Derrick Morgan

During the Fifties the Jamaican record industry had been born. At the beginning of the decade one Stanley Motta had recorded examples of the Jamaican calypso form known as mento. Soon after, with the transformation of black rhythm and blues into white rock & roll becoming almost complete, Jamaican producers and artist created their own copies of R&B. This newly created copy of R&B, acquired its own distinct sound that would make it unique to Jamaica. The new sound became the essential ingredient in developing the musical form, later became known as Ska. The first form of Ska was launched in 1959 with the creation of Derrick Morgan’s “Lover Boy”.Jamaica had borne its new musical form. However, the foundation of Jamaican music did not solidify without one main influence and kernel, Derrick Morgan. Derrick Morgan is one of the best known Jamaican artists coming from the History of Ska, Rocksteady and Reggae.Derrick was born March 1940, in the district of Stewarton in the Parish of Clarendon, Mocho Clarendon. Before migrating to Kingston to reside with his mother, Mable Gayle, Derrick spent three years in the countryside.At the age of three, Derrick's auntie put him on the donkey to ride him to his other aunt, Nomy. They caught the train and journeyed to town. There, Derrick reunited with his mother at Parade, who was doing domestic work for a family. Derrick's mother had him feel ice for the very first time, and quickly he dropped the ice, for it burned his hands as fire. Derrick and his mother later lived in Orange Lane, where he attended Almond Town Junior School. At the age of eleven, Derrick transferred to Kingston Senior until his graduation.During childhood Derrick was exposed to many forms of music. His musical exposure ranged from the vibrant choir and tambourine of his church, where his father was a deacon, to the raw rhythms of New Orleans Rhythm and Blues, which could be picked up on the island from the radio stations across the Caribbean Sea.Derrick's interest for music grew rapidly. In 1957, at the early age of 17, Derrick decided to fully commit himself to the musical art. There was the famous Vere John's Opportunity Show at the Palace Theatre in Kingston. Derrick jumped at the opportunity and entered the talent show. Despite other superb competitors, Eric 'Monty' Morris, Owen Gray and Wilfred 'Jackie' Edwards, Derrick victoriously mesmerized the audience with his unchallenging versions of Little Richard's 'Long Tall Sally' and 'Jenny Jenny'. Derrick's performance was so enticing, that the attention of the comedy duo, Bim & Bam, was captured. Derrick would perform with Bim & Bam over the next two years, singing at their popular variety shows around the island.In 1959, Derrick kept hearing recordings of his musical companions, Laurel Aitken, (Joe) Higgs and (Roy) Wilson, Wilfred ‘Jackie’ Edwards and Owen Gray over the airwaves. Derrick became upset because his companions would not reveal how to get recorded. Finally, Derrick set out on his own mission, for it was time to cut himself a record.Derrick heard of an acclaimed sound systems operator, Duke Reid, who was looking for artists to record on his Treasure Isle label. Derrick wrote and performed two songs, 'Lover Boy’ (a.k.a. ‘S.Corner Rock’) and 'Oh My,' which Duke Reid decided to record. The songs played on the radio and became popular with the listening audiences. Derrick auditioned for another producer, L.S. 'Little Wonder' Smith. The song auditioned and recorded was ‘Fat Man,’ which became an immediate hit on the island. From then on there was no looking back for Derrick. Many producers sought after Derrick, eagered to cash in on the singer's popularity. Derrick recorded a few more songs with Smith before recording for the legendary Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd. Hits continued to follow Derrick such as 'Leave Earth' and 'Wee Wigger Shuffle'.Derrick’s popularity grew tremendously around the island. There was no doubt that every producer wanted Derrick to be a member of their musical stable. One such producer was Leslie Kong. Derrick Morgan was introduced to Leslie Kong through James Chambers. James came around to Derrick’s yard on Orange Lane and told Derrick that he had a song named ‘Dearest Beverly’, which he wanted to sell to Kong, the owner of a restaurant on the corner of North and Orange Street in downtown Kingston. However, Kong agreed to buy the music only if James would find Derrick, audition the song and if approved by Derrick they may consider it a good investment. Kong probably sent James to find Derrick because they were interested in starting to do some recordings. Derrick listened to James’ song, but felt that the song, being a ballad, may