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May 26, 2006
Desmond Dekker, RIP
Desmond Dekker, 64, died today of a heart attack.
Another giant, and this one is even more personal. My son's middle name is Desmond, named after both Desmond Dekker and Bishop Desmond Tutu.
Dekker to me was second only to Otis Redding in the way he could move me to tears with a simple melody. I used to sing (badly) "Poor Me Israelites" to my kids at bedtime. And when I was in the car alone where nobody could hear me, I'd sing along (badly) to "Tips of My Fingers" at the top of my lungs, and whatever was bothering me that day, it would feel slightly better.
And it fucking sucks because my CDs are all in storage and my reggae stuff isn't on my laptop, so I can't even listen to him to say goodbye. I can't even sing along (badly) because I have nothing to sing along with.
If you don't know Desmond, and you have half a mind to buy a CD this weekend, go out now and buy Intensified. Or if you're an iTunes kid, search for "Poor Me Israelites", "Wise Man", "Tips of My Fingers", or "007".
And please let's not have that Rule of Threes this week. I'm in no mood to lose Willie or Dr. John or Don Walser this week, I've got too much else to worry about.
Posted by ray at May 26, 2006 3:36 PM | Permalink
Categories: [music ]
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