UK lover’s rock star Junior English has died

LONDON:

Junior English, the well-known UK-based reggae singer who had a string of hits between the 1970s and 1980s, has died in London on March 10, aged 71. He had been ailing for sometime.

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1951, English was the youngest of three siblings. He began to perform as a pre-teen and recorded two songs, “ Fay is Gone” and “ My Queen” (a duet with Errol Dunkley) for producer Prince Buster in the 1960s.

He then migrated to England in 1964, at 13 years old, to join his parents who had earlier migrated, living with them in Lancashire before moving to London, where he stayed with his aunt and completed his education at John Kelly Boys’ School in Neasden, northwest London, now The Crest Boys’ Academy.

Describing this period in a documentary on his life in 2021 titled, ‘The Junior English Story’, English said, “I found Preston really boring. So, I said to my sister, ‘where are all the black people?’ I didn’t have any friends or anything like that. My sister says, ‘well … everyone’s in London’. I said ‘where is London?’”

English aspired to break into the music industry and followed the local record store People’s Sound, which played his early recordings Anniversary and Daddy’s Home.

Daddy Ernie, a popular radio broadcaster and selector, remembers Junior English as the real king of lover’s rock.

He told the Independent newspaper, “As the first generation of kids born to the Windrush generation, we all grew up with the likes of Dennis Brown and Junior English. He was among the group of artistes, like Gregory Isaacs and Sugar Minnott, making reggae in the UK.

“But Junior was ahead of the other male singers making lovers rock music at the time; he did it his way. Undoubtedly, he was instrumental in the early lovers’ rock era and was the king of lovers’ rock. I can’t think of an individual artiste from that era who had what Junior did. From his aura to his sound, he was special and I hope people don’t forget him.”

After entering and winning a talent contest organised by the Palmer brothers (of Pama Records), English joined The Magnets and toured Europe with them. He then joined The Nighthawks, releasing the album, Man it’s Reggae, with the group in 1969, before launching his solo career that same year.

A string of consistently brilliant albums cemented English’s reputation as a popular entertainer. The Dynamic Junior English, his début, was released in 1974, followed by records including The Great Junior English (1976) and Win Some Lose Some (1978). The latter birthed a mega-hit in the shape of “ In Loving You”, a cover of US singer Curtis Mayfields’ “ Love To Keep You In My Mind”, which spent seven weeks at No 1 on the UK reggae chart. It was also the biggest lovers’ rock song by a solo male artiste of the decade.

For many, “ In Loving You” and its follow-up single “ Never Win, Never Lose” encapsulated the early lovers’ rock era, with both songs proving popular at house parties and “blues dance” events.

In 1976, Junior English won Best Male Reggae Vocalist at the British Reggae Industry Award from reggae pioneer DJ Tony Williams, formerly of BBC Radio.

Among his other hits are “ Be Thankful For What You’ve Got” (1977), which peaked at No 24 on the reggae chart, “ Love And Key” (1979), “ I’m The One Who Loves You” (1979) and “ Take Care Of Yourself” (1981). The singer’s success continued through the 1980s, and he set up his own International English label for many of his later releases.

LATE-CAREER MOVE

Despite these successes, English was eager to explore a change in sound. He dabbled in soul music during the late 1980s, again under his own label, with songs including “ Hey Baby” (1986) and “ Say That You’ll Stay”, both of which enjoyed moderate success.

Around this time, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) and his health began to steadily decline. He began using a wheelchair in 2020, with his health issues sparking a late-career move into gospel music.

He also described the effects of the illness on his career in his documentary by saying: “It threw me down for a while, so my mobility became very limited and I was in hospital for sometime. Then it eased, left me, for about 10 years.

“But, in between all of that, I tried to get back into the show business, but I wasn’t able to keep up with it because it was a bit strenuous. Then it came back again in a more serious way, so I had to mainly concentrate on making records.

“After the experience, I have had being in the hospital and very sick, I decided to change my style. I decided to sing songs giving praise unto God for really keeping me and bringing me through this sickness.”

English’s last major concert was at the annual Giants of Lovers’ Rock Show in 2012.

Among others remembering English’s success was fellow reggae artiste and friend, Winston Francis, whose hits include “ Mr Fix It” (1969). He said English’s “wonderful” talent would be missed, but his legacy would continue forever.

“Even though Junior was sick for a long time, he still made an effort to do what he loved best, write beautiful songs and record them,” Francis said.

Junior English leaves behind a sister, brother, five children and six grandchildren.Funeral is set for Saturday, April 15 at the West London Crematorium, Harrow Road W10 5JS followed by reception at Oakington Manor Primary School.