Lindel Beresford English (1951 – 10 March 2023), better known as Junior English, was a Jamaican reggae singer who began his career in the early 1960s before relocating to England.

Biography

English was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1951.[1] He began performing as a teenager and recorded early tracks such as "Fay is Gone" and "My Queen" (a duet with Errol Dunkley) for producer Prince Buster in the early–mid 1960s.[1][2] He relocated to England in 1964, living at first in Preston then London, where he completed his education.[3] After entering and winning a talent contest organised by the Palmer brothers (of Pama Records), he joined The Magnets, with whom he toured Europe.[1] He then joined The Nighthawks, releasing an album with the group in 1969, Man it's Reggae, before restarting his solo career the same year.[1] He had a string of reggae hits in the early 1970s, working with producer Clement Bushay, but his career was interrupted when he served a six-month prison sentence for driving whilst disqualified.[3] While in prison, he wrote many of the songs that would appear on his debut solo album, The Dynamic Junior English, released in 1974.[3] This was followed in 1976 by The Great Junior English, but his most prolific year would come in 1978, when four albums were released, and he had a Christmas number one on the UK reggae chart with "In Loving You".[1] His success continued through the 1980s, and he set up his own International English label for many of his subsequent releases.[1] In 1985, he contributed to the British Reggae Artists Famine Appeal single "Let's Make Africa Green Again".[1] He continued to perform and record into the 1990s and 2000s, with cover versions of "Queen Majesty" and "Cruising", and the album Mr. Man.[1]

English died on 10 March 2023, at the age of 71.[4][5]

Discography

Albums

  • The Dynamic Junior English (1974), Cactus
  • The Great Junior English (1976), Horse
  • Crashed! (1978), Form
  • Naturally High (1978), Burning Vibrations (JA)/Burning Sounds (UK)
  • Jack the Ripper (1978), Form
  • Win Some Lose Some (1978), Burning Sounds
  • Lovers Key (1980), Burning Vibrations/Burning Rockers
  • The Best of Junior English (1980), Exclusive
  • Two of a Kind (1983), Sunsplash
  • In Loving You (1988)
  • Mister Man (1990), International English
  • Come With Me (2008), Jet Star
  • U Make Me Happy (2010), International English

Singles

  • "Fay is Gone" (1964), Blue Beat
  • "My Queen" (1964), Blue Beat (with Errol Dunkley)
  • "Nobody Knows" (1969), Camel
  • "Miss Playgirl"
  • "Daniel" (1973), Pama Supreme
  • "I Don't Want to Die" (1973), Pama
  • "Jesamine" (1971), Pama
  • "Anniversary" (1972), Banana
  • "One & Only Lover" (1973), Count Shelly
  • "I'm Back on the Scene" (1974), Trojan
  • "I Hear My Train" (197?), Horse
  • "Lady Madana" (1976), Jama
  • "Be Thankful" (1977), Ethnic Fight
  • "Daddy Is Home" (197?), Ethnic
  • "Muriel" (197?), Ethnic
  • "Love & Key" (1978), Burning Rockers
  • "Never Loose Never Win" (1977), Burning Sounds
  • "The Way We Were" (1978), Exclusive
  • "You Don't Care" (197?), Exclusive – with Errol Scorcher
  • "Natural High" (1979), Burning Rockers
  • "Stop Using Love" (19??), Burning Rockers
  • "I am the One Who Loves You" (19??), Burning Rockers
  • "You are so Good to Me" (1978), Form
  • "Take Care of Yourself" (1981), Form
  • "I am so Happy" (1982), Form
  • "Don't Cry" (19??), Form
  • "Ready to Learn", International English
  • "Only Sixteen" (1984), PRT
  • "Never Too Late" (198?), International English
  • "Loneliness" (198?), U Mat
  • "Don't Cry" (1987), Exclusive – B-side of Jackie Paris – "Once in My Life"
  • "Got to Come Back" (19??), Venture
  • "Between You & Me" (19??), International English – with Christine Joy White
  • "We Can Work It Out" (19??), Cha Cha

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Larkin, Colin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9, pp. 94–95
  2. ^ Moskowitz, David V. (2006) Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall, Greenwood Press, ISBN 0-313-33158-8, p. 105
  3. ^ a b c Gayle, Carl (1974) "Junior's Cool", Black Music, September 1974, vol. 1, issue 10
  4. ^ "Junior English has died". Reggae Vibes. 12 March 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  5. ^ Shrouder, Michael (6 April 2023). "Junior English obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
No tags for this post.