Dennis Alcapone
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Dennis was one of the first sound system deejays to record extensively, following U-Roy's trailblazing successes for Duke Reid in 1970.
Alcapone had started out as front man for El Paso Hi-Fi, his presence ensuring roadblock crowds at the height of the sound's popularity.
Like U-Roy he also recorded for Keith Hudson, cutting more than a dozen sides for the producer in 1970-71 beginning with 'Macca Version', then moving on to Duke Reid, where he scored massive Jamaican hits with 'Wake Up Jamaica', 'Teach The Children', and others.
He cut his first album for Studio One ('Forever Version') during 1971, and recorded for Bunny Lee, cutting further hits with 'Ripe Cherry' and 'Alcapone Guns Dont Argue', the latter cut giving title to a Bunny Lee released LP.
Alcapone recorded for many other producers, including Winston Riley, Prince Buster, Sir JJ, Joe Gibbs, Alvin 'GG' Ranglin and Lee Perry, but by 1974 he had relocated to the UK, where he has resided ever since.
After leaving Jamaica, his career went into a nosedive; his style seemed old-fashioned compared to the newer crop of deejay lyricists. However, the last 15 years have seen him relaunch himself, working with the UK-based producer Mad Professor and touring all over the world, including most of Europe, the USA and Japan.
He even returned to Jamaica for a triumphant appearance on the Heineken Startime show - his hit 'Teach The Children' is still used on government literacy programmes.
He has appeared also at the Womad Festival and the celebrated Summerjam reggae festival in Germany.
A very amiable man who is also very knowledgeable about the history of Jamaiacan music, he is now rightly perceived as a deejay legend, he originated the melodious half-sung, half-spoken style dubbed 'singjay' and was also the first Jamaican deejay to style himself after an infamous 'bad man', a practice often emulated since.