Desmond Dekker

He re-recorded some old singles, and worked with The Specials for 1992's King of Kings's, which used hits from Dekker's musical heroes, including Derrick Morgan. Lauren St John, Hardcore Toubadour: The Life and Near Death of Steve Earle, Fourth Estate, 2002 ISBN 1-84115-6116. Only a single live album was released in the late 80s, but a new version of "The Israelites" reawakened public interest in 1990, following its use in a Maxell ad. He is also the subject of a biography:. In the early 80s, as the Two Tone movement died out, he saw his fortunes dwindle, and he declared bankruptcy in 1984. Steve is the subject of a documentary film entitled Just An American Boy (http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/e/earlesteve-justanamericandvd.shtml), directed by Amos Poe. Though Compass Point did not sell well, Dekker was still a popular live performer, and he toured with The Rumour. In February 2005 he recieved a Grammy Award for best contemporary folk album for the album The Revolution Starts Now.

His next album was Compass Point, produced by Robert Palmer. In 2004 he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award for songwriting by the UK's BBC Radio 2. His first single was "Israelites", a Top Ten Belgian hit, and was followed by "Please Don't Bend", Jimmy Cliff's "Many Rivers to Cross" and "Book of Rules". The controversy did however manage to raise Earle's profile in the media and didn't seem to damage his record sales in the slightest. He recorded an album called Black & Dekker, which featured his previous hits backed by The Rumour, Graham Parker's backing band. Some critics had trouble comprehending that a songwriter is not necessarily the character they're describing and branded Earle a traitor and a Taliban supporter. At the end of the 1970s, Dekker signed with Stiff Records, a punk label linked with the Two-Tone movement, a fusion of punk and ska. In 2002, Earle managed to land himself in trouble by writing a song about John Walker Lindh ("John Walker's Blues" on Jerusalem) written from Lindh's perspective (lyrics (http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/earle-steve/john-walkers-blues-2206.html)).

He was unable to follow its success, however, and did not chart in the UK for some time, also finding only a limited audience in Jamaica. He is also a supporter of and regular participant in the Concerts for a Landmine Free World, benefitting the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation. His first hit with the pair was 1975's "Sing a Little Song", which was a British Top Ten. From 1990, Earle also worked to educate the public about, and abolish, the death penalty. Dekker continued recording, but with only limited success, until he began working with the production duo Bruce Anthony in 1974. Steve was named Country Artist of the year for 1986 by Rolling Stone magazine. Among his best known releases of this period was "You Can Get It If You Really Want", written by Jimmy Cliff, which Dekker had not wanted to record but was convinced by Leslie Kong. Kong, whose production had been an instrumental part of both Dekker's and Cliff's careers, died in 1971, and both his protegé's were lost for a period before returning to music. It was a critical success and sold over 300,000 copies.

In the 1970s, Dekker spent most of his time touring and moved to the UK, where he continued to record. He had to wait until 1986 before his first album Guitar Town was released. He also released "Problems" and "Pickney Gal", both of which were popular in Jamaica, but saw only limited success elsewhere. However, despite his early success in gaining a job as a songwriter it was not until 1981 that he achieved a top ten cut with "When You Fall in Love" recorded by Johnny Lee. 1969 saw the release of "It Mek", which first saw only lukewarm success but was re-recorded and became a hit both in Jamaica and the UK. Steve was one of the backing vocals on Guy's, "Desperados Waiting For A Train" together with Emmylou Harris on Guy's first album Old No 1. That same year saw the release of "Beautiful and Dangerous", "Writing on the Wall", "Music Like Dirt", "Bongo Girl" and "Shing a Ling". Guy was instrumental in Steve being employed as a songwriter by the Sunburry Dunbar publishing division of RCA.

