- Junior Byles
Infobox musical artist
Name = Junior Byles
Img_capt =
Img_size =
Landscape =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Kerrie Byles (Junior)
Alias = King Chubby
Born = 1948
Died =
Origin = Kingston,Jamaica
Instrument =Vocals
Voice_type =
Genre =Reggae ,rocksteady
Occupation =Singer-songwriter
Years_active = 1967–present
Label = Randy's, Dip, Love Power, Magnet, Trojan,Black Wax , Micron, Nighthawk, Heartbeat
Associated_acts = The Versatiles
URL =
Current_members =
Past_members =
Notable_instruments =Kerrie Byles (known as "Junior Byles", "Chubby", or "King Chubby" ) is a
reggae singer , born 1948 in Kingston,Jamaica .Thomspon, Dave (2002) "Reggae & Caribbean Music", Backbeat Books, ISBN 0-87930-655-6]Career
The Versatiles
Kerrie Byles Jr. was born at Jubilee Hospital in Kingston in 1948, and grew up in the city's Jonestown ghetto, where his father worked as a mechanic, and his mother was a schoolteacher." [http://www.nghthwk.com/Artists/10/byles_bio.html Junior Byles Biography] ",
Nighthawk Records ] Katz, David (2000) "People Funny Boy - The Genius of Lee 'Scratch' Perry", Payback Press, ISBN 0 86241 854 2] His family were devoutly religious, and his early musical education came from singing in church.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn.", Rough Guides, ISBN 1-84353-329-4] He formed the vocal trio The Versatiles in 1967, along with Dudley Earl and Ben 'Louis' Davis, while also working as afirefighter .Lee "Scratch" Perry , then working as chief engineer at Joe Gibbs' studio, was scouting for talent for Gibbs' new Amalgamated label, and spotted the group while they were auditioning for the 1967 Festival Song Contest with "The Time Has Come". Perry signed the group to the label, but left Gibbs soon after. The Versatiles stayed with Gibbs for two years, before moving to work with Perry, and then toDuke Reid 's Treasure Isle label, also recording for other producers such asLaurel Aitken . The group split up in 1970, with Byles still working as a firefighter but continuing to record solo for Perry (sometimes with the other former-Versatiles providing harmoy).olo peak
When Perry's association with
Bob Marley came to an end, he sought a singer-songwriter to work with who would fill the void, and Byles fitted the bill. With Perry, Byles had a minor hit with "What's The World Coming To", released under the name King Chubby, and over the next five years the partnership would result in some of Perry's most highly-regarded work, with Byles'Rastafarian beliefs clearly evident, including "Beat Down Babylon", "King of Babylon", and the plea for repatriation, "Place Called Africa". "Rub Up Festival" was Byles' entry for the Festival Song Contest in 1971, but the song's suggestive lyric led to it being disqualified after reaching the final eight. The following year's "Festival Da Da" fared better, finishing as second runner-up. Also in 1972, Byles began self-producing, and set up his Love Power label, releasing singles such as "Black Crisis".Byles was one of several reggae musicians to offer support to
Michael Manley 's 1972 general election campaign, releasing the singles "Joshua Desire" and "Pharaoh Hiding" ("Joshua" referring to Manley and "Pharaoh" to the rulingJamaican Labour Party 's leaderHugh Shearer ).Greene, Jo-Anne " [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:apfuxq85ldfe~T1 Junior Byles Biography] ", Allmusic] Manley was elected, but improvements for Jamaica's poor were not immediately apparent, and Byles was one of several artists who had supported Manley who voiced dissent, releasing the scathing "When Will Better Come?".Katz, David (2003) "Solid Foundation: an Oral History of Reggae", Bloomsbury, ISBN 0 7475 6847 2] At the end of 1972, Byles had his biggest hit to date, with acover version ofPeggy Lee 's "Fever", with a dubby rhythm produced by Perry. November 1972 saw the release of Byles debut album, "Beat Down Babylon", which along with a series of singles that followed, established Byles as a major force in Jamaica as well as establishing him with audiences in theUnited Kingdom , "Curley Locks" being particularly successful there. Byles moved away from Perry in the mid-1970s, recording three duets withRupert Reid forDudley Swaby and Leroy Hollett's Ja-Man label, as well as recording for Lloyd Campbell ("Bury-O-Boy") andPete Weston (covers of "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" and "Oh Carolina"). Regarded by some as his greatest work, "Fade Away" was recorded in 1975 for producerJoseph Hoo Kim ; It was a massive hit in Jamaica and was also a big success in the UK, and was covered five years later byAdrian Sherwood 'sNew Age Steppers group. It also featured on thesoundtrack for thefilm "Rockers". He also released a second album, "Jordan", in 1976, produced by Weston.Health problems and later career
