Jamaican Reggae Pioneer Derrick Harriott Dies at 87: Singer of 'The Loser' and Founder of the Crystal Label
Jamaican singer and record producer Derrick Harriott died at his home in Kingston in the early hours of Saturday, October 24, at the age of 87. Dorrel Mattocks, who runs the Derrick Harriott Music Store in St Andrew, confirmed the death to The Gleaner, saying Harriott passed away at about 1 a.m.; he had been unwell and in and out of hospital, and had recently returned home. Born in Kingston on February 6, 1939, Harriott was one of the figures who carried Jamaican music from ska and rocksteady into early reggae.
Harriott first emerged through a talent show in 1957 and in 1958 co-founded the vocal group the Jiving Juniors, whose local hits included "Lollipop Girl" and "Over the River." He went solo in 1962 and launched his own label, Crystal. His signature song "The Loser" was followed by hits including "I Care," "Solomon" and "Born to Love You." As a producer he worked with Dennis Brown, Big Youth, Keith & Tex and the Kingstonians; his studio band the Crystallites recorded the 1970 instrumental album Undertaker, and Scrub A Dub (1974), mixed at King Tubby's studio, is regarded as one of the earliest dub albums. He later opened a record shop in Kingston, which still trades.
Olivia Grange, Jamaica's Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, led the tributes: "I am deeply saddened by the passing of Derrick Harriott, OD, a true pioneer of Jamaican music. From The Jiving Juniors to his Crystal label, Derrick helped shape Ska, Rocksteady and early Reggae. Hits such as 'The Loser,' 'I Care' and 'Born to Love You' remain classics, while his productions for artistes such as Dennis Brown helped define an era." Harriott was awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican government in 2009 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) in 2019.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 唱片店内景资料图（Chicken4War 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons）；Harriott 本人开放授权照片未查得，以其经营唱片店一生的主题资料图代替
