Junior Delgado
Encyclopedia
Oscar Hibbert better known as Junior Delgado, was a reggae
singer, famed for his roots
style.
, Jamaica
, he recorded with the group Time Unlimited in the early 1970s before Lee Perry produced his solo recordings. He recorded social comment song "Tition" in 1975 with singer Dennis Brown
. Delgado's debut solo album Taste of the Young Heart was released in 1978 and showcased his "raw moan" vocal style. He set up his own label Incredible Jux and was a regular visitor to Britain. In 1985 he attracted controversy by releasing "Broadwater Farm", which predicted violence on the north London housing estate. When a riot broke out shortly afterwards, culminating in the murder of PC Keith Blakelock
, the record was banned.
Junior continued to release records such as Dance a Dub and various compilations on his own label before a chance meeting with a young music entrepreneur, Jason Knight, who had grown up listening to his records meant a different path for him musically. He recognised Junior's distinct raw style as one of the great voices of reggae and encouraged him to share it with a new generation.
As well as working on his own music, Junior was also involved with the development of new artists such as Spacek and Custom Blue as well as his own stable of emerging Reggae artists such as Yami Bolo and the White Mice.
Delgado was always open-minded and embracing of music and in 1998 released the album Fearless, featuring rapper Maxi Jazz
from Faithless and Jerry Dammers
of the Specials as well as lots of the new wave of UK electronica stars such as Spacek, Ballistic Brothers, Kid Loops and Naked Funk.
This album was followed in 2000 by Reasons which was produced by the On-U
sound system's Adrian Sherwood
and featured performances by Doug Wimbish
, Skip McDonald and Keith LeBlanc
.
Delgado died 11 April 2005 in South London
, England. His spokesman said the death had been unexpected but was believed to have been from natural causes. He was survived by his widow Janet, and seven children.
Delgado was the nephew of Alpha Boys School
bandmaster and vibraphone
player Lennie Hibbert
.
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
singer, famed for his roots
Roots reggae
Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of the artists concerned, including the spiritual side of Rastafari and with the honoring of God, called Jah by rastafarians. It also is identified with the life of the ghetto sufferer, and the rural poor...
style.
Biography
Originally from KingstonKingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, he recorded with the group Time Unlimited in the early 1970s before Lee Perry produced his solo recordings. He recorded social comment song "Tition" in 1975 with singer Dennis Brown
Dennis Brown
Dennis Emmanuel Brown was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of lovers rock, a sub-genre of reggae...
. Delgado's debut solo album Taste of the Young Heart was released in 1978 and showcased his "raw moan" vocal style. He set up his own label Incredible Jux and was a regular visitor to Britain. In 1985 he attracted controversy by releasing "Broadwater Farm", which predicted violence on the north London housing estate. When a riot broke out shortly afterwards, culminating in the murder of PC Keith Blakelock
Keith Blakelock
The death of PC Keith Blakelock, an officer with the London Metropolitan Police, occurred on 6 October 1985 during rioting on the Broadwater Farm housing estate in Tottenham, north London...
, the record was banned.
Junior continued to release records such as Dance a Dub and various compilations on his own label before a chance meeting with a young music entrepreneur, Jason Knight, who had grown up listening to his records meant a different path for him musically. He recognised Junior's distinct raw style as one of the great voices of reggae and encouraged him to share it with a new generation.
As well as working on his own music, Junior was also involved with the development of new artists such as Spacek and Custom Blue as well as his own stable of emerging Reggae artists such as Yami Bolo and the White Mice.
Delgado was always open-minded and embracing of music and in 1998 released the album Fearless, featuring rapper Maxi Jazz
Maxi Jazz
Maxwell Alexander Fraser , better known as Maxi Jazz, is an English rapper. He is best known as the lead vocalist of British band Faithless.- Biography :...
from Faithless and Jerry Dammers
Jerry Dammers
Jeremy David Hounsell "Jerry" Dammers is a British musician who is a founder and keyboard player of the Coventry, England based ska revival band The Specials, The Special A.K.A...
of the Specials as well as lots of the new wave of UK electronica stars such as Spacek, Ballistic Brothers, Kid Loops and Naked Funk.
This album was followed in 2000 by Reasons which was produced by the On-U
On-U Sound Records
On-U Sound Records is an English record label best known for releasing its own unique flavour of dub music since the 1980s. The label is owned by producer Adrian Sherwood and home to acts such as Tackhead, Dub Syndicate, African Head Charge, The London Underground, Little Annie, Creation Rebel,...
sound system's Adrian Sherwood
Adrian Sherwood
Adrian Sherwood is an English record producer best known for his work with dub music as well as for remixing a number of popular acts such as Coldcut, Depeche Mode, The Woodentops, Primal Scream, Pop Will Eat Itself, Sinéad O'Connor, and Skinny Puppy...
and featured performances by Doug Wimbish
Doug Wimbish
Doug Wimbish is a bass player, primarily known for his studio work for the rap/hip hop label Sugarhill Records and his membership of the funk metal band Living Colour. He has played for a vast range of artists, including Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger, Madonna, George Clinton, Paula Cole, Bomb the Bass,...
, Skip McDonald and Keith LeBlanc
Keith Leblanc
Keith Leblanc is an American drummer and record producer, and is a member of the bands Little Axe and Tackhead.His record, "No Sell Out", was the first sample based record. His career started out on Sugar Hill Records recording with rap pioneers, Grandmaster Flash and Melle Melle...
.
Delgado died 11 April 2005 in South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
, England. His spokesman said the death had been unexpected but was believed to have been from natural causes. He was survived by his widow Janet, and seven children.
Delgado was the nephew of Alpha Boys School
Alpha Boys School
Alpha Cottage School is a school on South Camp Road in Kingston, Jamaica, run by Roman Catholic nuns...
bandmaster and vibraphone
Vibraphone
The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
player Lennie Hibbert
Lennie Hibbert
Lennie Hibbert OD was a Jamaican musician who was bandmaster at the Alpha Cottage School, and also a vibraphone virtuoso, recording two albums for Studio One.-Biography:...
.
Discography
- 1978 Dance a Dub (originally released under the artist name Incredible Jux)
- 1979 Effort (re-released as Sisters and Brothers)
- 1979 Taste of the Young Heart
- 1981 More She Love It
- 1982 Bush Master Revolution
- 1984 Classics
- 1986 Moving down the Road
- 1986 Raggamuffin Year
- 1986 Stranger
- 1988 One Step More
- 1991 20 Classic Hits
- 1998 Fearless
- 1998 Hypocrites
- 1999 Reasons
- 2003 Original Guerilla Music
- 2005 Sons of Slaves
- 2005 Invisible Music
- 2009 Hot Stepping