Desmond Dekker RIP

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http://www.radiojamaica.com/news/story.php?category=2&story=24957

Thu May 25, 2006
Singer Desmond Dekker dead at 64
Desmond Dekker - the man who rose to fame on Jamaica's airwaves with popular songs such as "The Israelites", "Intensified" and 007 - is dead.

The man who was christened Desmond Adolphus Dacres was born in July 16, 1941 died Thursday morning.

With his backing group, The Aces, Desmond Decker had the first international hit with “The Israelites".

There are very few artistes left today who truly represented the best moments of the first decade of popular Jamaican music.

As a young man Desmond worked in a Jamaican welding shop. And his singing while working there served notice that he had quite a voice.

He had one thing in common with other Jamaican artistes such as Jimmy Cliff and Derrick Morgan, Desmond Dekker was produced by Leslie Kong of Beverly records.

He formed his group “the Aces”, which at times included Wilson James and various siblings from the Howard family, including Barry, Carl, Clive, and Patrick.

After changing his professional name to Dekker, in 1967 he and the group recorded 007 (Shanty Town), which made it to #14 on the UK chart.

In 1963 his first break came with the single "Honour your father”.

In 1968 the group won the festival song competition with the single - Intensified. His second album was also titled Intensified.

Another hit followed with the Israelites, this reached number one on the English pop charts in 1969.

The death of his guide and mentor Leslie Kong in 1971 was a tragic blow.

Desmond eventually migrated to England where he later modified his music for the English market.

His many hits and concerts made him a star among the English youths, who were then discovering the rhythmic patterns of reggae and who would ultimately imitate his Jamaican "rude boy" style.

Desmond became one of the leading lights of the music scene in Jamaica until the end of the 1960s and was particularly inspired and productive between 1966 and 1970.

He continued to perform and record into the 90's. With his death - he has gone down in history as one of those who paved the way around the world with the infectious beat - serving notice that reggae music had arrived.

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I was just working on a piece this AM about the influence of gospel music and use of Biblical imagery in Jamaican tunes; obviously "The Israelites" was one of the first that came to mind... That song totally kicks my ass even though I've heard it too much. Am bummed.

― Michael J McGonigal (mike mcgonigal), Thursday, 25 May 2006 22:44 (nineteen years ago)

bummer. RIP

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 25 May 2006 22:45 (nineteen years ago)

RIP

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Thursday, 25 May 2006 22:47 (nineteen years ago)

:-(

― jewess harvell (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 25 May 2006 22:52 (nineteen years ago)

Holy crap. :-/ RIP

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 25 May 2006 22:53 (nineteen years ago)

Awww, RIP

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 25 May 2006 22:56 (nineteen years ago)

― renegade bear shot by cops on frat row (vahid), Thursday, 25 May 2006 23:00 (nineteen years ago)

Oh man..."The Israelites" is one of the best singles ever!

― Thomas Tallis (Tommy), Thursday, 25 May 2006 23:01 (nineteen years ago)

This year has been a brutal one so far. :(

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Thursday, 25 May 2006 23:06 (nineteen years ago)

2006 has been crap :( RIP

― Si.C@rter (SiC@rter), Thursday, 25 May 2006 23:13 (nineteen years ago)

Very, very sad to read this. I've always envied a friend who saw him while living in England in the '90s.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Thursday, 25 May 2006 23:49 (nineteen years ago)

Mike, don't forget that "The Israelites" was used to great effect over the closing credits of "Drugstore Cowboy," giving "Get up in the morning slaving for bread/So that every mouth can be fed" a whole new meaning. . . .

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Thursday, 25 May 2006 23:51 (nineteen years ago)

! :(

― Melissa W (Melissa W), Thursday, 25 May 2006 23:54 (nineteen years ago)

wow.

Desmond Dekker got me through high school.

― grady (grady), Thursday, 25 May 2006 23:55 (nineteen years ago)

"My Israelites" is one of the five best number one singles ever. RIP.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=2u_613xl11w&search=Israelites

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Friday, 26 May 2006 00:03 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.goiena.net/blogak/testak/kingstonhiria/doc/desmond-dekker

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Friday, 26 May 2006 00:07 (nineteen years ago)

Terrible news, RIP :(

― NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Friday, 26 May 2006 00:14 (nineteen years ago)

Sad news.

