13 Facts About Delroy Wilson

Delroy George Wilson CD was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer.

Delroy Wilson began his recording career at the age of thirteen, while still a pupil at Boys Town Primary School.

Delroy Wilson released his first single "Emy Lou" in 1962 for record producer, Clement "Coxsone" Dodd.

Delroy Wilson's early years with Coxsone yielded a number of ska hits, the biggest of which, the Lee Perry-written "Joe Liges" was an attack on rival producer and former Dodd employee Prince Buster.

Delroy Wilson recorded a version of "Run Run", a song he had originally recorded for Dodd, for maverick producer Keith Hudson.

Delroy Wilson toured the UK and recorded for Trojan Records in 1970.

Delroy Wilson worked with a string of producers in the years that followed, including Joe Gibbs, Gussie Clarke, Winston "Niney" Holness, Harry J, and Joseph Hoo Kim.

Delroy Wilson continued to be successful until the end of the decade, but his career floundered during the early 1980s, with releases less common.

Delroy Wilson's fortunes revived in the digital age with releases for King Jammy and Bunny Lee, with new albums following, but he again drifted out of the limelight, with his health declining, and is best remembered for his earlier work.

Delroy Wilson died at the age of 46 on 6 March 1995 at Kingston's UWI hospital, of complications from cirrhosis of the liver.

In 2013 Delroy Wilson was posthumously awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican Government.

In 2015 Wilson's childhood friend Everard "Jah Ruby" Metcalf released the album The Delroy Wilson Story, featuring 21 cover versions of Wilson's songs.

Delroy Wilson's work has been collected on over 15 'Best of' compilations and he features on dozens of compilations of reggae and ska music.