Posted by Rocksteady and reggae icon Derrick Harriott has died. The singer’s passing was confirmed earlier today, October 24th, via multiple sources. The Jamaica Observer states that Derrick Harriott passed away peacefully at home; he was 87 years old.
Born in 1939 in Kingston, Derrick Harriott came of age through the first wave of Jamaican soundsystems. Initially a duo with Claude Sang Jr, the pair scored local hits, helping to merge jump blues with R&B and Jamaican influences to create an early form of ska.
Going solo in the early 60s, Derrick Harriott launched his own label, Crystal, and helped define a confident new sound for Jamaica as the island embraced independence. A growing sense of Black consciousness entered his music as the decade continued, and he leaned on his soul vocals for a string of rocksteady hits. Closing the decade by helping to define the emerging reggae sound, he was a club hero in the UK, where the skinhead phenomenon firmly embraced him.
Remaining a hugely popular concert draw throughout the decades, Derrick Harriott built links with second and third wave ska musicians in the United States, while remaining firmly rooted to Jamaica.