Some folks are able to craft a career’s worth of good music without gaining to much notoriety or even more than just a modicum of respect. Delroy Wilson didn’t go without the respect that he deserved, but at the same time wasn’t ever an international star in the same right that Bob Marley or Peter Tosh would become.

Wilson’s songs were just as recognizable, if not as politically dense. But considering that very notion, his catalog should have retained a buoyancy and accessibility that some of his cohort didn’t possess. That being said, the singer did release a spate of singles during the ‘60s and early ‘70s that were not only met with immediate popularity, but would go on to become some of the most recycled rhythms in JA music. There wasn’t an equivalent of the Satta rhythm, but there were tracks like “Mash it Up,” “Conquer Me” and “Ms. Grace.”

Apart from his slew of singles, Wilson contributed a few noteworthy tracks to JA music’s history. These songs went beyond the music – although that’s impeccable as well – to include something of a recording industry history.

Wilson’s “Joe Liges” is purportedly a Lee Perry penned screed against Prince Buster. And regardless of that background info being accurate or not, the horn line that the song sports is nothing short of Buster styled melodic burst. So even as two producers apparently had their differences, Wilson was in the middle of it. The spat probably didn’t hurt the album’s chances at success, but to be embroiled in the middle of such a constructed controversy speaks volumes about the perception that Perry had of Wilson and his potential to impact culture.

Compiled along with “Joe Liges” on the Delroy Wilson’s Dub Plate Style compilation, which was mixed by none other than Prince Jammy and recorded at King Tubby’s in 1978 are a few covers of note. Most spectacular, though, is a cop from the earliest portion of Bob Marley and the Wailers’ career.

When it was first recorded by the Wailers during its formative years “I’m Still Waiting” was as much of a soul track – replete with sappy backing vocals and the like – as anything else. Between Prince Jammy and Wilson, though, the song’s rendered in dubbed out terms. The flying cymbal is in full effect as most of the track is given over to percussion, Wilson’s voice and some backing vocals that could have just been lifted from that Wailers cut.

Either way, covers aren’t the most enticing efforts here. Instead, the songs with actual historical importance trump everything else. And the fact that Michel Manley’s People’s National Party made use of the two and a half minute “Better Must Come” speaks volumes about not just the work that Wilson concocted, but also the political urgency of the era. It’s a recognizable song, but with that added significance, it seems odd that Delroy Wilson isn’t still regarded with such a fervor.

It’s a shame, to be sure, but with compilations being reissued left and right, Wilson’s legacy seems to be assured of being passed on. We’ll see if anyone’s listening.