By 1975, Byles' health had begun to decline. Suffering from
depression , he was deeply affected by the death ofHaile Selassie , unable to reconcile this with his belief in Selassie's divinity, and attemptedsuicide . He was admitted to Bellevue Hospital, after which his health continued to decline. Although he had regular spells in the hospital, he continued to record, reworking "King of Babylon" forWinston Holness , working again with Campbell, and recording a cover ofThe Archies ' "Sugar Sugar" withBig Youth . By the end of 1976, he had all but vanished from the music scene, with a comeback attempted in 1978, recording two singles for Joe Gibbs. It was clear that he was still not well, however, and it would be 1982 before he re-emerged, working with New York label Wackie's. Progress on a planned new album was slow, and Byles was beset by tragedy when his mother died, and he lost his home in a fire. His wife and children also emigrated to theUnited States , and aside from a few singles, Byles would release nothing until 1986's "Rasta No Pickpocket" album. The album did not, however, see a long-lived upturn in Byles' fortunes, and by the following year, he was living on the street, scavenging for food in dumpsters, and begging from passers-by, suffering frommarijuana -dependency.Henry, Balford " [http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20010819/ent/ent1.html S.O.S. for fallen entertainers] ",Jamaica Gleaner ] Byles occasionally resurfaced, recording "Young Girl" for Holness in 1989, and "Little Fleego" three years later, and played a few live shows withEarl "Chinna" Smith in 1997 and 1998. He contributed to the "Medicine I" compilation album in 2000, [" [http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20000721/star/star3.html The Record Shop] ",Jamaica Gleaner ] and returned to live performance in 2004 in Jamaica, receiving positive reviews.Walker, Karyl (2004) " [http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/lifestyle/html/20040119t090000-0500_54536_obs_junior_byles_makes_triumphant_return.asp Junior Byles Makes Triumphant Return] ",Jamaica Observer ,January 19 2004 ] Belcher, Deborah (2004) " [http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20040123/ent/ent1.html Fiery devils disturb 'Rebel Salute'] ",Jamaica Gleaner ,January 23 2004 ] This led to an ill-advised short tour of theUnited Kingdom , where his distress was all too apparent on stage.Fact|date=December 2007 His legacy of recordings from the 1970s, however, maintain his status as one ofroots reggae 's leading talents.Discography
ingles
*Whats The World Coming To (as King Chubby) (1970)
*Da Da (1971)
*Beat Down Babylon (B-side of Alpha & Omega by Dennis Alcapone) (1971) Upsetter
*King Of Babylon (1972) Randy's
*Fever
*Hail To The Power
*Black Crisis (197?) Love Power
*Curley Locks (1974) Dip
*Dreader Locks (& Lee Perry) (1974) Dip
*Curley Locks (1974) Magnet
*Gwane Joshua Gwane (1974) Soul Beat/Jaguar
*Bury O Boy (1975) Ethnic Fight
*Chant Down Babylon (& Rupert Reid) (1976) Black Wax/Ja-Man
*Pitchy Patchy (1976) Black Wax
*Fade Away (1976) Eagle
*Oh Carolina (1976) Grounation
*Run Run (1976) Observer
*Heart And Soul (1976) Errol T
*Can You Feel It? (1976) Thing
*Better Be Careful (1982) Carib GemsAlbums
*"Beat Down Babylon" (1972) Dynamic/Trojan
*"Jordan" (1976) Micron
*"Rasta No Pickpocket" (1986) Nighthawk;Compilations
*"Beat Down Babylon: The Upsetter Years" (1987) Trojan
*"When Will Better Come 1972-76" (1988) Trojan
*"Curly Locks: Best of Junior Byles and The Upsetters 1970-76" (1997) Heartbeat
*"129 Beat Street Ja-Man Special 1975-1978" (1999)Blood & Fire References
External links
* [http://www.reggae-reviews.com/jrbyles.html Curly Locks: Best of Junior Byles & The Upsetters 1970-1976 (Heartbeat, 1997)] at reggae-reviews.com
* [http://www.roots-archives.com/artist/62 JUNIOR BYLES Also known as King Chubby] at roots-archives.com
* [http://www.studiowon.com/studiowon/jnr_byles.htm Junior Byles at studiowon.com]
* [http://www.furious.com/perfect/juniorbyles.html Gohn, Toby, (2002) "Rasta No Pickpocket", "Perfect Sound Forever"]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.