Today, we take our first look at some of the singles Nancy chose for her 1967 Favorites mix, and before diving into the wealth of amazing Motown and bubblegum singles she selected, let's first turn our ears towards Jamaica, and Desmond Dekker's 007 (Shanty Town).
There is no overstating Dekker's importance with regards to Jamaica's recent music history.
Bob Marley may have become the island's biggest international star, but Dekker was its first, and this wonderfully melodic rude boy single was the first Jamaican track to ever chart overseas, becoming a dancehall favorite of the mods in England and hitting number 15 on the U.K. charts.
Dekker would go on to even bigger international success in the years that followed, eventually expatriating to England, where he was revered. 007 would go on to reach an even bigger international population five years later when it was included on one of the two or three most important reggae albums of all time, the soundtrack to Jimmy Cliff's The Harder They Come.
Here's a video of Dekker performing the song for Jools Holland in 2004, just a couple of years before his death in 2006 at the age of sixty-four.
There is no overstating Dekker's importance with regards to Jamaica's recent music history.
Bob Marley may have become the island's biggest international star, but Dekker was its first, and this wonderfully melodic rude boy single was the first Jamaican track to ever chart overseas, becoming a dancehall favorite of the mods in England and hitting number 15 on the U.K. charts.
Dekker would go on to even bigger international success in the years that followed, eventually expatriating to England, where he was revered. 007 would go on to reach an even bigger international population five years later when it was included on one of the two or three most important reggae albums of all time, the soundtrack to Jimmy Cliff's The Harder They Come.
Here's a video of Dekker performing the song for Jools Holland in 2004, just a couple of years before his death in 2006 at the age of sixty-four.
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