I've just found out that Desmond Dekker, the Jamaican reggae pioneer, has died at his home in England of a heart attack. He was 64. He had been a welder by trade and turned singer and songwriter. He leaped to prominence in 1969 with his worldwide hit Israelites. The song's lyrics, "Get up in the morning slavin' for bread, sir, so that every mouth can be fed...", resonated around the world and as a result, the song reached the Top Ten in many countries including the U.K., U.S. and Canada.Sadly, Desmond Dekker was unable to repeat the huge success he enjoyed with Israelites with any other release. However, he remained a popular performer and held his last concert in England on May 11 at Leeds University.
I wanted to be sure pass on this sad news to you ASAP. I'll play Israelites this week on Treasure Island Oldies.
