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| Derrick Harriott | |
|---|---|
| Name | Derrick Harriott |
| Birth date | 1943 |
| Birth place | Kingston, Jamaica |
| Occupation | Singer, record producer |
| Years active | 1958–present |
| Labels | Crystal, Crystal Records, Harry J Records, Trojan Records, VP Records, Rhino Records |
Derrick Harriott is a Jamaican ska and reggae singer and record producer whose career began in the late 1950s and whose work across the 1960s and 1970s shaped popular music in Kingston, Jamaica and influenced artists internationally. He emerged from vocal group traditions into a successful solo career and later founded influential labels and studios, producing records for artists who worked with labels and studios across Jamaica and the United Kingdom. Harriott's catalog and productions connected him with numerous performers, producers, and institutions in the Caribbean and global music scenes.
Harriott was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1943 and raised in an era marked by the rise of sound system culture and the recording boom at studios like Studio One. As a youth he formed vocal groups influenced by doo-wop and R&B traditions popularized by acts from New York City, Chicago, and Detroit. Early vocal ensembles included the Jiver-influenced groups that performed on shows associated with promoters such as Coxsone Dodd and Duke Reid, and he recorded with bands that featured musicians who later joined sessions at Treasure Isle and Federal Records. Harriott's formative associations linked him to contemporaries like The Wailers, The Skatalites, Toots and the Maytals, Eddie Perkins, and figures such as Prince Buster and Bunny Lee.
Transitioning from groups to solo work in the early 1960s, Harriott scored early hits during the rocksteady era with recordings that were distributed by imprint channels connected to Joe Gibbs and Ken Boothe's contemporaries. His breakthrough singles found airplay on sound systems alongside records from Desmond Dekker, Jimmy Cliff, Leroy Sibbles, and Ken Boothe. He worked with studio bands and session musicians including members of The Skatalites, The Upsetters, and session players who collaborated with producers like Lee "Scratch" Perry and Harry J. Harriott's solo success placed him on concert bills with touring acts promoted by entrepreneurs such as Prince Buster and venues frequented by audiences who had followed performers like Millie Small and Hugh Malcolm.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s Harriott established himself as a producer and label owner, founding labels such as Crystal Records and operating studios that became part of the island's recording infrastructure alongside Studio One, Treasure Isle, and Dynamic Sounds. He produced recordings for artists who also released material on Trojan Records, Island Records, and Burning Sounds, employing engineers and arrangers who had worked with Coxsone Dodd, Duke Reid, Sly Dunbar, and Robbie Shakespeare. Harriott's production credits encompass sessions with vocalists who appeared on compilations issued by Blood and Fire and reissues coordinated by labels such as Heartbeat Records and VP Records, and his business activities intersected with retail outlets and distributors that serviced markets in London, New York City, and Kingston, Jamaica.
Harriott collaborated with a wide range of singers, musicians, and producers across decades, recording duets and producing tracks for performers associated with groups like The Techniques, The Paragons, The Melodians, and solo artists including Freddie McGregor, Alton Ellis, John Holt, Phyllis Dillon, and Marcia Griffiths. His notable recordings featured musicians from session houses tied to Sly and Robbie as well as horn sections that worked with Tommy McCook and arrangements influenced by producers such as Duke Reid and Coxsone Dodd. Harriott also engaged in projects that connected him with the catalogue activities of Rhino Records, anthology series curated by Chris Blackwell, and compilation producers tracing roots from ska through dub and dancehall eras.
Throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and into the 21st century Harriott continued to perform, record, and curate reissues, participating in festivals and shows alongside legacy acts like The Wailers Band, Toots Hibbert, The Skatalites, and contemporary artists distributed by VP Records and Jagjaguwar-associated promoters. His contributions have been recognized by music historians and by institutions that celebrate Caribbean cultural heritage in places such as Kingston, Jamaica, London, and New York City. Harriott's later activity included retrospective releases, collaborations with producers connected to Mad Professor, Scientist, and involvement with archival projects alongside curators from Blood and Fire and Heartbeat Records.
Harriott's musical style spans ska, rocksteady, reggae, and lovers rock influences, blending vocal harmony traditions derived from American R&B and Caribbean melodic sensibilities cultivated in Kingston, Jamaica's studio scene. His work as a singer and producer influenced generations of Jamaican vocalists and producers, informing approaches used by artists recorded at studios like Studio One and labels including Trojan Records, Island Records, and VP Records. Harriott's legacy is evident in the interpretations of his arrangements by artists in the UK and US markets, and his productions continue to be sampled and referenced in projects bridging roots reggae to contemporary dancehall and global popular music.
Category:Jamaican singers Category:Jamaican record producers Category:People from Kingston, Jamaica