Derrick Harriott
b. Derrick Clifton Harriott, 6 February 1939, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. While a pupil at Excelsior High School, Harriott formed a duo with Claude Sang Junior, and in 1958 formed the Jiving Juniors with Eugene Dwyer, Herman Sang, and Maurice Winter. In 1960-61 they had hits with "Over The River" for Coxsone Dodd and "Lollipop Girl" for Duke Reid. In 1962, Harriott left the group and formed his own label, Crystal. His first solo recording, "I Care", was a hit, as were "What Can I Do" (1964), "The Jerk" (1965) and "I'm Only Human" (1965). All of these were included on his debut, The Best Of Derrick Harriott. In 1967 he had hits with his own "The Loser" and "Solomon", the Ethiopians' "No Baptism" and Keith And Tex's "Tonight" and "Stop That Train". Harriott's sophisticated, soul-styled sound caught the imagination of the Jamaican public - his recordings in the rocksteady style were superlative and still sound fresh and vibrant today.
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Top Tracks
- Answer Me My Darling
- Reach Out (I'll Be There)
- Born To Love You
- Derrick!
- I Won't Cry
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