July 16, 1941 – May 25, 2006
Born Desmond Adolphus Dacres in St. Andrew, Jamaica. He grew up in Kingston. Together with his backing group, The Aces, Wilson James and Easton Barrington Howard, he had one of the first international Jamaican hits with ‘Israelites.’
Other hits include ‘007’ (Shanty Town- 1967) and ‘It Mek’ (1968). Before Bob Marley, Dekker was one of the most popular artiste in Jamaica, and one of the best-known outside of the island. He was one of the original icons of Jamaica’s music.
Desmond Dekker died of a heart attack on May 25, 2006, at his home in Thornton Heath in the London borough of Croydon, England.
Hits include:
- “Israelites”
- “You Can Make it if You Really Want”
- “Shanty Town”