Junior English
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Junior English | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Lindel Beresford English 1951 |
| Died | (aged 71) |
| Genres | Reggae |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | Early 1960s–2023 |
| Labels | Trojan Burning Vibrations Burning Sounds Burning Rockers International English |
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.
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]