not interest Kong. Derrick asked James if he had another song. An unfinished song called “Hurricane Hattie” was better so Derrick, James Chambers, and Courtney Green (who also lived in Derrick’s yard) started working on the song. Courtney also gave the young singer a song he had written called “The Lion Says I’m a King and I Reign,” later shortened to “The Lion Says.” Together the pair visited Kong, convincing him to enter the record business. Leslie wanted to start recording, and got Derrick to recommend a band to record James. They got Drumbago and started rehearsals at Mr. Blissette’s house in Greenwich Farm on West Avenue. He had a piano. Derrick dropped by (at first he wasn’t going to sing) with two songs, “Be Still” and “Sunday Monday,” destined to be two number ones. And the young singer, James Chambers? Leslie Kong didn’t like the name, so he changed it to Jimmy Cliff. Derrick decided to stay with Leslie, for he got paid a flat sum of JA$10.00, a better pay than what most producers gave. However, Derrick’s interest was not just money, but being an artist, he wanted to discover new acts. Derrick decided to partner with Leslie, acting as an unofficial talent scout for the Beverley's label.On Charles Street lived a girlfriend of Morgan’s called Pat Stewart. She was acquainted with an aunt of Bob’s, a ‘brown woman’, and one time when the youth was visiting her, Pat heard him sing. “Bob can sing good, y’know, Derrick- why not try ‘im?” she suggested. In February 1962, Derrick went to check out this 16 years old youth. Derrick approached Bob, and said, “You really do singin’, baas?” Bob answered affirmative. “Me se well come over Beverley’s nuh: mek me hear you. And ‘im come up deh one day and I play the piano and ‘im sing the tune ‘Judge Not’.” Derrick thought the song was good, but not great. However, Derrick was struck by the fact that Bob seemed to dance almost better than he could sing when he auditioned the tune, “’Im could DANCE.”Leslie Kong was willing to take a chance with Bob. Shortly after the audition Derrick decreed, “Alright, mi could try it now.” “Judge Not” was recorded at Federal Studio the same month. The joyous fast pace instrumental of Ska was the first sound recorded under the Legendary Bob Marley. At that same session Bob recorded two other Ska numbers, “Terror” and “One Cup of Coffee.” Derrick continued his association and friendship with Bob, the young singer from Trench Town. Derrick would immigrate to the United Kingdom the following year. However, Derrick did not migrate before a couple of farewell shows promoted by Kong: one at the Capri Theatre in May Penn and another in Montego Bay. Derrick made certain that Bob would be featured in the shows, though Derrick noticed that Bob (perhaps nervous) did not have a balance and unison with his performance energies. At the Capri show “when Bob go on stage he was dancin’ more than he was singin’… And ‘im come back to vocal, so mi beg ‘im and se, ‘No youth. When you sing two verses you dance, and then you go back to your other verse.’” At the Montego Bay venue, Bob performed as Derrick had suggested. Nonetheless, “One Cup of Coffee” did not receive the audience responses that either of them expected. In fact, the typically volatile and expressive Jamaican crowd started to boo. “The next song, ‘im just get up and se, ‘Judge not, before you judge yourself.’ When ‘im reach de part de, the audience ray and se, ‘Wait, this boy a bad, ‘im a just mek a sound offa we!’ Same time, yeah man, and a de so ‘im hit. That was the last time I see Bob fe a long while.”Derrick had now become the hottest artist on the island, and worked his way into being considered the King of Ska. Derrick may have captured his throne as the King of Ska in 1960, conquering the feat of becoming the first and only Jamaican artist to date, to have held the Number 1 to 7 slots in the top ten at any one time. Among such hits are "Be Still", "In My Heart", "Don't Call Me Daddy" and "Meekly Wait and Murmur Not". Derrick continued his reign in 1961 when he recorded his biggest hit of all times, "Housewive's Choice". “Housewive’s Choice” was number one during the time when Derrick had seven records in the top ten in Jamaica.In the early days, singers like Derrick Morgan would only usually receive a flat payment of 10.00 pounds per record side, a clear incentive to record as often and for as many different producers as possible. Originally an untitled blank disc of the music was submitted to the radio stations for airplay. This song garnered so many requests on the Marie Garth’s JBC show that producer Leslie Kong knew what to call it. Prince Buster considered that Headley Bennett’s alto sax solo copied one that was played for him