Hi all,

Just received a music list through from my customer for a wedding next week. The couple are in their 50's and have requested various classic soul, Motown, and MOR 70's stuff.

So far no problem, until they state "plenty of Desmond Decker / Pioneers".

OK, so I have Desmond Dekker's "The Israelites" but does anyone know any other well known tunes from him?

And can anyone tell me more about the Pioneers before I call them up and admit that I don't know any of their songs?

I hope to find some greatest hits (or similar) albums, but it's a case of knowing which tracks to play.

Looks like I'll be spending a bit of time going around the record shops on Saturday morning. (Failing that, the last resort will be asking if they have any they can lend me. )

Off the top of my head from what I can remember Desmond Dacres (aka Desmond Dekker), 16 July 1942, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. Dacres spent much of his orphaned childhood near Seaforth in St. Thomas before returning to Kingston, where he worked as a welder. His workmates encouraged him to seek a recording audition and, after receiving rejections from leading producers Clement Dodd and Duke Reid, he found a mentor in the influential Leslie Kong. In 1963, the newly named Dekker released his first single, "Honour Your Father And Mother", which was also issued in the UK courtesy of Island Records. During the same period, Dekker teamed up with his backing group, the Aces. Together, they enjoyed enormous success in Jamaica during the mid- to late 60s with a formidable run of 20 number 1 hits to their credit. The emergence of rocksteady in the latter half of 1966 propelled his James Bond-inspired "007" into the UK charts the following year. A catchy, rhythmically infectious articulation of the "rude boy" street gang shenanigans, the single presaged Dekker's emergence as an internationally famous artist. In 1967, Dekker came second in the Jamaican Song Festival with "Unity" and continued his chart-topping run in his home country with such titles as "Hey Grandma", "Music Like Dirt", "Rudie Got Soul", "Rude Boy Train" and "Sabotage".
In 1969 Dekker achieved his greatest international success. "Get up in the morning, slaving for bread, sir, so that every mouth can be fed", was a patois-sung opening line that entranced and confused pop listeners on both sides of the Atlantic. The intriguing "Israelites" had been a club hit the previous year, and by the spring of 1969 had become the first reggae song to top the UK charts, a considerable achievement for the period. Even more astonishing was its Top 10 success in the USA, a country that had previously proved commercially out of bounds to Jamaican performers. Back in Britain, Dekker's follow-up was the Top 10 hit "It Mek". It was originally recorded the previous year under the title "A It Mek", which roughly translates as "That's Why It Happened". "It Mek" was inspired by Desmond's sister Elaine, who fell off a wall at her home and cried "like ice water". Dekker enjoyed translating everyday observations into sharp, incisive lines. "Israelites" similarly articulated the plight of the downtrodden working man, while "Problems" was a rousing protest number featuring the refrain "everyday is problems". Dekker's success in the UK, buoyed by consistent touring, spearheaded the arrival of a number of Jamaican chart singles by such artists as the Harry J's All Stars, the Upsetters and the Pioneers. Until the arrival of Bob Marley, Dekker remained the most famous reggae artist on the international scene.

Dekker took up residence in the UK in 1969, where he was a regular club performer and continued to lay down his vocals over rhythm tracks recorded in Jamaica. A further minor success with "Pickney Gal" was followed by a massive number 2 hit with the Jimmy Cliff composition "You Can Get It If You Really Want", from the film The Harder They Come. When Dekker's long-term manager/producer Kong died from heart failure in 1971, the artist joined the Cactus label. A reissue of "Israelites" restored him to the UK Top 10 in 1975 and was followed by the pop/reggae "Sing A Little Song", which reached number 16. During the 2-Tone ska/mod revival in 1980, Dekker recorded Black And Dekker with Graham Parker's Rumour, but the experiment was not commercially successful. A follow-up, also on Stiff Records, Compass Point, was his last major attempt at chart action, though he remained a perennial performer of old hit material and has frequently been featured on compilation albums. In 1984 he was found bankrupt by a British court, and publicly complained that he had failed to receive funds from his former manager. It was a sad moment for one of reggae's best-known personalities. In 1993, during another 2-Tone revival, Dekker released King Of Kings with four original members of the Specials followed by an album called Halfway To Paradise. His unmistakable falsetto vocal remains one of reggae's most memorable, while his pioneering importance as the first major reggae artist to achieve international success deserves wider acknowledgement.

Here are some of his songs...

007

Beautiful And Dangerous
Believe

Beware
Bongo Gal
Busted Lad
Carry Go Bring Come
Everybody Join Hands
Gimme Gimme
Humpty Dumpty
Israelites
It Mek
Jamaica Ska
King Of Ska
Licking Stick
Many Rivers to Cross
Mother Nature
Music Like Dirt
Pickney Gal
Roots Rock
Rude Boy Train
Rudie Got Soul
Sing a Little Song
Sugar Dumpling
Sweet Music
Unity
Where Did It Go
Wise Man
You Can Get It

go to www.cdnow.com and you can listen to any tracks by the pioneers.. just do a search and listen to the samples!

