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

Derrick Harriott, the Jamaican singer and record producer who helped shape the evolution of ska, rocksteady and reggae, has died at the age of 87, Jamaica’s Gleaner and Observer report.

Dorrel Mattocks, operator of the Derrick Harriott Music Store in St Andrew, confirmed to the Gleaner that Harriott died at home at about 1am on Saturday, after a period of illness that had seen him in and out of hospital. The Caribbean news agency CMC carried the same confirmation, reporting that he had recently been discharged from hospital before returning home.

Born in Kingston on 6 February 1939, Harriott co-founded the vocal group the Jiving Juniors in 1958, scoring early local hits such as “Lollipop Girl” and “Over the River”, before launching his solo career and his own Crystal record label in 1962, releasing “I Care” and his signature song “The Loser”, the Gleaner reported.

As a producer, he helped shape the sound of early reggae and dub, recording early sessions at King Tubby’s studio and producing tracks for major acts including Dennis Brown, Big Youth, the Ethiopians, Keith & Tex and the Kingstonians, according to the Gleaner and CMC.

Harriott was awarded Jamaica’s Order of Distinction in 2009 for his contribution to music, and received the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, the Gleaner reported. No cause of death has been disclosed beyond the period of illness described by Mattocks.