DELROY WILSON (1948 - 1995)
Born
in 1948, Delroy Wilson began his career at an early age, cutting his debut
single for Coxsone Dodd's Studio One label. His first hit Joe Liges in
1963 was written by Lee Perry and was a lyrical attack on Dodd's former
employee, now rival, Prince Buster. He went on to cut numerous records in the
same vein for Studio One including One, Two, Three, Shall Not Remove and
Prince Pharoah was notable for being the only occasion in which Dodd
himself is heard on record admonishing Buster.
In 1966, he recorded one of the first rock steady hits Dancing Mood. Throughout the rest of the decade, recording mainly for Studio One, he increased his popularity with titles such as Riding for a Fall, Once Upon a Time, Run Run, Won't You Come Home and Feel Good All Over. In 1971, he teamed up with Bunny Lee to score a huge hit with Better Must Come which was so popular it was adopted as a theme song by Michael Manley's PNP during that year's election campaign. His popularity continued throughout the 70s with such hits as Mash Up Illiteracy and Pretty Girl for Joe Gibbs; Love for Gussie Clark; Rascal Man for Winston 'Niney' Holness to name a few. In 1976, he recorded a cover of the Wailers' I'm Still Waiting for Lloyd Charmers which was hugely popular, enjoyed some cross-over success and was followed by the album Sarge which is considered one of his strongest. Wilson continued the run of success until the end of the decade, but his career floundered during the early 1980s with releases less common. He experienced a revival in the digital age of the early '90s with releases for King Jammy Don't Put the Blame On and Bunny Lee - Ease Up.
In 1994, Wilson's enduring legacy to Jamaican music was recognized by a special plaque awarded by the Jamaican government and presented by the then Prime Minister, P.J. Patterson.
Delroy Wilson died on March 6, 1995 at the University Hospital of the West Indies of complications from cirrhosis of the liver. He was forty-six years old.