progress 6 #2 - Desmond Dekker

Desmond Dekker was born on July 16th, 1941 in St. Andrew, Jamaica. He was a Jamaican ska and reggae singer and songwriter. He was one of the first Jamaican artists to have international hits, even before Bob Marley. The main group he was with during the first part of his musical career was The Aces. Desmond grew up in Kingston, but when his mother died, his father moved him to St. Mary and then to St. Thomas. It was here he apprenticed as a tailor. After this he moved back to Kingston where he worked as a welder and sang around the work place for his co-workers. Eventually he auditioned for some record labels and landed a deal.

But im writing a novel these days, and im pretty "typed"out right now. so here is Desmond's big hit of 1968, The Israelites. The song was the first to make it to the top of the Singles Chart in the UK, and also made itself to the top ten singles chart in the US. Additionally, Desmond became the first Jamaican performer to enter U.S. markets with pure Jamaican music.