| Junior Byles |
Article Index for Junior |
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Information AboutJunior Byles |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT JUNIOR BYLES | |
| 1948 births | |
| byles, junior | |
| living people | |
| reggae musicians | |
| jamaican musicians | |
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Originally working as a fireman, Junior formed the vocal trio The Versatiles in 1967. Generally considered Junior's best recordings is his work as a solo artist with Lee Perry and for the JA Man label in the early and mid 1970's. Byles's songs epitomised the "sufferers" style of lyric and delivery - the outsider struggling to maintain his Rastafarian and African integrity within "Babylon"; exemplified in titles such as the "Long Way" for Lee Perry and "Fade Away" for the Hookim brothers at Channel One. For the wider listening public the songs can invoke a spiritual bulwark against life's adversities. Junior's recording output diminished in the 1980's and 1990's as he battled with severe mental health problems. A well reviewed return to live performance in Jamaica in 2004 lead to an ill advised short tour of England where his distress was all apparent on stage. |
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