Junior Kelly
Junior Kelly | |
|---|---|
 Junior Kelly at Chiemsee Reggae Summer 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Keith Morgan |
| Born | 23 September 1969 Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genres | Reggae |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Labels |
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Keith Morgan (born 23 September 1969), better known by his stage name Junior Kelly, is a Jamaican reggae singer.
Career
Born in Kingston, Morgan was educated at St. Catherine High School.[1] The younger brother of DJ Jim Kelly, he made his first recording in 1985, and after his brother's death worked under the name Junior Kelly.[1]
A string of singles in the 1990s had limited success (his 1995 single "Go to Hell", an attack on the Jamaican political system, was banned from the airwaves in his home country), but his 1999 hit "If Love So Nice" led to an album, Rise, recorded in the UK with Mafia & Fluxy.[1][2] "If Love So Nice" went on to further success both in Jamaica and internationally.[3] His success prompted interest from VP Records, for whom he recorded the 2001 album Love So Nice, which included the hit "Boom Draw", and featured musicians such as Leroy Wallace, Dean Fraser, and Winston Bowen.[4][5]
In 2001 he featured on singer-songwriter and producer Emmanuel Anebsa's track "Life is So Confusing".[6]
Kelly's second album for VP, the largely self-produced Smile, was released in 2003.[7] The 2005 album Tough Life featured a duet with June Lodge on "Love You Like That" (an update of her "Someone Loves You" hit).[8] The Tough Life album also included Rasta Should Be Deeper, a hit song previously also released on Hi-Score Music that was recorded and mixed by Soundism's Vladi Vargas.[9]
In 2010 he released Red Pond, the album's title a reference to the Spanish Town ghetto community, featuring contributions from Ras Shiloh, Lukie D, and Queen Ifrica.[10]
In late 2015 he released the album Urban Poet, followed by promotional tours of Europe and the Caribbean. In 2019 he did a very successful European tour with Thomas Evers of Rockers Artist Agency to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his hit album "Love so Nice".[11]
Discography
Albums
- Rise (2000), Charm
- Juvenile (2000), Jet Star
- Juvenile in Dub (2000), Jet Star
- Love So Nice (2001), VP
- Conscious Voice (2002), Penitentiary
- Bless (2003), Penitentiary
- Smile (2003), VP
- Creation (2004), Penitentiary
- Tough Life (2005), VP
- Red Pond (2010), VP
- Piece Of The Pie (2013), VP
- Urban Poet (2015), Irie Vibrations
- Live
- Live in San Francisco (2007), 2B1
- Split releases
- 3 Wise Men Volume II (2001) – with Sizzla, Luciano, and Qshandia
- The Five Disciples (2002) – with Sizzla, Anthony B, Luciano, and Capleton
- Five Disciples Part II (2003) – with Sizzla, Capleton, Luciano, and Anthony B
- Kings Of Zion (2003) – with Sizzla, Anthony B, and Capleton
- Toe 2 Toe 5 (2003) – with Sizzla
References
- ^ a b c "Junior Kelly Biography", Allmusic. Retrieved 18 May 2016
- ^ Kenner, Rob (2000) "Junior Kelly Rise", Vibe, November 2000, p. 166. Retrieved 18 May 2016
- ^ Morgan, Simone (2012) "Roots singer Junior Kelly gears up for tour Archived 9 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine", Jamaica Observer, 3 August 2012, retrieved 6 August 2012
- ^ Oumano, Elena (2001) "Junior Kelly's 'Love' Marks North American Debut on VP", Billboard, 7 April 2001, p. 11. Retrieved 18 May 2016
- ^ Kenner, Rob (2001) "Boom Shots", Vibe, August 2001, p. 162. Retrieved 18 May 2016
- ^ Emmanuel Anebsa – Topic (14 January 2017), Life Is so Confusing (feat. Junior Kelly), archived from the original on 21 December 2021, retrieved 26 March 2017
- ^ Anderson, Rick "Smile Review", Allmusic. Retrieved 18 May 2016
- ^ Anderson, Rick "Tough Life Review", Allmusic. Retrieved 18 May 2016
- ^ "Vladi Vargas Sound Engineer and Music Producer". Soundism. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- ^ Taylor, Angus (2010) "Junior Kelly Red Pond Review", BBC. 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2016
- ^ Jackson, Kevin (2016) "Junior Kelly the Urban Poet", Jamaica Observer, 18 May 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016
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