Possessing one of the most infectious rhythms to come out of a Jamaican recording studio, 007 (Shanty Town) rose to No.1 on the Jamaican charts in 1967, and peaked at No.12 on the UK charts, making it the first Jamaican-produced record to reach the Top 20 in the UK In the process, it presaged Dekkers emergence as an internationally famous artiste. He continued his incredible run with A It Mek which peaked at No.7 on the UK, charts, and the Jimmy Cliff composition You Can Get It If You Really Want, at No. 2. In 1969, the year Dekker is reported to have migrated to the UK, he again hit the British charts with the biggest hit of his career - Israelites, first recorded as Poor Me Israelites. A promotional tour to the UK, for the song, nearly met with disaster when one member refused to fly on an iron bird, while the other exited via the migration route. Although recorded with the Aces, Dekker was by then, forced to go solo with the promotion and his career. Israelites was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, was the first Jamaican reggae recording to reach No.1 on the British charts and the first to reach the Top 10 of the US charts - unprecedented occurrences in the history of Jamaican music.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 00:24:38 +0000