The Crichton Clique Presents – Junior Delgado – Showcase
Junior Delgado’s booming, raspy voice brings power to his songs. He first came to prominence in the crowded field of Jamaican roots reggae during the mid-1970s.
In a world where the producer makes or breaks the artist, Delgado teamed with the legendary Jamaican producer Lee “Scratch” Perry, famous for his groundbreaking work with reggae icons Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. Their song “Sons of Slaves” introduced the power, strength, and impact of Delgado’s voice to the world.
As Phil Johnson of the Independent wrote of Delgado, “He is one of the great survivors of that heroic period of Jamaican music in the Seventies which is as important to the history of popular music as that of New Orleans or Memphis in the Fifties.”
The Early Years
Born Oscar Delgado Hibbert on August 25, 1958 in Kingston, Jamaica, Delgado was raised by his mother and then later by his grandmother. He attended a Catholic church while growing up, serving as an altar boy and singing in the choir
His singing talent was apparent early on, and he competed for prizes in school concerts and local contests. When he was a teenager he began performing seriously. As the lead singer for a group named Time Unlimited, Delgado recorded with Perry as well as with other prominent Jamaican producers including Joe Gibbs. Although they recorded an album’s worth of songs for Perry, only a few of Time Unlimited’s recordings were released as singles.
Time Unlimited Disbanded
These included “African Sound,” “Reaction,” and “23rd Psalm.” Delgado recorded two solo singles, “Rasta Dreadlocks” and “Run Baldhead,” with Rupie Edwards under the name of the Heaven Singers. Eventually Time Unlimited disbanded, and its members went on to pursue solo careers. Perry sought out Delgado to record at his Black Ark studio, and together they recorded one of reggae’s most powerful songs, “Sons of Slaves.”
Singer And Producer Connection
“Sons of Slaves” was a true collaboration between singer and producer. Delgado, who was still a teenager, wrote most of the lyrics, which were inspired by Jamaica’s historical involvement in the slave trade. Delgado credits Perry with making the song as powerful as it is. He revealed to Johnson that he was “frightened” when he first heard the song. “It make me feel well naive…. And coming through speakers it sounds monstrous!”
Connect With Asani Ali & The Crichton Clique
Despite his youth, Delgado’s deep, emotive voice brought an intense and frightening element to the song. Delgado went on to record many more politically oriented songs.
By the late 1970s, Delgado’s solo career was firmly established. He was recording with some of reggae’s most successful producers. For Gibbs, he recorded “Armed Robbery” and “United Dreadlocks.” For Augustus Pablo he recorded “Away with Your Fussing and Fighting” and “Blackman’s Heart Cries Out.” During that time he also started his own record label, called Incredible Jux/Incredible Music, on which he released “Fisherman Row” and “Jah Stay.
Showcase means exactly what it say. This is a showcase of some of my friend’s work. I want the world to remember how talented he was.
Courtney ‘Blemo’ Crichton
CEO The Crichton Clique
One of Delgado’s most enduring relationships was with reggae artist and producer Dennis Brown. They collaborated for over a decade on releases that appeared on Brown’s DEB label, with Delgado acting as both a producer and a performer.
Their first release was a seven-inch single called “Party Time,” of which they sold thousands of copies from the trunk of a car in Kingston. In 1978, he recorded another single for DEB, “Taste of the Young Heart.” The record was exported to England, where it was eventually made into a 12-inch disco record. Brown and Delgado decided to release an album of the same name containing some of Delgado’s greatest hits from the middle-to-late 1970s.
Taste of the Young Heart was a huge hit, and sales of the album remained consistent for more than 20 years. Speaking of the album, Delgado told Johnson, “It’s like gold dust … It’s my pension, believe me!”
This album “Showcase” is a collection of some of Junior Delgado’s great works. Take a listen and tell us how you feel.
“Showcase” Is distributed by Asani Ali Music through Believe Digital Worldwide and is available on all major Digital Platforms.
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