Errol Dunkley, one of Jamaica’s “boy wonders”, like Delroy Wilson, Denis Brown, Freddie McGregor and Horace Andy, hit the headlines as a youngster, being only eleven when he made his recording debut.
The early demand for his talent saw him recording with most of Jamaica top producers. His debut 1964 recording “My Queen” was produced by Prince Buster while Joe Gibbs produced his first hit “You’re Gonna Need Me” in 1967.
After blazing a trail in Jamaica in the 1960s, he decided to join other Jamaican hit makers who were making it big in the United Kingdom; and it proved a good move as he was among those who enjoyed success in the l970s when reggae ruled in the UK. In fact his biggest hit, a remake of John Holt’s “OK Fred”, just missed the UK Top Ten in 1978 and again hit the spotlight in 1996 when he re-recorded it as a duet with Queen Sister.
Dunkley had already been making great music for over a decade by the time “OK Fred” hit the UK charts, as evidenced in “Darling Ooh”, his slow, rocking “A Little Way Different,” his “Movie Star” remake of Delroy Wilson’s “Don’t Know Why”, the outstanding cover of the Beatles’ “You’ll Never Know”, dancehall anthem “Black Cinderella” and his “Three In One Medley”.
Although he founded the African Museum label with Gregory Isaacs on which he scored with “Movie Star”, Dunkley left the label and moved to London in 1973. There he recorded the album “Sit and Cry” and continued to build a following in the United kingdom and Europe. His first British hit “A Little Way Different” came in 1974 and was followed by several other releases including “Betcha By Golly Wow” and “Happiness Forget.”
His album credits include “Darling Ooh”, “Errol Again”, “Continually” and “The Best of Errol Dunkley.”
Since returning from the UK, Errol has continued to be in studio, make overseas tours and appear on several local shows. He welcomes the return of Startime and says he’s anxiously awaiting the July 13 edition where he says he’s “going to rock the joint as only Errol Dunkley can.”