Dillinger | |
---|---|
Birth name | Lester Bullock |
Born | 25 June 1953 |
Origin | Kingston, Jamaica |
Genres | Reggae |
Instruments | vocals |
Years active | Early 1970s–present |
Labels |
Studio One Island/Universal Third World Jamaica Sound A&M Scandal Bag |
Lester Bullock (born 25 June 1953), better known by the stage name Dillinger, is a reggae artist. He was part of the second wave of deejay toasters who rose to prominence during the mid-1970s.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, as a young man Dillinger would hang around Dennis Alcapone's El Paso sound system. This exposure would eventually lead to work in 1971, as a deejay on the Prince Jackie and El Paso sound systems, initially influenced by Big Youth, U Roy, and Dennis Alcapone, and performing as "Dennis Alcapone Jr.". The first record producer he worked with was Lee "Scratch" Perry, who decided that Bullock should change his name to Dillinger, after gangster John Dillinger. 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, which brought him his first hit, and 1975 saw a slew of releases with a variety of producers including Augustus Pablo ("Brace a Boy"), Joseph Hoo Kim ("CB 200"), Winston Holness ("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", produced by Hoo Kim (which relied heavily on "Do It Any Way You Wanna" by the People's Choice) was hugely popular internationally, and was a number 1 hit in the Netherlands. Dillinger spent a lot of time in England during the heyday of punk rock, and in 1978, along with Leroy Smart and Delroy Wilson, was referenced by lyricist Joe Strummer in The Clash's track, "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais".