Dennis Alcapone

Dennis Alcapone, born Dennis Asquith Smith, is a Jamaican reggae DJ and producer. In 2018, he received the Prime Minister's Medal of Appreciation from Andrew Holness.

Early life Alcapone was born in Clarendon, Jamaica. He initially trained as a welder and worked for the Jamaica Public Service.

Career Inspired by the big sound systems that he had visited in his youth such as those run by Duke Reid, Coxsone Dodd and Prince Buster, and particularly King Tubby's Home Town Hi-Fi, which featured the DJ U-Roy, and the Kentone sound system featuring DJ Pampado, Smith teamed up with two friends, Lizzy and Samuel the First, to set up his own "El Paso" sound system in 1969.

With Smith as DJ, the El Paso sound system caught the attention of producer Keith Hudson, who asked him to record for him, starting with "Marker Version",

Smith then moved to Coxsone Dodd's Studio One where he decided on a change of name, 'Al Capone' being a nickname that had stuck with him since going to see a gangster movie with friends. including "Ripe Cherry" and "Guns Don't Argue". In the period from 1970 to 1973, Alcapone made over 100 singles and released three albums,

He also began working as a producer, working with artists such as Dennis Brown, Augustus Pablo and Delroy Wilson, as well as self-productions. and after releasing four further albums between 1974 and 1977, became less active musically, particularly after the death of his mother in 1979, although still recorded occasionally. with high-pitched whoops, with his influence visible in DJ's that followed such as I-Roy and the later "sing-jays". The second-wave DJ Dillinger initially named himself after Alcapone, using the name 'Young Alcapone' before changing his name at the suggestion of Lee Perry.

Discography Forever Version (1971, Studio One) Guns Don't Argue (1971, Attack/Trojan) Soul To Soul DJ's Choice with Lizzy (1973, Treasure Isle/Trojan) King Of The Track (1974, Magnet) aka Musical Liquidator Belch It Off (1974, Attack) Dread Capone (1976, Third World) Investigator Rock (1977, Third World) aka Peace and Love Six Million Dollar Man (1977, Third World) aka Universal Rockers 21st Century Version (1997, Ariwa) – with Mad Professor