Junior Kelly

All...

An interesting article I thought I would share.

..Kingston..

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"If love so nice, tell mi why it hurt so bad"?...Tell
me which 'real' Reggae Music lover don't know that song?

I remember one Sunday evening a few years ago in Ft
Lauderdale, me and some friends were chilling at my
apartment, and listening to the radio, while talking
crap and disturbing the neighbors, when 'Love So Nice'
came on. As soon as the riddim started, our heads
began bopping. Add the vocals to it, and we almost
lost our minds. The first thing we said was, 'a who
sing dat?'

The voice wasn't familiar, and the dj was no help. He
didn't mention the name of the artist, he just mixed
in a tune from 'Morgan Heritage' and that was that.
Well, not really. We had to find out who recorded that
song and the name of it. If we didn't have that vital
information we wouldn't be able to make a purchase,
let alone a radio request. So, we did what we had to
do. We called the radio station for a whole hour, and
bugged the dj to death. He not only told us the artist
was Junior Kelly, he played 'Love So Nice' two more
times, dedicated it to Shilo and the Crew, and sent
mad love to the artist.

Since that evening, my admiration and respect for
Junior Kelly has grown, and since starting this site,
his interview is one of the interviews I have yearned
for.

I have admired his smooth delivery, his passionate
lyrics, and his humility too long, not to be able to
have a feature on him.

GOD is good, because recently I was sifting through my
emails and the subject of one email caught my eye. It
mentioned newletter and the name Junior Kelly. I read
the email, clicked the link to his website, and came
back and hit reply. I wasn't sure who would receive
the email, or if I would get a reply, but hey, what
did I have to lose?

A few days later, a reply came from his assistant. We
arranged a phone interview for the following day with
the artist, and the rest is history.

Junior Kelly is wise, humble, spiritual, intellectual,
real, and it was a pleasure talking to him. It was as
if we were old friends that had history together.
Although he was driving in the night, in the pouring
rain in Jamaica, he stayed on the phone and chatted
for quite a bit. We agreed that we MUST do a face to
face interview, one of those where I hit the record
button, and Junior just run it. The words of wisdom,
the insight on life, and his ability to convey his
message, cannot be obtained on a telephone. (two much
writing and I was calling from a hospital waiting
room...long story...definitely not convenient)...
To completely capture the essence of this phenominal
man/artist we have to do a face to face.

Keith Morgan aka Junior Kelly is no new comer to the
music scene. In 1985 he recorded the single 'Over Her
Body' and says his music is 'driven by Jah', and he
does not 'sing for profit'. He finds inspiration from
many places, and is 'inspired by the almighty'. He
says he is 'not trying to sell my gift short' as he
wants to 'make Jah proud of me'. When I asked how he
developed that style by which he sings...that 'love'
he sings about, in songs such as 'Sinking Feeling',
and 'Love So Nice' (to name a few)...he replied that,
'I am a lover of love, I've been groomed by love,
energized by love, and i've been around love long
enough to know love'.

He says when asked if he is married, 'regretably
no'...He makes mention of how demanding his career is,
and he would have to have a 'woman that understands'
these demands. Since relationships need time and work,
Junior mentions that he does 'not want to sell a
relationship short'. He writes his songs and explains,
'Its easy for me to write. A good writer writes about
his experiences. A great writer writes about everyone.
Fiction for you, might be factual for someone else. I
am not in this for image'.

I urge you to log on to junior-kelly.com and get to
know this artist, if you haven't already. I myself
look forward to doing a face to face interview and
seeing Junior perform live as he starts his tour in January 2K4.

From the US East Coast, to Maine, the Mid-West and the
South and winding up out West.
WOW!!! One way or the other, GOD's willing, I must be
at one of these venues.
I know you will be there also.

Junior Kelly...Bless