Junior English has died

On Friday March 10th, lovers rock king Junior English (real name Lindel Beresford English) passed away. Born in Kingston in 1951, began his career in the early 1960s before relocating to England. As a teenager he recorded early tracks such as Fay Is Gone and My Queen (a duet with Errol Dunkley) for singer/producer Prince Buster. After he had completed his education when he had moved to England, he entered and won a talent contest organised by the Palmer brothers (of Pama Records). His success led to joining a band called The Magnets with whom he recorded the song Somewhere and toured Europe. He then joined The Nighthawks, released the single Jesamine and an album titled Man It’s Reggae with the group in 1969, before restarting his solo career the same year.

He started to work with producer Clement Bushay and enjoyed a prolific run of reggae hits in the early 1970s including Never Lose Never Win. However, his career was interrupted when he served a six-month prison sentence for driving whilst disqualified. While in prison, he wrote many of the songs that would appear on his debut solo album The Dynamic Junior English, which was released in 1974. This was followed in 1976 by a next album titled The Great Junior English, but his most prolific year would come in 1978, when four albums were released. That year he had a number 1 hit on the UK reggae chart with In Loving You. His success continued throughout the 1980s with hit singles such as Daddy’s Home, Equal Love, and the popular Ready To Learn, which was released on his own International English label. He maintained his profile in the 1990s and 2000s, with cover versions of Queen Majesty and Cruising, and the album Mr. Man.

Our sincere condolences to his family and friends. May he rest in eternal peace.