Junior Dan

Cambridge Reggae Gospel Artiste

 

Junior is originally from Harlesden in London, born to Jamaican parents. He started singing as a young person and was surrounded by music. An early influence was his London neighbour who worked for Venture Records and produced, amongst others, musician Ken Boothe. Junior recorded a few tracks in these early years, which weren’t released, but he sang in the local church talent shows at the Church of God of Prophecy.

When he was 16 Junior went to Jamaica with his dad and spent four and a half years developing his musical talent. He got opportunities to work on a couple of sound systems including Upsetter. He also entered a well-known talent competition called Tastee Talent Contest, in Kingston where he said, ‘I embarrassed myself’. Apparently the judges turned their backs on him and asked him to make sure that he was on the transport back to ‘country’. He didn’t give up singing though, and kept practising while working on local sound systems.

 

In the 90s and back in London, Junior was managed for a while by Pete Tong who got him signed to London Records. At the end of those three years in 1997 and with things not working out in London, Junior found God and moved to Cambridge. Junior has been singing in church ever since. His original tracks are gospel lyrics sung to reggae music. He writes the lyrics and music himself. He has performed at Pop in The Park and in 2000 he sung with his church choir to celebrate the new Millennium on Parker’s Piece.

Junior is also a barber at Harmony Hair ‘the first and the longest running Afro-Caribbean specialist salon in the history of Cambridge’, and known to many people in the local community.