by Lester Sterling on “They Got To Come” (Buster’s first vocal track in which Derrick helped him create). A musical feud started between Buster and Derrick, in which Buster accused Derrick of stealing his ideas and giving them to Leslie Kong, thus becoming a “Black Head Chiney Man.” Needless to say Derrick immediately responded proclaiming to be a “Blazing Fire” and getting “No Raise No Praise.” By the beginning of 1963, the dispute between rival fans had grown so serious that the newly formed Jamaican Government was forced to intervene to cease the rivalry. They arranged for the two men to be pictured together for the press and issued a statement saying that despite the rhetoric of the songs, the two were really best of friends.During August of 1962, Jamaica attained independence, and Derrick Morgan, now considered the most talented 22 years old Jamaican artist, recorded the first independence song challengingly called "Forward March", in which he played a neutral source in carrying the message of unity towards the people and politicians. The King made certain that the foundation and influence of Jamaican music would continue to grow strongly.In 1966, Derrick created the first Rock Steady form of Jamaican music, “Tougher Than Tough.” The song was recorded at Dynamic Studios in a session containing members as: Lynn Taitt (guitar), Bryan Atkinson (bass), Joe Isaacs (drums) and Gladstone Anderson (piano). Within this song, Derrick acts the part of the fearsome Judge Dread, handing out sentences to the rude boys, played by Desmond and George Dekker. With the creativity of Derrick Morgan and the ingenuity of Lynn Taitt, Jamaican music took on a new form. Lynn Taitt, originally from Trinidad, along with his band called The Jets, introduced a new guitar style, that when he strummed the strings, he also picked a bass line that he gave to the bass player, Atkin. Atkin now applied a pattern with the bass line, instead of playing a straight string bass line, as in Ska. This style and pattern eventually slowed the fast tempo of Ska. Consequently, people danced differently to the new form. The people would now rock to the bass line; thus, the name of the Music was changed from Ska to Rocksteady. Derrick Morgan’s “Tougher Than Tough” was the first song to be recorded with the new Rocksteady rhythm, and so it was established that the first Rocksteady song was created by Derrick Morgan. Therefore, Rocksteady evolved from Lynn Taitt’s attempt to play Ska, but his Trinidadian calypso influence accidentally contributed to the formation of Ska.“Tougher Than Tough” was released as a blank label by Beverley. It was first known as “Rudies Don’t Fear.” Beverley’s release of this song created quite a stir in Jamaica. There was a badman, rude boy, in Jamaica during the late sixties named Busby who rather fancied himself. No one would mess with him. If someone bumped into him at a dance, there was a great chance that person would be cut or shot, death was no option. When Duke Reid released Alton Ellis’ “Cry Tough”, Busby felt that it was about him.At that time Derrick lived in Greenwich Farm, and Busby used to visit there from Trench Town. He told Derrick to sing a song about him, and gave him Friday as a deadline, because there was a dance being held on West Avenue at Clennon Lawn. Derrick went to Leslie Kong, told him his predicament, and then cut “Rudies Don’t Fear” with Lynn Taitt at Dynamics.Derrick brought the acetate that he had made at Federal to the dance on Friday, and saw Busby around 8 p.m. Busby gave it to Chappie who ran the Hi-Fi, but told him not to play it until he was ready. Chappie’s brother is known as Godfather Binns and is the Don of the area.Clennon Lawn had an upstairs and on the steps were a whole group of young people (Busby and Derrick were also young) dressed in red tops with white pants known as the Vikings. They were a youth gang, rude boys themselves. When Busby saw them he started wetting them with his beer. The group left, rather than starting a fight. Now Busby was ready to hear the acetate. When it came to the line about “Strong like lion, we are iron”, he stopped the song and bought two boxes of beer. Whenever the song got to that point, Busby would throw his beer against the wall. The song kept playing all Friday night, which showed how bad Busby was.On Saturday, the next day, one of Busby’s friends came by his house and asked him to go with him to a party on Waltham Park Road; Busby didn’t want to go, but his friend convinced him to, so he went to the party in swim trunks. At the party a young kid came up to him with a gun, and asked him if he were Mr. Busby. Busby wasn’t afraid of the kid, so he tried to distract him while moving towards him to