― chap who would dare to be a nerd, not a geek (chap), Friday, 26 May 2006 00:14 (nineteen years ago)

One of the most beautiful voices from JA. RIP.

― cnwb (cnwb), Friday, 26 May 2006 00:28 (nineteen years ago)

This is crushing. I bet most ska fans can remember the first time they heard "007 (Shanty Town)" and "Israelites," and there are very, very few songs that can top either. RIP.

― The Cricklewood Massive (The Cricklewood Massive), Friday, 26 May 2006 02:53 (nineteen years ago)

what a crap week
RIP

― Grey, Ian (IanBrooklyn), Friday, 26 May 2006 03:27 (nineteen years ago)

:-(

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Friday, 26 May 2006 04:57 (nineteen years ago)

:'(

― naus (Robert T), Friday, 26 May 2006 05:03 (nineteen years ago)

Fuck. RIP.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Friday, 26 May 2006 06:50 (nineteen years ago)

I saw him a couple of times in Glasgow in the late '70s at the height of 2-Tone; on both occasions the place was packed out and he was absolutely magnetic.

Tends to get overlooked as a sort of John the Baptist figure in terms of the big reggae boom in the '70s, but he was mightily important.

Even in '69 I remember thinking that "Israelites" getting to number one right after "Grapevine" was evidence of a dramatic sea change in the charts.

Don't know about the five greatest number ones, but Israelites would definitely be in my top 20, along with Double Barrel and Uptown Top Ranking.

A great and wonderful man.

RIP.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Friday, 26 May 2006 06:58 (nineteen years ago)

It Miek.

RIP!

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 26 May 2006 07:03 (nineteen years ago)

RIP

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 26 May 2006 07:21 (nineteen years ago)

RIP Desmond
Your ears are no longer alight

― Samuel KB Amphong (Dada), Friday, 26 May 2006 08:07 (nineteen years ago)

What??????!!!! I was listening to Shanty Town tonight I swear to god and my Russian roommate, who can be demanding in a charming sort of way, was like you have to look him up! What's all the stuff he's done?? And I roll my eyes and I'm like look, Shanty Town is the best thing he's ever done, even though I was totally bullshitting, I have no idea, but he's like look him up on WIkipedia! And I'm like goodness gracious but there it was, it said he'd died today, or yesterday.

― Tracey Hand (tracerhand), Friday, 26 May 2006 08:27 (nineteen years ago)

Sad and shitty news. God bless DD.

― NickB (NickB), Friday, 26 May 2006 08:34 (nineteen years ago)

First RIP and totally agree that "Israelites" is one of the best #1's ever. The Maxell advert can be found at http://www.visit4info.com/details.cfm?adid=14902

Less imortantly how do people find out about deaths so far ahead of the press and change the enteries on wikipedia? Is it family or collegues that do that? Who knew at 1am this morning he was dead?

― MitchellStirling (MitchellStirling), Friday, 26 May 2006 08:39 (nineteen years ago)

"I saw him a couple of times in Glasgow in the late '70s at the height of 2-Tone; on both occasions the place was packed out and he was absolutely magnetic."

Do you remember who was in his backing band when you saw him Marcello?

My memory keeps insisting that Stiff managed to fix him up Wilko Johnson and various Blockheads around that time; however that bloody interweb keeps refusing to confirm this and insisting that it was The Rumour (as in Graham Parker And...).

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 26 May 2006 09:25 (nineteen years ago)

It could have been The Rumour. I would have recognised Wilko and the Blockheads if they'd been there.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Friday, 26 May 2006 09:28 (nineteen years ago)

It was the Rumour. Remember the Black and Dekker album?

V.Sad news - great, great singer.

― Dr.C (Dr.C), Friday, 26 May 2006 09:34 (nineteen years ago)

Sad, sad news. RIP.

― TRG (TRG), Friday, 26 May 2006 09:38 (nineteen years ago)

http://reggae.com/images/desmondekker.jpg

― Bucky Fullminster (vincent spano), Friday, 26 May 2006 10:01 (nineteen years ago)

Desmond Dekker Came First

RIP

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Friday, 26 May 2006 10:19 (nineteen years ago)

"Remember the Black and Dekker album?"

I haven't got the album but I remember it well and I do still have the 10" re-recording of Israelites which Stiff released in ('79? '80?) and which I've always believed to feature The Blockheads; although of course both Graham Parker and (separately in their own right) The Rumour were also signed to Stiff at the time, so it looks as if I'm probably wrong.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 26 May 2006 11:34 (nineteen years ago)

This is terrible. Far too early.

