The King of Ska

Desmond Dekker began his career as a welder, singing for his fellow workers. He auditioned for Coxsone Dodd (Studio One) and Duke Reid (Treasure Isle), but neither was impressed by his talents. With the help of Derrick Morgan, Dekker found his place on Leslie Kong's Beverley's record label, but wasn't recorded until 2 years later in 1963. "Honour Your Mother and Father", Dekker's first recorded song became a hit and was soon followed by "Sinners Come Home" and "Labour for Learning". Backed by the Maytals, Dekker's "King of Ska" made way for his recruiting of a back up band dubbed the Aces. Dekker propagated the budding ska and rude boy culture with the now classic "007 Shanty Town" and "Israelites", becoming one of the most internationally acclaimed artists to come out of Jamaica (other than Bob Marley) and influencing bands like the Clash, Operation Ivy, Rancid and hundreds of other ska, punk and reggae bands.