In the past three years, stories of Derrick Harriott’s death have circulated on social media. The singer/producer, who turns 86 today, laughed at the premature stories of his demise in an interview with the Jamaica Observer.

“I’m fair to fine. Mi alright, holding on,” he said.

Known for songs such as Walk The Streets, Solomon and The Loser, Harriott shares a birth date with Bob Marley, whose 80th birthday is being celebrated today.

The reggae king died in May 1981 from cancer at age 36.

Harriott started his career in the early 1960s as a member of The Jiving Juniors, before launching a solo run later that decade. He also established himself as a producer with the Crystal label, which released hit songs by Keith and Tex (Stop That Train, Tonight), The Kingstonians (Singer Man) and Dennis Brown (
Lips Of Wine, Silhouette).

Harriott said he developed a friendship with Marley in the late 1960s when both of them operated record shops in downtown Kingston.

“I was at the corner of King and Beeston Street, and Bob was just around the corner from me. Plus, we used to buck up at studio all the time doing sessions,” he recalled.

At the time, Marley was a member of The Wailers with Bunny Livingston (later Bunny Wailer) and Peter Tosh.

Harriott was impressed by their discipline in one area.

“The Wailers did a lot of original stuff, wrote their own songs. How they looked, sang…everything about them was original,” he said.

For his contribution to Jamaican music, Derrick Harriott was honoured with the Order of Distinction in 2009.

— Howard Campbell