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Derrick Morgan

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Derrick Morgan is a Jamaican singer, born in 1940, and one of the great names of ska and early reggae. In 1957 he won the talent contest Vere Johns Opportunity Hour in Kingston with imitations of Little Richard. After that he toured the island with the comic duo Bim and Bam. In 1959 he recorded for the first time, for Duke Reid and his label Treasure Isle, with the shuffle boogie number Lover Boy and Oh My.

Music and breakthrough

In 1960 he was the only artist ever to occupy the first seven places in the Jamaican charts at the same time, with songs such as Don't Call Me Daddy and In My Heart. A year later came his biggest hit, Housewives' Choice, produced by Leslie Kong. From it grew a rivalry with Prince Buster, who accused Morgan of stealing his ideas and answered with Blackhead Chiney Man. Morgan responded with Blazing Fire. In 1962 he had a great success with Forward March, a song about Jamaican independence. When ska turned into rocksteady he kept making records, such as the rude boy numbers Tougher Than Tough and Conquering Ruler, and his version of Ben E. King's Seven Letters, produced by Bunny Lee. Later he was still active in the 1970s and wrote songs for other artists that won the Festival Song Contest.

Influence

Morgan played in the same world as Desmond Dekker, Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff and showed how Jamaican pop music developed further in the 1960s, from ska to rocksteady and skinhead reggae. In 2017 he was still appearing at a ska festival in the United States.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Forward March or Seven Letters. Notice the cheerful offbeat of the ska or the calmer tempo of the rocksteady.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists