Who Was Desmond Dekker?
Desmond Dekker & The Aces influenced a generation of music.
Greetings Superstars!
Watch this:
Now tell me how in love you are with 1960s Jamaican style! And how many times are you going to practice that dance?? It’s like a wedding march interrupted by The Twist. #obsessed
This is, of course, the official video for “007 (Shanty Town)” by Desmond Dekker & The Aces. Their sound was so cool—like something that would blow your mind back in the ‘60s if you’d never heard it before. Especially if you were in a wedding procession—it would make you stop and do The Twist.
Even Dekker’s name is cool. It’s the stage name for ‘Dacres,’ his surname. Born in Jamaica in 1941, Dekker broke into international music charts two years after “007” with “Israelites.” In 1969, “Israelites” made it to the top of the U.K. Singles Chart and in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 (U.S.).
It was a monumental feat for a reggae/ska/rocksteady artist to break into those markets.
And thanks to Dekker, Bob Marley himself got his start. I just learned this fun fact:
Desmond Dekker and Bob Marley were both welders at the same workshop. When Dekker secured a record deal with Beverley’s Records in 1962, he commissioned a song from Marley, “Judge Not,” which got the latter noticed. Dekker was 21 years old at the time, and Marley was just 16. Talented babies!
Here’s another of Dekker’s hits:
“It Mek” was released in 1969 and just look at the rad comments that people post on the YouTube page for this video:
Now, that’s long-lasting joy. These are the very fans who helped put Dekker on the international stage. What a legacy.
I love this one:
Drop some links in the comments if you have a favorite Desmond Dekker & The Aces song to share.
This week, I hope that you take a minute to think about your own legacy—we all leave one!
TTY!💛