Desmond Dekker

Desmond Dekker

     Desmond Dekker has died suddenly from a heart attack,

     aged 64. Dekker, whose 1969 hit Israelites was the first reggae song

     to top the UK charts, collapsed at his Surrey home. Dekker was born on

     16 July 1941 in Kingston, Jamaica, and began his working life as a

     welder before turning to singing full-time. Dekker's hits included

     Israelites, It Mek and 007 (Shanty Town) His group Desmond Dekker and

     the Aces topped the UK charts with Israelites, which also made the US

     top 10. He moved to the UK in the '70s, later recording the hit You

     Can Get It If You Really Want, written by Jimmy Cliff.

     Desmond Dekker - Rudy Got Soul - Trojan - CD

   So Trojan finally get back to Desmond Dekker, probably one of the top

   three selling artists on their label. This 2 CD covers the years

   1963-1968 - and with such a wealth of material to choose from - it

   would be very hard to see how such a release could be screwed up, yet

   somehow they have done it again. This time with the inclusion of a

   bizarre funk track called 'I've Got The Blues' who wants to hear

   Desmond Dekker doing a James Brown impersonation?!!! The idea surely

   of this kind of release is to put the very best of an artist forward -

   not just the stuff that hit or worse the stuff that should never have

   been released in the first place. It took years for reggae record

   companies to realise that you cannot put filler tracks on albums - the

   CD should not be used to go back to that madness. It didn't work then

   and it won't work now.

   Desmond Dekker & The Aces - The Original Reggae Hitsound - Trojan -

   1985.

   Desmond Dekker is one of reggae music's most talented

   singer-songwriters. Yet for years and one reason and another he had no

   albums available. Now Desmond's great records such as the massive hits

   like '007', 'Isrealites', 'Pretty Africa' 'It Mek', 'Pickney Gal'

   which were just a fading memory to be found only on various artists

   albums. Along with classics like 'Beautiful & Dangerous' 'Archie Wah

   Wah' and 'The More You Live' have all been gathered together on this

   great album

    .