Lester Bullock (born 25 June 1953), better known by the stage name Dillinger, is a Jamaican

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

artist. He was part of the second wave of deejay

toasters A toaster is a small electric appliance that uses radiant heat to brown sliced bread into toast. Types Pop-up toaster In pop-up or automatic toasters, a single vertical piece of bread is dropped into a slot on the top of the toaster ...

who rose to prominence during the mid-1970s.

Biography

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, as a young man Dillinger would hang around

Dennis Alcapone Dennis Alcapone (born Dennis Smith, 6 August 1947, in Clarendon, Jamaica) is a reggae DJ and producer. Career Smith initially trained as a welder and worked for the Jamaica Public Services.Interview with Aad van der Hoek in London, England, ...

's El Paso sound system. This exposure would eventually lead to work in 1971, as a

deejay A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...

on the Prince Jackie and El Paso sound systems,Larkin, Colin: "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae", 1998, Virgin Books, initially influenced by Big Youth,

U Roy Ewart Beckford OD (21 September 1942 – 17 February 2021), known by the stage name U-Roy, was a Jamaican vocalist and pioneer of toasting.Jo-Ann GreeneU-Roy Biography, AllMusic. Retrieved 11 April 2013. U-Roy was known for a melodic style ...

, and Dennis Alcapone, and performing as "Dennis Alcapone Jr.".Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , pp. 97–99 The first record producer he worked with was

Lee "Scratch" Perry Lee "Scratch" Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936 – 29 August 2021) was a Jamaican record producer, composer and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development o ...

, who decided that Bullock should change his name to Dillinger, after gangster

John Dillinger John Herbert Dillinger (June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He led the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprisoned several times an ...

.Barrow, Steve and Dalton, Peter:"Reggae: The Rough Guide", 1997, Rough Guides, Perry produced his first recording session, from which "Dub Organizer" was released as a single. Several other Perry-produced singles followed, but with limited success. In 1974, he recorded "Freshly" for

Yabby You Vivian Jackson (14 August 1946 – 12 January 2010), better known as Yabby You (or sometimes Yabby U), was a reggae vocalist and producer, who came to prominence in the early 1970s through his uncompromising, self-produced work. Biography Jac ...

, which brought him his first hit, and 1975 saw a slew of releases with a variety of producers including

Augustus Pablo Horace Swaby (21 June 1953 – 18 May 1999),Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , p. 200-202 known as Augustus Pablo, was a Jamaican roots reggae and dub record producer and a multi-instrumentalist, active f ...

("Brace a Boy"),

Joseph Hoo Kim Joseph "Jo Jo" Hoo Kim (10 December 1942 – 20 September 2018) was a Jamaican reggae record producer best known for his productions in the 1970s at his Channel One Studios. Career Born to parents of Chinese heritage, Joseph Hoo Kim grew up in ...

("CB 200"),

Winston Holness Winston Holness, better known as Niney the Observer (born George Boswell, 1951, Montego Bay, Jamaica),Thompson, Dave (2002), ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, . is a Jamaican record producer and singer who was a key figure in the cre ...

("Flat Foot Hustling"), and Coxsone Dodd ("Killer Man Jaro"). Albums for Dodd (''Ready Natty Dreadie'') and Hoo Kim (''CB 200'') would soon follow. His hit "

Cocaine in My Brain "Cokane In My Brain" is a song written and performed by the Jamaican musician Dillinger. It was released as a single from his second studio album '' CB 200'' in 1976 by Island Records. The song was produced by Joseph "Jo Jo" Hoo Kim, who used samp ...

", produced by Hoo Kim (which relied heavily on "

Do It Any Way You Wanna Do It Any Way You Wanna is a 1975 crossover hit by the Philadelphia-based R&B/dance group, The People's Choice, written and produced by Leon Huff. and recorded and mixed by Jay Mark. "Do It Any Way You Wanna" was a gold record for The People's Cho ...

" by the People's Choice) was hugely popular internationally, and was a number-one

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Dutch Top 40 number-one hits of 1977 Dillinger spent a lot of time in England during the heyday of punk rock, and in 1978, along with

Leroy Smart Leroy Smart (born 1952), is a reggae singer-songwriter and record producer from Kingston, Jamaica. Biography Smart was born in 1952 and orphaned at the age of two. He was raised at Maxfield Park Children's Home and educated at Alpha Boys Scho ...

and Delroy Wilson, was referenced by lyricist

Joe Strummer John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British singer, musician and songwriter. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, ...

