BY BRIAN BONITTO—
Associate Editor —
Derrick Harriott—
YESTERDAY rumors began swirling on social media that Derrick Harriott had passed away. The veteran singer/producer said he was made aware of it by the numerous phone calls he received.
“Bwoy, mi phone jus’ a ring off the hook…My God, I don’t know how that came about but it come about. What am I going to do but laugh,” questioned the 81-year-old with a chuckle.
“If I had 100 phones they would all be ringing off the hook; people care and that’s one thing that made mi feel good. It also brings to mind a tune I made called Walk The Street — it coincides with what is happening and I want people to know I’m still kicking and have no plans of leaving here soon,” he continued.
Still actively recording, Harriott said he has several unreleased singles.
“I’m just watching the market to see what’s happening, especially with this COVID thing. But we can’t just watch indefinitely,” he said.
His career began in the 1950s as a singer when he entered the Vere Johns Opportunity Hour. Though he was not successful as a solo act, he then joined forces with Claude Sang Jnr and they won several times.
The Vere Johns Opportunity Hour began in the 1940s and continued until the early 1960s. Many of Jamaica’s top acts, including Alton Ellis and John Holt, got their start on that talent contest.
After his experience on the show Harriott formed Jiving Juniors, which consisted of him, Eugene Dwyer, Herman Sang and Maurice Wynter. When the group parted he went solo and later became a producer.
He had many number one and top five songs including What Can I Do, which he says is his personal favourite; Fistful of Dollars, The Loser, and Walk The Streets.
As a producer he worked with numerous artistes including the “Crown Prince of Reggae” Dennis Brown.
He also produced songs by The Chosen Few, Scotty, The Kingstonians, and Keith and Tex. They recorded for his labels, Crystal and Move And Groove.
Harriott still contributes to music through his record store, located at Constant Spring Road in Kingston. He said business is not what it used to be.
“Now we’re operating on and off but we’re planning something nice for the holiday. People don’t buy records like one time, everybody getting the music online. What we’re trying to do is position our store as the place you source hard-to-get records, as there is a surge in vinyl,” he said.
Harriott received the Order of Distinction from the Jamaican Government in 2009. A decade later, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award in Music at the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) Awards.Read More
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