Derrick Harriott, pioneering Jamaican reggae singer and producer, dies at 87

Derrick Harriott, the pioneering Jamaican singer, songwriter and record producer whose work helped shape ska, rocksteady and reggae, has died. He was 87.

Dorrel Mattocks, operator of the Derrick Harriott Music Store at Twin Gates Plaza in St. Andrew, confirmed to The Gleaner that Harriott died at home at about 1 a.m. Saturday, October 24.

“He was sick and was in and out of hospital,” Mattocks told the newspaper.

Born Derrick Clifton Harriott in Kingston on February 6, 1939, he emerged as a prominent figure in Jamaican popular music during the 1960s, first gaining recognition as a member of the vocal group the Jiving Juniors before establishing a successful solo career.

Harriott began performing while attending Excelsior High School, where he teamed up with Claude Sang Jr. The pair competed in the Vere Johns Opportunity Hour talent contest, winning several times after entering as a duo in 1957.

He later joined the Jiving Juniors, whose recordings included “Lollipop Girl” and “Over the River,” also known as “I'll Be Here When He Comes.” The group recorded for prominent Jamaican producers Duke Reid and Clement “Coxsone” Dodd before Harriott pursued other opportunities.

As a solo artist, Harriott scored hits with songs including “I Care,” “What Can I Do,” “The Jerk,” “I'm Only Human,” “The Loser” and “Solomon.” His smooth vocal style and interpretations of soul music helped distinguish him during an era when Jamaican music was evolving from ska into rocksteady and reggae.

His influence extended well beyond his own recordings. Harriott established the Crystal record label and became one of Jamaica's important independent producers, working with artists including Dennis Brown, the Ethiopians, Keith & Tex, Big Youth, the Kingstonians, Rudy Mills and Scotty.

Among his notable productions were Keith & Tex's “Tonight” and “Stop That Train,” as well as recordings that helped introduce Jamaican music to audiences in the United Kingdom. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, his work featured prominently on the Song Bird and Explosion labels, which were associated with the British record company Trojan Records.

Harriott also explored instrumental and dub music through the Crystalites, the studio group associated with his productions. Their 1970 album, The Undertaker, drew on cinematic influences, while Scrub A Dub, released in 1974, reflected the growing prominence of dub and studio experimentation in Jamaican music.

He was among the early producers to work with influential sound engineer Osbourne “King Tubby” Ruddock, whose mixing techniques helped shape the development of dub.

Harriott continued recording and performing in subsequent decades, including releasing soul-inspired songs such as “Skin to Skin” and “Checking Out.” In 1988, he teamed up with dancehall artist Yellowman on “Starting All Over Again,” a song that addressed the devastation caused by Hurricane Gilbert in Jamaica.

His contributions to Jamaican music were formally recognised in 2009, when he received the Order of Distinction from the Jamaican government. In 2019, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award in Music from the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA).

Harriott also maintained a presence in Jamaica's music retail industry through his record shop, which began on King Street in Kingston before moving to larger premises at Twin Gates Plaza in Half-Way Tree, St. Andrew.

His death marks the loss of a musician and producer whose career spanned the formative years of modern Jamaican popular music and whose recordings helped carry the island's sound to international audiences.