Derrick Morgan was born Clarendon, March 1940, he made his debut record, Lover Boy for Duke Reid in 1960, after having auditioned for him in his liquor store at Bond Street and Charles Street corner. Picture the ordeal - a young hopeful singing his own song a-cappella while facing Duke Reid, an ex policeman, with a gun on his hip who is  standing there with some of his cronies and several incidental customers amongst the bottles of Apps, Red Stripe and Appeltons Rum. After recording for Duke Reid,  Derrick Morgan moved on to Coxsone Dodd and Prince Buster, before working with  Leslie Kong. It was at Kong's Beverly's label that he had his greatest successes, songs like Fat Man, Forward March and  the above Blazing Fire. He also made some excellent records duetting with Patsy Todd House Wives Choice and Gypsy Woman. It's an understatement to say the history of Jamaican popular music has thrown up interesting and unique forms, some of which have become major influences on European and American pop, while others have stayed unique to Jamaica, one such is the so called 'grudge song' or 'clashing' on record. Attacking and ridiculing your opponents had long been popular with Calipsonians but it came to prominence in Reggae with the fall out between Prince Buster and Derrick Morgan. A short while after leaving Prince Buster, while working at Beverlys, Morgan recorded his tribute to Jamaican Independence, Forward March, when the song came out Buster claimed that the solo in the song, played by Deadly Headly, was his property, being similar to Busters They Got To Come. The story goes that Buster was so exercised at this perceived betrayal that he wrote and released the record Black Headed Chinaman, to which Morgan replied with the above Blazing Fire. The clash didn't end there, Buster again retaliated with Praise Without Raise, to which Morgan hit back with Still Insist. It was long believed that Be Still by Morgan, which was cut before Black Headed Chinaman, was part of this musical feud, but in his interview with David Rodigan, broadcast on Kiss 100fm May 2001, Morgan pointed out that it was "Direct to Owen Grey's head".

This copy has part of it's very own unique history written onto it, having the initials of at least two different owners (B.R. and D.W.)  and possibly two different dedication's reading  "To Dad, or Dud" and "My own record I had it for a present".

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