Junior English

Junior English (born Lindel Beresford English, 1951) is a Jamaican-born 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]

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[]

External links[]

• Junior English at Roots Archives