Derrick Harriott, pioneering reggae singer and producer, has died

Derrick Harriott, the pioneering ska, rocksteady and reggae singer and record producer, has died.

He was 87.

Dorrel Mattocks, operator of the Derrick Harriott Music Store, located in Twin Gates Plaza, St Andrew, confirmed to The Gleaner that the veteran singer died at home about 1am Saturday.

"He was sick and was in and out of hospital,” said Mattocks.

“He recently came out of hospital and was back home. When I got the call I drove straight to the house," he added.

Harriott was born in Kingston on February 6, 1939.

His career began in the late 1950s and spans the ska, rocksteady and later the reggae eras.

He co-founded the vocal group The Jiving Juniors in 1958, scoring early local hits such as Lollipop Girl and Over the River.

Harriott launched his solo career and his own record label, Crystal, in 1962, releasing I Care and his signature song The Loser.

As a producer, he helped shape the sound of early reggae and dub, recording early sessions at King Tubby's studio and producing tracks for major acts like Dennis Brown, Big Youth, The Ethiopians, Keith & Tex, and The Kingstonians.

He was awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican government in 2009 and received the JaRIA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.

-- Yasmine Peru

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