Desmond Dekker’s impact of upon the world of music can never be underestimated. His groundbreaking recordings during the sixties and early seventies opened the way for the likes of Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff to make their mark on the world stage. From 1967 to 1970, he enjoyed a run of international chart hits as yet unequalled by any other Jamaican performer and yet, for all his success, Desmond’s achievements were often overlooked by music writers.
Born Desmond Adolphus Dacres, on July 16th 1943 in Kingston, Jamaica, he spent his early childhood on the family farm in Danvers Pen, St Thomas where he was raised by his father. During his youth, he regularly sang in the local church choir, although his desire to become a singer was sparked by an altogether different kind of music, as he recalled in an interview with respected Jamaican music historian, Laurence Cane-Honeysett in 1999.
