Lester Bullock (born 25 June 1953), better known by the stage name Dillinger, is a Jamaican reggae artist. He was part of the second wave of deejay toasters who rose to prominence during the mid-1970s.
Biography
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,[1] initially influenced by Big Youth, U Roy, and Dennis Alcapone,[1] and performing as "Dennis Alcapone Jr.".[2] 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.[3] Perry produced his first recording session, from which "Dub Organizer" was released as a single.[2] Several other Perry-produced singles followed, but with limited success.[2]
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").[1][2]
His third album, Clash, a Clement Bushay-produced duel with Trinity, sold poorly, as did a second album produced by Hoo Kim (Bionic Dread).[2] He tried to recapture the success of "Cocaine" in 1979 with the similarly themed "Marijuana in My Brain". The single, and an album of the same name, were moderately successful, prompting A&M Records to sign him.[2] Dillinger's deal with A&M resulted in the 1980 album Badder Than Them, but after failing to sell well he was dropped by the label.[2][6]
His recorded output dropped in the second half of the 1980s, although he also started producing other artists.[2] He returned to recording more regularly in the early 1990s, but didn't repeat his earlier success.[2] He went on to start his own Scandal Bag label.[2]
He has continued to record and perform into the 21st century, and toured internationally with Trinity and Ranking Joe in 2000, and with Yellowman in 2014.[5][7]
Album discography
Ready Natty Dreadie (1975), Studio One - released in 1978 as Babylon Fever