Long before Bob Marley's rise to pre-eminence, the title of the world's leading reggae performer rested firmly with another young singer from Kingston, Jamaica: Desmond Dekker. Between 1967 and 1970, Desmond enjoyed a succession of international hit singles, breaking new ground with singles such as '007', the first Jamaican-produced single to break into the UK top twenty, and 'Israelites', the first reggae single to reach the Number One spot in Britain and to breach the US chart. All these works, along with the best of his remaining recordings from the ska, rock steady and reggae eras are featured on the latest collection in Trojan's newly launched 'Essential Artist Collection' series.
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