Rest in Peace

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Friday, 26 May 2006 13:01 (nineteen years ago)

Shit! Last year he gave a great performance at the Dour Festival where he was supposed to be also this year. Sad :-(

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2184079772408726502&q=desmond+dekker

― zindroom (zindroom), Friday, 26 May 2006 13:12 (nineteen years ago)

"Israelites" was the first reggae song I ever heard -- incredibly exciting, like music turned inside-out so you could see its muscles and innards working. I thought it was the best dream I ever had until I heard the song again in the late 70s.

RIP

― The Jazz Guide to Penguins on Compact Disc (Rock Hardy), Friday, 26 May 2006 13:16 (nineteen years ago)

that is a shame. RIP.

― Emily B (Emily B), Friday, 26 May 2006 13:20 (nineteen years ago)

All right, I have a great Desmond Dekker story.

He performed at UMASS with the Wailers in 1994. I was backstage and I saw him approach a female concert worker, held her hand and said very gently 'Excuse me miss, I'm sick.' Being an older gentleman with long dread locks, she immediatly became concerned and said 'What's wrong?' and he said 'My Jamaican woman left me and broke my heart, a beautiful woman like you, I could sing to you about it...' and they shared a smile and she walked away.

Really good line, I let him know my appreciation for both his attempt and his music and he immediately said, 'Brother, where are we going to find us some ladies, have a smoke and make tonight the night?'

I invited him to the after party, to which he showed up for a half hour early. He hung out all night, sang to a lot of the girls and smoked a bunch of reefer in the bathroom and told us about life. He was a beautiful guest, gentle, kind, hilarious and infectious. God bless Desmond Dekker.

― Mr. Butch (Mr. Butch), Friday, 26 May 2006 13:44 (nineteen years ago)

Terrific story about a terrific guy.

Although the obit doesn't say, let's hope this is one Jamaican star who lived a long, full life & expired peacefully in bed after enjoying a smoke and a lady.

― brianiast (briania), Friday, 26 May 2006 14:59 (nineteen years ago)

Such a voice. The splendid Trojan anthology of his Beverly Records work has brought me hours of pleasure. I'm very sorry to hear he's left us.
RIP

― Bren (Bren), Friday, 26 May 2006 15:06 (nineteen years ago)

My friends named their son after him. Sail on.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Friday, 26 May 2006 16:22 (nineteen years ago)

one of the best. rip. and thanks mr butch for a wonderful story.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 26 May 2006 16:30 (nineteen years ago)

rip

― kay kay, Sunday, 28 May 2006 09:17 (nineteen years ago)

As a youngster i used to listen to his music,with my father in jamaica.one of my favourite song is the isrealites.

Mr Desmond Decker thanks for those many years of good music.

R.I.P Jah love.

― sharon tomlin, Sunday, 28 May 2006 15:05 (nineteen years ago)

RIP.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Sunday, 28 May 2006 15:27 (nineteen years ago)

I just posted my tribute here:
http://blogs.citypages.com/pscholtes/2006/06/desmond_dekker.asp

― Pete Scholtes (Pete Scholtes), Friday, 2 June 2006 14:08 (nineteen years ago)

Just added many more links above. It's odd that a person can be enough of a mystery that the papers get neither his birthplace nor where he died correct.

― Pete Scholtes (Pete Scholtes), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 20:28 (nineteen years ago)

"Oooooohooooohhh... me ears are alight.....
Why find my kids, they pack up and leave me
Darling cheese-head, I was yards too greasy.....
Ooooooohhooohohoohh.... me ears are alight......"

― JTS (JTS), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 20:41 (nineteen years ago)

a service is being held in croydon on june 14th - his manager said at the Mojo Awards that anyone who wanted to pay respects should come along (not sure *where in croydon, however...)

― i am not a nugget (stevie), Wednesday, 7 June 2006 11:09 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.uk-funerals.co.uk/funeral-directors/surrey.html

― Pete Scholtes (Pete Scholtes), Wednesday, 7 June 2006 23:09 (nineteen years ago)

i wish id made it to the gig he played at leeds met a month or so ago, friends that went send it something quite magical.

rip mr dekker.

― TomTomGo!!! (TomTomGo!!!), Thursday, 8 June 2006 12:57 (nineteen years ago)

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