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Artist
Janet Kay
12+ albums
reggaelovers rockfemale vocalistsbritish70s
about
Janet Kay (born Janet Kay Bogle, the first of six children, in London to Jamaican parents, Clifton and Monica Bogle, on 17 January 1958) is an English singer and actor, best known for her 1979 lovers rock hit "Silly Games". A descendant of the Jamaican National Hero the Rt Excellent Deacon Paul Bogle, as a sixties child Kay was exposed to the singing greats, especially those from the Tamla Motown stable and as a result of the exposure and inspiration, Janet's love for singing was born. In 1977, whilst in Secretarial College, Kay was invited by her school friend Sonia Ferguson (who recorded a cover version of Smokey Robinson's 'Oh Baby Baby' in the late 70s) to a band rehearsal. As destiny had it, band member Tony Gad heard Kay singing in the rehearsal room. He was so impressed that he introduced her to the reggae legend, the great Alton Ellis. That meeting resulted in Kay recording a cover version of Minnie Ripperton's 'Loving You' (produced by Alton Ellis) that became a reggae smash hit spending many weeks at No. 1 in the reggae charts. The following year, 1978, saw Kay record two more cover versions, 'I Do Love You' and 'That's What Friends Are For', again, both spending weeks at No. 1 in the reggae charts. In 1979, Kay made history by becoming the first British-born black female to have a reggae song at the top of the British charts. The song, 'Silly Games', (produced by Dennis Bovell) was a hit not only in the UK but also in Europe. Kay's history making has been
