The King of Ska: The Beverleys Records Singles Collection, 1963 1967

In 1963, a 21-year-old welder with dreams of becoming a full-time singer-songwriter, auditioned for one of Jamaica’s new elite record producers, Leslie Kong, owner of the recently launched Beverley’s Records label. After performing a number of original compositions, a deal was secured and within weeks, Desmond Adolphus Dacres saw his name in print as ‘Desmond Dekker’ on the labels of what would prove to be the first of his catalogue of 7” singles.

The record, which coupled two of his own songs, ‘Honour Your Mother And Father’ and ‘Madgie’, became an instant best-seller and heralded the beginning of a long and immensely successful run of singles by Dekker, both as a solo artist and later, as lead singer for The Aces.

To mark what would have been Desmond’s 80th birthday, this 2xCD set showcases Dekker’s first twenty singles for Kong’s Beverley’s labels which established him as a true Jamaican superstar.

The 2xCD set is presented in a fold out digipack, along with a 12 page booklet with fascinating sleeve notes written by journalist Winston Smith.