February 10, 2022 by A.S. Van Dorston

The engineer takes the mic at Wackie’s and slays with transcendent, heart bursting Lovers Rock.

Casual reggae listeners may have assumed that the music was in decline after Bob Marley died on May 11, 1981. While it was certainly a great loss, the genre didn’t die with him. Though it’s leading light, in 1982, lived not in Jamaica, but the Bronx, in producer Lloyd “Bullwackie” Barnes’ New York City studio that was pumping out the greatest dancehall reggae and lovers rock that year. Like a lot of people, it took me a couple decades to figure that out. There was certainly a lot of polished and dated sounding reggae in the 80s, but also tons of great stuff to be found that aren’t ruined by 80s production and electro-farts.

Delahaye worked as an engineer for Wackie’s, and as an all-around musician (he served as co-engineer on his own album). His tenor-to-falsetto vocals are influenced by Horace Andy and perhaps Junior Murvin, as he offers his own take on Philadelphia soul. On his sole album he carves out a compelling, gorgeous style of his own, with deep dubs and some saxophone by Ronaldo Alphonso, and Wackies allstars Jerry Harris and Jah T. It consists of three Delahaye originals, and three covers, of Billy Stewart’s “Sitting in the Park” and Fuzz’s 1971 hit “I Love You For All Seasons,” and reggae standard “Travelling Man.”

It’s a shame Delahaye didn’t record more. Part of the problem was the Wackie’s records were issued in tiny runs of as few as 100, hardly enough to promote the careers of the artists. Instead, they became buried treasures that are only gradually gaining wider appreciation. Other later 80’s production I’ve previously overlooked were Dennis Brown‘s Revolution (1985), Junior Murvin‘s Muggers In The Street (1984), Ini Kamoze‘s 1984 debut, Justin Hinds‘ Travel With Love (1984), Sugar Minott’s Wicked Ago Feel It (1984) and Milton Henry’s Who Do You Think I Am? (1985). This won’t be the last you hear of reggae from 1982 though. | Buy