Concert: Desmond Dekker

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Desmond Dekker, a Jamaican ska and reggae singer and songwriter brought more international acclaim to his island home than any other Jamaican artist (barring Bob Marley). Born Desmond Dacres in Kingston, Jamaica, on July 16, 1942, spent much of his orphaned childhood near Seaforth in St. Thomas before returning to Kingston, where he worked as a welder.

His workmates encouraged him to seek a recording audition but nobody considered him remarkable enough and he received rejections from leading producers like Clement Dodd and Duke Reid. But that did not discourage him. He found a mentor in the influential Leslie Kong. He auditioned before Derrick Morgan, who discovered young man's talent. However, it was 2 years later in 1963, that Dekker presented Kong with "Honor Your Father and Mother," and the producer knew the wait had been worth it. The song topped the Jamaican charts and was followed by "Sinners Come Home" and "Labour for Learning,". It was during this period that Dekker teamed up with the backing group- the Aces consisting of Carl, Clive, Barry, and Patrick Howard, who were initially known as the Four Aces. Together, they enjoyed enormous success and gave many international hits, most notably "Israelites" and "007 (Shanty Town)". "Israelites", released in 1968 portrayed the plight of the downtrodden working man. It topped the UK singles chart while managed to peak in the Top Ten of the US charts. With this, Dekker had achieved the dream of every Jamaican artist to enter the US market.

Dekker's initial appeal was of a respectful young man which changed 1967 onwards. In 1967, he appeared on Derrick Morgan's "Tougher Than Tough," which featured Dekker and his brother George on backing vocals. The song glamorized rude boy culture and established him as a rude boy icon. He continued his chart-topping run in his home country with such titles as "Hey Grandma", "Music Like Dirt", "Rudie Got Soul", "Rude Boy Train" and "Sabotage". He came second in the Jamaican Song Festival with the inspirational "Unity". In 1969, Dekker achieved his greatest international success. The upbeat "Problems" was a rousing protest number with the refrain "everyday is problems". The year was however, defined by "It Mek" which was originally recorded the previous year and was called "A It Mek" which means "Thats why it happened".

With the dawn of 1970, Dekker moved to the UK and spent most of the time touring. He continued releasing excellent singles.Kong convinced him to work on Jimmy Cliff's composition "You can get it if you really want it", however, Dekker was not too keen initially. Not only was it received well on both sides of the Atlantic it also became a timeless masterpiece. In 1971, Kong died unexpectedly of a heart attack. Dekker who had spent his entire career under Kong's direction was devastated by his death. He continued recording, but with only limited success. He lost his grip on Britain and none of his releases charted there. In 1975 re-charting of "Israelites" restored him to the UK Top 10 and was followed by the pop "Sing A Little Song", which reached number 16. During the 2-Tone ska/mod revival in 1980, Dekker recorded Black And Dekker with Graham Parker's Rumour.

Dekker remained the most famous Jamaican reggae artist in the international market until the arrival of Bob Marley. Dekker's music, songs defined the ska, rock steady, and reggae eras. As the first major reggae artist to achieve international success deserves wider acknowledgment. So don't miss out, contact your on-line ticket vendor and get the tickets now and enjoy some scintillating music from this reggae maestro.