Delroy Wilson - There Is No Sunshine (The Blackbeard Years 1975-80) (2025)

Delroy Wilson is an ambassador, a phenomenon, a legend, a brother, a household name on the Jamaican pop music scene for over a decade, and very well recognized on the ethnic scene internationally.
What else i can say, but ask you to turn on the set and absorb another stimulating chapter of Delroy's music.
In my opinion this is another great Chapter in the history of Jamaican music. Check it !
B.B. Seaton

We’re proud to present to you our first Delroy Wilson’s album to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his passing. We’ve been working on this project for 2 years with Rodguel Sinclair aka Blackbeard. He has produced 3 Delroy Wilson’s album and a dozen of 7" / 12" between 1975 and 1985.
This first volume is a collection of 13 tunes (plus an exclusive bonus track on our bandcamp) in a Rockers, Roots and Stepper vein, all produced by Blackbeard between 1975 and 1980. Most of these recordings have never been reissued, including unreleased alternate mixes.
Delroy Wilson first collaborated with Blackbeard on the recording of Prophecy Must Fulfill in 1975. The song was released on Blackbeard's own label Hulk and also on his brother’s Tappa Zukie Stars. A couple years later they produced their first album together, Unedited, once again on the Hulk label. We chose 5 songs from these sessions for this compilation, but with a slightly different mix, a more lively sound. These songs are Solomon, a cover of Derrick Harriott rocksteady tune, Just Call On Me, Kiss and Say Good Bye, a rendition of the Manhattans Soul hit, People Get Ready, a Curtis Mayfield tune, and I Don’t Mind.
At this point, Delroy Wilson was recording for various producers such as Bunny Lee, Harry J or Lloyd Charmers but none of those releases gained proper success. He regularly re-recorded the same songs for these producers, including Blackbeard, such as I’m Yours, They Can’t Stop Me ou Here Comes The Heartaches.
Delroy Wilson & Bleackbeard continue to work together and released various singles in 1978-1979, on the Hulk label, such as You Are Mine or There Is No Sunshine but also on different label like Roots From The Yard with They Can’t Stop Me, Sonic Sounds with Live Good, or Boss with Talk Too Much.
They finally collaborated on a second LP, Prophèsy, on Gorgon Records. We selected 4 tracks from this album for this compilation (There Is No Sunshine, I’m Yours, Here Come The Heartaches and Talk Too Much).

Voici enfin le premier volume de notre modeste hommage à l’une des plus grandes figures de la musique jamaïquaine, Delroy Wilson, à l’occasion du 30ème anniversaire de sa mort (1948-1995). Ces 2 dernières années, nous avons travaillé avec le producteur Rodguel Sinclair aka Blackbeard, qui a produit pas moins de 3 albums et une douzaine de single / maxi avec Delroy Wilson, principalement entre 1975 et 1985.
Ce premier album se concentre sur les années 75-80, avec une tonalité entre Rockers, Roots et Stepper au travers d'une sélection de 13 titres + un bonus sur notre bandcamp. La première collaboration entre les deux hommes sera le single Prophecy Must Fulfill sorti en 1975 sur le label Hulk de Blackbeard, ainsi que Stars, le label de son frère Tappa Zukie. Peu de temps après, en 1977, ils réaliseront un premier album, Unedited, toujours sur le label Hulk. Pas moins de 5 titres proviennent de ces sessions dans des versions inédites, avec un mixage plus « naturel » et un rendu moins produit. Ce sont les titres Solomon, une reprise du Rocksteady de Derrick Harriott, Just Call On Me, Kiss and Say Good Bye, une reprise du standard soul des Manhattans, People Get Ready, l’adaptation du titre cultissime de Curtis Mayfield et I Don’t Mind.
A cette époque Delroy Wilson, déçu de ses précédentes expériences, décide de multiplier les collaborations et travaille en parallèle avec plusieurs producteurs tels Bunny Lee, Harry J ou Lloyd Charmers. Il enregistre souvent les mêmes compositions, légèrement réarrangées. Ainsi, certains des titres de cet album sont connus sous d’autres versions, comme I’m Yours, They Can’t Stop Me ou Here Comes The Heartaches.
Il continue sa collaboration avec Blackbeard et plusieurs 45t sont édités entre 78 et 79 sur le label Hulk, tels You Are Mine ou There Is No Sunshine mais parfois sur d’autres labels comme Roots From The Yard pour They Can’t Stop Me, Sonic Sounds pour Live Good, ou Boss pour Talk Too Much.
Cette page des années 70 se conclut par le second album du duo, Prophesy sur le label Gorgon Records dont 4 enregistrements figurent sur ce disque (There Is No Sunshine, I’m Yours, Here Come The Heartaches et Talk Too Much).

Tracklist:
1-1 Delroy Wilson - There Is No Sunshine [3:23]
1-2 Delroy Wilson - I'm Yours (Rockers Style) [3:03]
1-3 Delroy Wilson - They Can't Stop Me [2:51]
1-4 Delroy Wilson - Talk Too Much [2:32]
1-5 Delroy Wilson - Here Comes the Heartaches (Rockers Style) [2:49]
1-6 Delroy Wilson - You Are Mine (You Must Come Back) [2:39]
1-7 Delroy Wilson - Prophecy Must Fulfill [2:59]
1-8 Delroy Wilson - Solomon [3:48]
1-9 Delroy Wilson - Live Good [3:22]
1-10 Delroy Wilson - Just Call on Me [3:37]
1-11 Delroy Wilson - Kiss and Say Good Bye [2:52]
1-12 Delroy Wilson - People Get Ready [3:20]
1-13 Delroy Wilson - I Don't Mind [3:22]