Derrick Harriott, the Jamaican singer and producer whose career ran from the Jiving Juniors through rocksteady hits such as “The Loser” to pioneering reggae and dub records, has died at the age of 87. He died at home at about 1am on Saturday, October 24, 2026, according to Dorrel Mattocks, who runs the Derrick Harriott Music Store in St Andrew. “He was sick and was in and out of hospital,” Mattocks told The Gleaner. “He recently came out of hospital and was back home.”
From the Jiving Juniors to The Loser
Harriott was born in Kingston on February 6, 1939. He first sang in a duo with Claude Sang that won the Vere Johns Opportunity Hour talent show in 1957, and in 1958 he co-founded the vocal group the Jiving Juniors, whose local hits included “Lollipop Girl” and “Over the River”.
In 1962 he went solo and started his own label, Crystal. His first solo release, “I Care”, was a hit, followed by songs including “What Can I Do” and “I’m Only Human”. “The Loser” became his signature song, and he also scored with “Solomon”.
A producer who shaped reggae and dub
As a producer Harriott worked with many of the biggest names in early reggae, including Dennis Brown, Big Youth, the Ethiopians, Keith & Tex, the Kingstonians and the DJ Scotty. His studio band, the Crystallites, recorded the 1970 instrumental album Undertaker, and Swing magazine named him top producer of 1970. Scrub A Dub (1974), mixed at King Tubby’s studio in Waterhouse, was one of the earliest dub albums.
In the 1970s he opened a record shop on King Street in Kingston, later moving to Twin Gates Plaza in Half-Way Tree, where the Derrick Harriott Music Store still trades.
Honours
The Jamaican government awarded Harriott the Order of Distinction in 2009 for his contribution to the country’s music, and in 2019 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association. He had laughed off false reports of his death in recent years; this time it was confirmed by those close to him.