Of course, with the right props, you can always do... Desmond Deckers "My ears are alight"

One of the props needs to be a bucket of water.....

The Pioneers 3 piece Jamaican Male Group, saw them around '72 at the Melody Rooms in Norwich!

Biggest Hits
Long Shot Kick De Bucket
Let Your Yeah Be Yeah (covered mid 90's by Ali Campbell of UB40)
Give and Take

I'd imagine that when they have asked for lots of Desmond Dekker & Pioneers they will also want all of the 'skinhead style reggae' from the late 60's early 70's' which was revitalised within the 2 ToneSka period of 79/80

Here's a few classics available on most Reggae Chartbuster/Best of Reggae type compilations

Tony Tribe - Red Red Wine
Harry J & the All Stars - Liquidator
Upsetters - Return of Django
Boris Gardner - Elizabethan Reggae
Symarip - Skinhead Moonstomp
Prince Buster - Al Capone / Judge Dread / Madness
Nicky Thomas - Love Of The Common People
Ethiopians - Train To Skaville
Dave & Ansel Collins - Double Barrel / Monkey Spanner
Toots & the Maytals - 54-46 was my number/Monkey Man
Max Romeo - Wet Dream (Adults only!!!)

Hope this helps

Spinko

Thanks Spinco!

Just what I needed to know. Just need to find a Pioneers album that includes at least 2 of those and I'm done.

Also thanks for the tip about 'skinhead style reggae'. Yo've hit the nai right on the head as they also list Boris Gardner (and I have "Elizabethan Reggae" as well as "I Wanna Wake Up With You") and Prince Buster (which I don't). I'll also try to pick up a compilation.

It's one of those two page lists of around 50 names (dispite my standard covering letter suggesting that they keep the list to no more than 20 songs to give the DJ the flexablity to respond to their guests tastes and requests on the night). So my attitue was as long as I have 90% of them (including all the high lighted ones) them that would do.

While were sort of on this subject, can anyone tell me the release year of John Holts.I'd Love You To Want Me? ....anyone?

P, That was on one of the all-time classic reggae albums, "1,000 Volts of Holt" which was released in 1974.

This is one of those albums that everyone should have in their collection. It is an absolute classic. Even if you're not really into reggae that much, it's still quite likely that you'll love this album.
Most people have heard of John Holt's version of "Help me make it through the night" which was his only song to make the British charts. That song also featured on this album.

Cheers Esk

Thanks everyone for letting me pick your brains.

Busy weekend so I’ll look in the record shops during the week. But now I know exactly what to look for.

John Holt of course used to be in the Paragons who recorded for Treasure Isle records in Jamaica..

Some of their big hits were of course"On The Beach" "Wear You To The Ball" and was part of the Rocksteady era, the now golden period of Reggae music in the late sixites:)

People like Alton Ellis, Johnny Osbourne and Carlton and His Shoes, Phyliss Dillion,..looking out for a Studio 1 comp you won't be disappointed:) of course Bob Marley and the Wailers recorded some of their first records for the late Coxsone Dodd's Studio 1 label:) I have quite a few!

also look out for Toots and The Maytals, their sit right down must go on record as one of the greatest songs ever!

John Holt has recorded so many big songs over the years, in fact theres a wonderful album recorded at London's Forum Theatre featuring some of his big hits!

including Police in a Helicopter, Stealing, Stick By Me, and many more...

he was also the guy who wrote and recorded the original version of "The Tide Is High" which was covered by Blondie and Atomic Kitten amongst others! which was orig a hit for the Paragons

John Holt is still singing and performing round the world, in fact he recently recorded a dubplate for me:) nice guy too!

his song called "Again" ranks as one of my favs of all time!

as to Desmond Dekker, as a kid in the 60's Desmond Dekker and others turned me on to reggae music(I am still a massive fan!)

I still have a copy of "The Israelites" and It Mek on a back to back single on Pryamid records...

and of course he recorded such hits as 007 shanty town

The Israelites tune was used for a Vitalite commercial in the last few years!

another person is of course Jimmy Cliff, star and singer of the "Harder They Come" he's still working, with hits like "Reggae Night""Wonderful World Beautiful People"

Reggae Night remains a firm fav in Switzerland amongst other places!

Desmond Dekker's first single on Beverleys records was back with a John Holt song!

he was also the guy who helped Bob Marley record his first song on Beverleys called Judge Not, and yup I have a copy of that too!

Of course many of the british issues of Jamaican songs are slightly different to the Jamaican Versions, the ones in Britain had strings added...!

Trojan have re released many of their old issued stuff plus some un released stuff too


Other great reggae comps to check out are..the Soul Jazz Series, some fab and rare stuff too

and also my fav record store!

http://www.dubvendor.co.uk

I have been buying stuff from them for nearly 30 years! still the best!