BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRO-BRITISH " JANET KAY " IS A BRITISH VOCALIST BEST KNOWN FOR HER LOVERS ROCK : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

                               BLACK                SOCIAL               HISTORY                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Janet Kay (born 17 January 1958) is a British vocalist best known for her lovers rock hit "Silly Games". She would go on to release a series of UK lovers rock singles including "Lovin' You" and "Feel No Way". Kay has performed at the Barbican as part of the Reggae Britannia concert series as well as appearing in the documentary The Story of Lovers Rock.

Biography

Janet Kay Bogle was born in North West London, on 17 January 1958. She was discovered singing impromptu at a rehearsal studio by Tony "Gad" Robinson, the keyboardist from Aswad, who recommended Kay to Alton Ellis. The Jamaican born Ellis, a successful rock steady vocalist, had relocated permanently to London where he continued to be involved with reggae music and was looking for a female vocalist to record a reggae cover of Minnie Riperton's song, "Lovin' You". In 1978 she recorded "I Do Love You" and "That's What Friends Are For". The single "Silly Games", written and produced by Dennis Bovell, was released in 1979 and became a hit across Europe and reached #2 in the UK Singles Chart. The chart success of "Silly Games" led to appearances on Top of the Pops; the flagship music program of the BBC. She played the character Angel in the UK sitcom No Problem!; created by the Black Theatre Co-operative and broadcast on Channel 4 (1983–1985).

Kay has recorded, and co-produced her seventh album for Sony Music Japan. It was released on the 18 June 2003, and is entitled Lovin' You … More. The popularity of the song "Lovin' You" in Japan is so strong, that she was asked to re-record it again for this album (for the third time). That version was produced by Omar.

In the UK she was a one-hit wonder three times over, as "Silly Games" first hit the UK charts in 1979; then in 1990 as a re-recording billed as Lindy Layton featuring Janet Kay which reached #22; and again the same year when a remix version of her original recording spent a further three weeks in the UK Singles Chart reaching #62.

Kay is credited with production work on "Missing You" a track recorded by Aswad