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

's track, "

(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" is a song by the English punk rock band the Clash. It was originally released as a 7-inch single, with the b-side "The Prisoner", on 16 June 1978 through CBS Records. Produced by The Clash and engineered by ...

".Simpson, Dave (2014)
Yellowman/Dillinger review – Two reggae legends on the same bill
, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 10 March 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2016 His third album, ''Clash'', a

Clement Bushay Clement "Clem" Bushay (born 1955) is a British reggae producer who also ran the ''Bushays'' record label. Biography Hailed the creator of the 'Lovers Rock' genre in the UK, Bushay's productions in the early 1970s were issued by Trojan Records, ...

-produced duel with

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

, sold poorly, as did a second album produced by Hoo Kim (''Bionic Dread''). He tried to recapture the success of "Cocaine" in 1979 with the similarly themed "Marijuana in My Brain". The single, and an album of the same name, were moderately successful, prompting

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

to sign him. Dillinger's deal witb A&M resulted in the 1980 album ''Badder Than Them'', but after failing to sell well he was dropped by the label.Greene, Jo-Ann
Dillinger Biography
,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. Retrieved 26 April 2016 His recorded output dropped in the second half of the 1980s, although he also started producing other artists. He returned to recording more regularly in the early 1990s, but didn't repeat his earlier success. He went on to start his own Scandal Bag label. He has continued to record and perform into the 21st century, and toured internationally with Trinity and

Ranking Joe Ranking Joe Little Joe (born Joseph Jackson, 1 July 1959, Kingston, Jamaica) is a reggae deejay who rose to prominence in the 1970s and had continuing success in the 1980s. Biography Jackson was initially inspired towards a musical career by ...

in 2000, and with

Yellowman Winston Foster , better known by the stage name Yellowman, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay, also known as King Yellowman. He first became popular in Jamaica in the 1980s, rising to prominence with a series of singles that established ...

in 2014.Doerschuk, Robert L. (2000)
Trinity, Dillinger To Take Classic Reggae On North American Tour
,

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

, 24 March 2000. Retrieved 26 April 2016

Album discography

*''Ready Natty Dreadie'' (1975), Studio One - released in 1978 as ''Babylon Fever'' *'' CB 200'' (1976),

Island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

*''Bionic Dread'' (1976), Black Swan *''Clash'' (1977), Burning Sounds - with

*''Talkin' Blues'' (1977), Magnum *''Top Ranking Dillinger'' (1977), Third World *''Superstar'' (1977), Weedbeat *''Cornbread'' (1978), Jamaica Sound *''Non Stop Disco Style'' (1978), Clocktower *''Answer My Questions'' (1979), Third World *''Marijuana in My Brain'' (1979), Jamaica Sound *''Funky Punk Rock to the Music'' (1979), Bellaphon *''Live at the Music Machine'' (1979), Jamaica Sound *''Dub Organiser'' (197?), Scandal Bag *''Cup of Tea'' (1980), Jamaica Sound *''Badder Than Them'' (1981), A&M *''Corn Bread'' (1983), Vista Sounds *''Live at London'' (1981), Vista Sounds - with

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Doll ...

*''Join The Queue'' (1983), Oak Sounds *''King Pharaoh'' (1984), Blue Moon *''Best of Live'' (1984), Vista Sounds *''Cocaine'' (1984), New Cross *''Tribal War'' (1986), New Cross *''3 Piece Suit'' (1993),

Culture Press Culture Press is an independent record label from UK specialized in Jamaican music. LP Discography *VSLP5000 - Bob Marley - Interviews *VSLP5001 - Clint Eastwood - The Best Of Clint Eastwood - 1984 *VSLP5002 - Dillinger - Blackboard Jungle - ...

*''Say No To Drugs'' (1993), Lagoon *''Youthman Veteran'' (2001),

Jah Warrior Jah Warrior is a United Kingdom roots reggae/ dub production team, record label, sound system, and musical group centred on Steve Mosco. Overview Mosco first got interested in reggae as a teenager in Manchester. He started attending sound s ...

*''At King Tubby's'' (2006), Attack *''Ten To One'' (2007), Dream Catcher There have also been dozens of

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

s of Dillinger's work released on various record labels since the 1980s.

References

External links

Rebel Base interviewDillinger at Roots Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dillinger 1953 births Living people Jamaican reggae musicians Island Records artists Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica