Errol Dunkley (born 6 February 1951), sometimes spelled Erroll Dunkley, is a Jamaican
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
musician, born in
Kingston
Kingston may refer to:
Places
* List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated:
** Kingston, Jamaica
** Kingston upon Hull, England
** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia
** Kingston, Ontario, Canada
** Kingston upon Thames, ...
, Jamaica in 1951.
Biography
Dunkley's recording career began in 1965, when he was 14, with "Gypsy" (a duet with
Roy Shirley
Ainsworth Roy Rushton Shirley (18 July 1944 – July 2008), better known simply as Roy Shirley, and also known as King Roy Shirley and The High Priest, was a Jamaican singer whose career spanned the ska, rocksteady and reggae eras, and whose "Ho ...
) for Linden Pottinger's Gaydisc label, "My Queen" (with Junior English) for
Prince Buster
Cecil Bustamente Campbell (24 May 1938 – 8 September 2016), known professionally as Prince Buster, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer. The records he released in the 1960s influenced and shaped the course of Jamaican contemporary ...
, and "Love Me Forever" on the Rio label. From 1967 to 1968, he recorded several singles for
Joe Gibbs
Joseph Jackson Gibbs (born November 25, 1940) is an American auto racing team owner and former American football, football coach. He served as the head coach of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1981 Washingto ...
, including "Please Stop Your Lying" (1967) and "Love Brother" (1968), before switching to
Coxsone Dodd
Clement Seymour "Coxsone" Dodd (26 January 1932 – 4 May 2004) was a Jamaican record producer who was influential in the development of ska and reggae in the 1950s, 1960s and beyond.
He was nicknamed "Coxsone" at school due to his talent ...
in 1969.
In the early 1970s, with
Gregory Isaacs
Gregory Anthony Isaacs OD (15 July 1951 – 25 October 2010)Thompson, p. 127. was a Jamaican reggae musician. Milo Miles, writing in ''The New York Times'', described Isaacs as "the most exquisite vocalist in reggae".Miles, Milo (1992),RECORDI ...
, he formed the African Museum record label. Isaacs soon took sole control of the label, and Dunkley formed Silver Ring, a new label. In 1972, he teamed up with producer Jimmy Radway for two of his most popular singles, "Keep the Pressure Down" and "Black Cinderella". The same year saw the release of Dunkley's debut album, ''Presenting Errol Dunkley'', produced by
Sonia Pottinger
Sonia Eloise Pottinger OD ( Durrant; 21 June 1931 – 3 November 2010)Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , p. 316UK Singles Chart hit in 1979 with " OK Fred", a cover version of a song written by John Holt, that reached number 11.
Guinness Book of British Hit Singles
''British Hit Singles & Albums'' (originally known as ''The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles'' and ''The Guinness Book of British Hit Albums'') was a music reference book originally published in the United Kingdom by the publishing arm of ...
– 16th Edition – His 1980 release "Sit Down And Cry" also reached the charts.
Dunkley re-recorded "OK Fred", his biggest hit, in 1996 with Queen Sister *N*.
Trojan Records
Trojan Records is a British record label founded by Jamaican Duke Reid, Lee Gopthal and Chris Blackwell in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. Th ...
, 1981) – (a four star AMG recommendation)
*''Sit and Cry Over You'' (Third World, 1976)
*''Militant Man'' (Lovella International, 1980)
*''Profile of Errol Dunkley'' aka ''OK Fred'' (Third World, 1980)
*''In a Different, Different Style'' (Easy Street Records, 1984)
*''Special Request'' (Carousel, 1987)
*''Aquarius'' (1989)
*''The Early Years'' (Rhino, 1995)
*''Please Stop Your Lying'' (early Joe Gibbs recordings) (Rocky One, 1996)
*''Continually'' (2000)
*''OK Fred (The Best Of)'' (Trojan 2004)
*''Love Is Amazing'' (Studio One)
*''Moodie Meets Errol Dunkley'' (Moodie Music)
*''OK Fred - Storybook Revisited - Errol Dunkley'' (Burning Sounds ) 2020
See also
*
List of reggae musicians
This is a list of reggae musicians. This includes artists who have either been critical to the genre or have had a considerable amount of exposure (such as in the case of one that has been on a major label). Bands are listed by the first letter in ...
*
List of performers on Top of the Pops
__NOTOC__
This list of performers on ''Top of the Pops'' includes popular music recording artists and musical ensembles who have performed on ''Top of the Pops'', a weekly BBC television programme that featured artists from the UK Singles ...