center | ―

| 1974

| "Busted Lad"

| align=center | ―

| rowspan="2"| 1975

| "Israelites" (re-recording)

| align=center | ―

| align=center | 10

| "Sing a Little Song"

| align=center | ―

| align=center | 16

| 1977

| "Roots Rock"

| align=center | ―

| rowspan="3"| 1980

| "Israelites" (new mix)

| align=center | ―

| "Please Don't Bend"

| align=center | ―

| "Many Rivers to Cross"

| align=center | ―

| 1981

| "That's My Woman"

| align=center | ―

| 1982

| "Book of Rules"

| align=center | ―

| 1983

| "Hot City"

| align=center | ―

| 1985

| "Good Loving"

| align=center | ―

| 1988

| "Do It Right"

| align=center | ―

| 1993

| "Jamaica Ska" (with the Specials)

| align=center | ―

| 1996

| "Wonderful World"

| align=center | ―

| 2005

| "The Israelites '05" (with Apache Indian)

| align=center | ―

| colspan="7" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart.

References

External links

Official website
"Desmond Dekker Came First" – tribute and Q&A with Delroy Williams, Complicated Fun, 2 June 2006