Country: Jamaica
Derrick Harriott (born 1942, Kingston, Jamaica) is a pioneering Jamaican singer, record producer, and entrepreneur, whose career spans over six decades and whose influence on ska, rocksteady, and reggae is profound. Early Career and The Jiving Juniors Harriott began his musical journey as a student at Excelsior High School, forming a duo with Claude Sang Jr.. They competed in the Vere Johns Opportunity Hour talent contest, winning several times by 1957. The duo recorded for Stanley Motta and other producers, scoring hits like Daffodil and Birds of Britain, before splitting when Sang moved overseas. In 1958, Harriott formed The Jiving Juniors with Eugene Dwyer, Herman Sang, and Maurice Wynter. The group achieved success on the Vere Johns Opportunity Hour and released hit singles including Lollipop Girl (Duke Reid) and Over The River (Coxsone Dodd) in 1960–61. The original lineup disbanded after Harriott emigrated to the United States, though he later reformed the group with new members, including Winston Service and Valmont Burke, recording hits like Sugar Dandy in New York before disbanding in 1962.
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