Joe Lickshot Is Dead

Music personality Errol ‘Joe Lickshot’ Dacres died earlier this week. The well-known figure in the reggae and dancehall music, had reportedly been battling prostate cancer.

Joe Lickshot carved a unique space for himself within Jamaican music as a song intro specialist, setting up soundsystem dubplates and hardcore dancehall cuts.

Robert Heptones, the entertainer’s younger biological brother, confirmed Jackson’s passing.

“The last time I saw him, he didn’t appear to be sick or anything, him never look 100 still. My sister told my niece who told me that he was dead, it’s been a while since I last saw him,” Robert Heptones said.

Emerging in the vibrant Jamaican music scene of the 1970s, Joe Lickshot collaborated with various artists and producers, contributing to numerous tracks that showcased his distinctive style.

Beyond his studio recordings, Joe Lickshot was an influential presence in live performances and sound system culture.

The entertainer was celebrated for pioneering vocal sound effects known as “lick shots” and is most well known on official recordings such as Early B’s ‘Rambo’.

As an intro man, Joe Lickshot would only occasionally receive credit on 45 labels and album sleeves. But it was on the dubplate circuit where Joe Lickshot was legendary. He offered his clients a single but unique gimmick, a cappella sound effects emulating the sound of ricocheting gun fire.

Dubplates, also known as “specials,” establish a soundsystem’s credentials by flaunting their connections to popular artists, especially when deployed strategically in a clash, they are a tool of power and intimidation.

“Him was great for that, fire shot, pshew, pshew, and the echoing,” Robert Heptones said.