Embedded Player Two distinctive and influential musicians passed away this week: Jamaican ska pioneer Desmond Dekker and Egyptian musician Hamza el Din. Dekker's 1969 hit "The Israelites" helped introduce Jamaica's vibrant music scene to the world. El Din's work on the oud (a six-stringed lute) highlighted traditional sounds of North Africa. In 1978, he helped arrange a performance of the Grateful Dead at the Great Pyramids.