Guest bluesxman Posted May 26, 2006 Report Share Posted May 26, 2006 From MP3.com-Jamaican star, who continued to record and perform with festival appearances set this summer, succumbs to unknown illness in London.Reggae icon Desmond Dekker, singer of the first Jamaican song to become an international hit with 1968's "The Israelites," has died in London. He was 64. Montreal dub producer Moss Raxlen, who has been working with longtime Dekker guitarist Lynn Tait, said Dekker likely succumbed to a heart attack but the exact cause was not known. Born Desmond Dacres in Kingston, Jamaica, Dekker first auditioned for Studio One founder Coxsone Dodd in 1961, but didn't record his first song, "Honour Your Father and Mother," until 1963. Several local hits followed, and Dekker eventually found his own ska backing group, the Aces, a quartet of singing siblings, and churned out a string of ska hits, including the bouncy love letter "This Woman" and "Mount Zion." In 1967, he recorded the hit "Tougher Than Tough" with Derrick Morgan, and his own rocksteady number, "007 (Shanty Town)," vaulted to the top of the Jamaican charts. But it wasn't until 1968 that Dekker became an international star. "The Israelites" introduced reggae to a worldwide audience, topping the UK charts and reaching the top 10 in the US. Although he never had another hit as big as "The Israelites," Dekker continued to churn out singles and albums at a prolific pace in the 1970s and 1980s, mostly on the renowned Trojan label. Maxell used "The Israelites" in an ad for its cassette tapes in 1990, bringing the song back into public view. Dekker continued to tour and record in recent years, and had a full schedule of performances lined up for the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graeme Posted May 26, 2006 Report Share Posted May 26, 2006 He was due to play Tartan Heart as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben_1903 Posted May 26, 2006 Report Share Posted May 26, 2006 Woah oah...the is-a-rae-lites.Shame - was rather a legend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NULL Posted May 26, 2006 Report Share Posted May 26, 2006 he wont be hitting anybody with his licking stick anymoreone of my favo musicians Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest scott cs. Posted May 26, 2006 Report Share Posted May 26, 2006 i just got into his music last year.it's a sad day indeed.on a related not, vitalite ripped off 'the israelites' for their ad back in the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NULL Posted May 26, 2006 Report Share Posted May 26, 2006 i just got into his music last year.it's a sad day indeed.on a related not' date=' vitalite ripped off 'the israelites' for their ad back in the day.[/quote']no, no they didnt rip it off, they licenced it and rewrote the lyricsjust because someone uses something it doesnt mean they ripped it offthats like saying your parents ripped off Scott Caan's name Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swingin' Ryan Posted May 26, 2006 Report Share Posted May 26, 2006 That is sad news.Reggae/Dub was probably the first genre of music I ever really got into and I think I first heard Dekker on one of those 'Reggae Compilation' cassettes (one of those ones where you get about 40 cassettes for a fiver in a big cellophane packet). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-matthEw- Posted May 26, 2006 Report Share Posted May 26, 2006 pretty gutted like. got into him about 2 years ago due to the strenght of his songs on a reggae compliation i had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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