Desmond Dekker recorded “Israelites,” a major international hit that helped popularize reggae.
Dekker recorded the song with his backing group the Aces, and it was released in 1968. Its success made Dekker one of the first Jamaican artists to achieve a major international pop breakthrough with a reggae-related recording.
“Israelites” reached number one in the United Kingdom and also became a major hit in the United States. The song’s lyrics portray hardship and working-class pressure through a biblical reference, helping give it a distinctive identity for listeners unfamiliar with Jamaican music.
Dekker is sometimes grouped with ska because much of his early work belongs to that earlier style. “Israelites,” however, is widely associated with the transition from ska and rocksteady toward reggae’s international era. He was a separate artist from Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, and Toots Hibbert.