He was the first Jamaican performer to enter US markets with pure Jamaican music, though he never repeated the feat. In 1975 he moved to Nashville where he met and worked with fellow Texans Guy Clark and his wife Susanna Clark. In 1968, Dekker's "The Israelites" was released, appearing on both the US and UK charts, eventually topping the latter and peaking in the Top Ten of the former. There he met Townes van Zandt (who became a mentor) and other artists like Jerry Jeff Walker, Lucinda Williams and Nanci Griffith. Many of the hits from this era came from his debut album, 007 (Shanty Town). He dropped out of school in 8th grade to move to Austin, Texas and learn more about the music business. His "Pretty Africa" is a long-standing favorite among his fans, and may be the earliest popular song promoting repatriation. He was born in Ft. Monroe, Virginia and was the eldest son of an air traffic controller.

Dekker continued with songs along the same vein, such as "Rude Boy Train" and "Rudie Got Soul", as well as continuing with his previous themes of religion and morality in songs like "It's a Shame", "Wise Man", "Hey Grandma", "Unity", "It Pays", "Mother's Young Girl" and "Sabotage". Steve Earle (born January 17, 1955) is a country musician who grew up in Schertz, Texas. "007 (Shanty Town)" was a Top 15 hit in the UK, and he toured the country with a posse of mods following him. Revolution Starts Now - 2004. The song established Dekker as a rude boy icon, and also became an established hero in the United Kingdom's mod scene. Just An American Boy (live) - 2004. Dekker's own songs did not go to the extremes of many other popular tunes, though he did introduce lyrics which resonated with the rude boys, starting with one of his best-known songs, "007 (Shanty Town)". Jerusalem - 2002.

In that year, however, he appeared on Derrick Morgan's "Tougher Than Tough", which helped begin a trend of popular songs glamourizing the violent rude boy culture. Side Tracks - 2002. Until 1967, Dekker's songs were polite and conveyed respectable, mainstream messages. Transcendental Blues - 2000. Dekker and the Howards recorded a number of hits, including "Parents", "Get Up Edina", "This Woman" and "Mount Zion". The Mountain - 1999. Dekker then recruited four brothers, Carl, Patrick, Clive and Barry Howard, who became his backing band, known as The Four Aces. El Corazon - 1997.

The song remains well-known among ska afficionados. I Feel Alright - 1996. It was "King of Ska", a rowdy and jubilant song on which Dekker was backed by The Cherrypies (also known as The Maytals). Train A-Comin' - 1995. His fourth hit, however, made him into one of the island's biggest stars. Shut Up And Die Like An Aviator - 1991. "Honour Your Father and Mother" was a hit, and was followed by "Sinners Come Home" and "Labour for Learning", as well as a name change (from Desmond Dacres to Desmond Dekker). The Hard Way - 1990.

Dekker's "Honour Your Father and Mother" was to be that song. Copperhead Road - 1988. With Morgan's suport, Dekker was signed but did not record until 1963, because Leslie Kong wanted to wait for the perfect song. Exit 0 - 1987. Neither were impressed by his talents, and the young man moved on to Leslie Kong's Beverley record label, where he auditioned before Derrick Morgan, then the label's biggest star. Early Tracks - 1987. In 1961, he auditioned for Coxsone Dodd (Studio One) and Duke Reid (Treasure Isle). Guitar Town - 1986.

Dekker began working as a welder, singing around his workplace while his coworkers encouraged him. He was born in Kingston in 1941, and became an orphan as a teenager. Before the ascent of Bob Marley, Desmond Dekker was the most well-known Jamaican musician outside of his country, and one of the most popular within it. Other hits include "007 (Shanty Town)" (1967), "It Mek" (1968), "The Israelites" and "You Can Get It If You Really Want".

Together with his backing group, The Aces (consisting of Wilson James and Easton Barrington Howard), he had the first international Jamaican hit with "Israelites". Desmond Dekker (born Desmond Dacres in Kingston, Jamaica on July 16, 1941) is a ska and reggae singer and songwriter.