ENTITY · PERSON
Desmond Dekker
Well supported
Desmond Dekker (Desmond Adolphus Dacres, 16 July 1941 - 25 May 2006) was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer who was among the first to bring the music to international charts. Recording with producer Leslie Kong and his backing group the Aces, he topped the UK chart with "Israelites" (1968), the first Jamaican-produced record to reach US and UK success, and also scored with "007 (Shanty Town)" and "It Mek.".
At a glance
- Type
- person
- Confidence
- Well supported
- Era
- Open era →
Connections
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Debate & reception
How people argued about the music — praise, criticism and public debate. See all debate & reception →
debate
The rude boy: did ska and rocksteady glamorize the gunman?
Across the ska and rocksteady years, records split sharply over the 'rude boy' figure of the armed Kingston youth. One camp of songs condemned or pleaded with the rudies to stand down (Alton Ellis's 'Cry Tough'/'Dance Crasher', Justin Hinds's 'No Good Rudie', Derrick Morgan's 'Cool Off Rudies'); others celebrated the outlaw style (Desmond Dekker's '007 Shanty Town', Prince Buster's Al Capone persona). Critics and moralists charged that the music romanticized violence, while defenders — and producers like Lee 'Scratch' Perry, who answered Buster's authoritarian 'Judge Dread' — argued the songs documented and even justified youth pushed into crime by a rigged system. The Wailers' 'Simmer Down' is often read as doing both at once: urging restraint while celebrating the toughs. Grounded in Heather Augustyn's skabook 'Real Rude Boys' foundation-ska writing.
Stance: music as social commentary on poverty and injustice vs. music as glorification of criminal violence