take the gun away. It was then that another gunman came up beside him, put a gun to the side of Busby’s head, and shot him dead. A lot of shots were fired, but Busby’s friend escaped.So it was the song that killed Busby, and caused it to be a big seller. When drinkers heard it on the jukebox, they would throw their beers on the wall when they heard “strong like a lion, we are iron.” This entire behavior got it banned from the radio.Derrick continued with his bold creativity that has left a marking influence on the Jamaican music, as we know it. “Went to the Hop” was the first song with an electric bass guitar; “Blazing Fire” was the first song to use an electric piano; “Love Not To Brag” was the first song with a duet female artist, Millicent “Patsy” Todd; and “Seven Letters” the first reggae song (produced along with Bunny “Striker” Lee). Derrick went on to create another form of Jamaican music known as “Pop A Top.” However, “Top the Pop” was a version of the huge hit “Pop a Top” that swept Jamaica and spawned a whole series of copycat follow-ups like “Moon Walk” that went nowhere. One day Derrick was at Dynamics and was checking Lynnford Anderson who was playing the track. Lynnford asked Derrick to put something over the track, and Derrick told him that “Fatman” would fit. “Top the Pop” composed of a series of splices of different versions of “Pop a Top” anchored by Derrick’s rendering of “Fatman.” This was released in UK as the flip of “Pop a Top”, but on its own in Jamaica.The hallmark of Jamaican music made its first appearance in 1968, when Jamaican music took on another historic change in development. In Duke Reid’s studio Derrick introduced a young man, known as Bunny “Striker” Lee, to the Music World. Within the studio, Derrick and Bunny would produce two songs, “Bangerang” and “Seven Letters” (a rendition of Ben E. King’s Seven Letters). Stranger Cole and Lester Sterling performed “Bangerang”. The song was based on a Jazz tune called ‘Bongo Chant’ by the Fifties British boppers, Kenny Graham and the Afro-Cubists, it only lacked a vocal. Stranger Cole happened to drop into Treasure Isle studio during the session and was enlisted immediately for the vocal by Bunny Lee. The Barrett brothers are on bass and drums, Alva Lewis on rhythm guitar, Ronnie ‘Bop’ Williams on lead. Glen Adams had just started playing organ when Derrick used him on this session. While in the studio Derrick and Bunny tried to change the shuffling of the organ. Glen Adams, Derrick’s cousin who later became leader of the group The Upsetters, played the organ shuffle. The sound of the organ shuffle sounded to Bunny as saying, “Straggae Straggae.” Being excited about the new sound and feel, Bunny would shout, “Reggae it mon! Just reggae the organ!!” Since then, whenever the musicians entered the studio they would say, “Come mon. Wi a go do some Reggae.” Thus, it is said the name “Reggae” was originated by Bunny Lee. Reggae and Rocksteady are basically the same, for they follow the same base pattern. What differentiates the two is the drum pattern. Reggae drum has a more calypso flavor, and is slightly faster pace than Rocksteady. Bunny Lee went on and became one of Jamaica’s most influential producers. Derrick Morgan continues to be Jamaica’s most influential and Legendary artist and producer, the true King of Ska and Founder of Reggae Music.A pious and heartfelt man, Derrick Morgan wanted others to flourish within the harsh musical world, and thus went out to coach and produce some of Jamaica’s greatest: Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley (“Judge Not”), Max Romeo (1971 No.1 hit “Let the Power Fall On I” and “Children Don’t Weep,” a hit in British Guyana) and the late Garnet Silk along with Tony Rebel (with their hot selling album Tony Rebel Meets Garnet Silk in a Dancehall Conference).Derrick Morgan’s influence is very strong as proven in a farewell concert in 1963, at Jamaica’s Palace Theatre, which was filled to capacity. In a concert in Germany, housing over 40,000 people, the people chanted, “Derrick Morgan is God.” Skinheads, group of white supremacists, declared Derrick Morgan as being the only black person they would love. They outright considered his song “Moon Hop” (another great hit entering the British Charts up to low twenties) as their national song. In response, Derrick used his music to promote unity, in order to break down the barrier of racial prejudice amongst all groups. Regardless of Derrick’s impaired handicap of blindness, he continues to tour internationally, around the world: Germany, Holland, England, Canada, Africa, America and Jamaica. music layout @ HOT FreeLayouts.com MyHotComments
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