Delroy Wilson

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For other uses, see Roy Wilson (disambiguation).

Delroy Wilson (5 October 1948 - 6 March 1995 [1]) was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer.

1 Career
2 Cover versions
3 Legacy
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Career

While many erroneously believe that Delroy Wilson began his career as a part of a duet with Joe Higgs around 1960, this is not in fact the case. Delroy was at the time only twelve years old, and Joe Higgs partner between 1958 and 1964 was a man named Roy Wilson, who left Jamaica in 1964, after which Joe Higgs sang for some time with Carlos Malcolm's Afro-Caribs. At the time they formed, Higgs and Wilson were both adults, previously seeking to sing as soloists, yet Delroy Wilson was only ten years old. Wilson himself released his first solo single "Emy Lou" in 1961 for record producer, Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, at the age of thirteen. His early years with Coxsone yielded a number of ska hits, the biggest of which, "Joe Liges" was an attack on rival producer Prince Buster. His voice matured as he left his teens, around the time of ska's transition to rocksteady and this period in the late 1960s produced many hits including "Jerk in Time" (with the Wailers)"Feel Good All Over", "I'm Not a King", , "True Believer in Love", "Rain From the Skies","Conquer Me" and "Riding For A Fall". "Won't You Come Home", a duet with Ken Boothe on a rhythm originally cut by the Conquerors for Sonia Pottinger has become one of the most-versioned Jamaican tracks ever. His classic song "Dancing Mood" remains one of the most popular Jamaican songs from that time.^{[citation needed]} After leaving Studio One he recorded for numerous other producers, with varying degrees of success. He enjoyed success with Bunny Lee in the early 1970s with tracks such as "This Old Heart of Mine" and "Footsteps of Another Man". His double A-side "It Hurts"/"Put Yourself in My Place" was a skinhead favourite and narrowly missed UK chart success. He recorded a version of "Run Run" for maverick producer Keith Hudson.

1970 saw Wilson's first tour of the UK, where he also recorded a number of songs for the Trojan record label.

In 1972, Michael Manley's People's National Party chose Wilson's "Better Must Come" as their election campaign song. A two year fallow period followed, before he enjoyed massive success in 1974 with "Have Mercy", a cover of Fredeerick Knight's "I Forgot To Be Your Lover" . In 1977, his cover of the Wailers "I'm Still Waiting" enjoyed some cross-over success. Also a Bob Andy produced song, "The Last Thing On My Mind" rose to number one in Jamaica. Delroy is referenced by The Clash, in "(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais".

In 1994, Wilson's enduring legacy to Jamaican music was recognized by a special plaque awarded him by the Jamaican government, and presented by the then Prime Minister, Patterson.[2]

Delroy Wilson died on 6 March 1995 at Kingston's UWI hospital, of complications from cirrhosis of the liver [3]. He was 46 years old.

[edit] Cover versions

Mad Caddies covered Wilson's "Riding For A Fall", on their 2007 album, Keep It Going.

[edit] Legacy

Wilson's track, "This Life Makes Me Wonder", appears on the reggae tribute, compilation album, Jonny Greenwood Is the Controller, released in March 2007.
DJ Derek Presents… Sweet Memory Sounds, another compilation released in 2006, includes three Wilson songs, "Better Must Come", "Wolves and Leopards" and "We're all in this together".