Biography
Junior Byles ranks among Jamaica's most sorrowful characters yet also counts as one of the island's foremost roots music icons. Although his soft, nearly raspy singing never soared powerfully or conveyed rage, that mild quality still conveyed profound feelings. It embodied the spirit of the humble, which lent it greater force. Slim Smith's fragile style offers the nearest parallel, yet whereas that former member of the Uniques achieved fame through romantic ballads, Byles instead voiced the plight of the downtrodden. Another connection existed between them as well: both endured severe mental health issues, which terminated one career and devastated the other. Kerrie "Junior" Byles entered the world in Kingston, Jamaica, during 1948. While still a teenager he assembled the Versatiles alongside fellow vocalists Earl Dudley and Louis Davis. Rocksteady then stood at its peak, with vocal trios dominating the scene. The Versatiles numbered among the many hopeful acts auditioning for the Festival Song Contest in 1967, each eager to attract producers scouting the event for fresh talent. The group took pride in its submission, the upbeat unity anthem "The Time Has Come," composed by Byles himself. That catchy track and the trio's evident zeal drew the notice of Joe Gibbs, who promptly booked them for studio work. At the time Lee Perry served as Gibbs's chief engineer, so he supervised the Versatiles' earliest recordings, among them their festival entry. Perry soon departed in a dispute over production credits, after which his assistant, the youthful Niney Holness, assumed control. Over the following two years the trio continued issuing singles solely for Gibbs, though never in the abundant quantities typical of larger acts. Quality nevertheless compensated for quantity; exquisite numbers such as "Just Can't Win," fervent religious pieces like "Trust the Book," and the lively call-and-response of "Long Long Time" all solidified their standing. The group also proved adept at crafting memorable hooks, as their debut single already demonstrated and as "Push It In," one of their most infectious and risqué offerings, further confirmed. The Versatiles carried their rocksteady momentum into the emerging reggae period, and toward the decade's close they left Gibbs to reconnect with Perry. For him they recorded a handful of singles, among them the hits "Children Get Ready" and the harmony-rich "Teardrops Falling." Next they aligned with Duke Reid, for whom they cut the tender "I Love You Baby." The trio also enjoyed a brief collaboration with Laurel Aitken before rejoining both Gibbs and then Perry. Their final session with Perry occurred in 1970, after which the members parted ways. Byles joined the Jonestown fire department yet kept working alongside Perry. Before the year ended the pair had produced his first solo release, "What's the World Coming To," which received full orchestral arrangement from Tony Hartley in London. In effect Byles fulfilled for the producer a role comparable to the one Max Romeo performed for Holness, lending voice to Perry's most radical roots conceptions. Together they sought to disrupt the 1971 Song Festival with their entry "Rub Up Festival '71," which advanced to one of the final heats. Only after Jamaican radio protested the suggestive lyrics did the judges disqualify the song. The duo exacted revenge the next year when they placed the milder "Festival Da Da" second in the contest. The year 1972 marked a pivotal moment in Jamaican history, as an election approached in which the left-wing opposition People's National Party (PNP), led by Michael Manley, appeared poised to assume power for the first time. The atmosphere proved both exhilarating and tense, and numerous island artists expressed political leanings, Byles and Perry among them. Across late 1971 and into 1972 the pair recorded several landmark tracks that addressed the prevailing political climate directly. The haunting "A Place Called Africa" stands as one of the most beautiful repatriation songs ever cut; the pointed "Pharaoh Hiding" delivers a nursery-rhyme taunt at the ruling Jamaican Labour Party's (JLP) leader Hugh Shearer; "Joshua's Desire" translates Manley's vision of an improved society into song (his followers called him Joshua); and the most uncompromising of all, "Beat Down Babylon," fuses Byles's catchy melody with Perry's production touches, including a cracking whip effect underscoring the chorus's "whip them, whip them Lord." Still, amid Jamaica's intense political climate the public occasionally sought lighter fare, and that arrived with Byles's "Fever," his biggest hit of the year and one of Perry's most accomplished productions. In 1973 Byles issued his debut album, Beat Down Babylon, a dread classic and immediate landmark. The set remains among the era's strongest, distinguished not only by Byles's outstanding songwriting and delivery but also by Perry's masterful production, and it endures as the producer's most cohesive album to date. Byles followed with a succession of equally potent singles. His finest material emerged with Perry (though the singer occasionally worked with other producers), and the duo launched hit after hit on the charts; across the Atlantic their songs simultaneously stirred British audiences. Among the strongest was "When Will Better Come," an anthemic reminder to Manley that Jamaica still awaited the improved conditions he had promised. Lighter moments appeared too, such as "Fun and Games," the counting-game nursery rhyme that doubles as religious instruction in "Auntie Lulu," and the apocalyptic-tinged encounter with an attractive girl on "Pretty Fe True." The landmark "Curley Locks" surfaced in 1974, a song that perhaps most vividly showcases Byles's luminous talent. A young Rasta addresses a girl whose disapproving father looms large; the singer renders the lyrics with just the right measure of plaintiveness without ever slipping into self-pity. He loves her yet refuses to abandon his beliefs for her sake, and although left unspoken that note of fatalistic resolve forms the song's heart: if she departs, so be it, heightening its poignancy further. Perry's restrained arrangement and production deepen the evocative atmosphere. The producer was known for dominating his artists and often sacrificed both song and singer to his production vision. Byles, however, consistently elicited Perry's finest work, and every collaboration with the singer features a more restrained yet still inventive approach. Perry's empathy for Byles's compositions remains evident. "Curly Locks" solidified Byles's reputation in Britain and augmented his Jamaican chart success. Behind the scenes, however, difficulties mounted. Perry's volatility matched his creativity and he took offense readily, while Byles represented the opposite extreme, known for moodiness and increasingly prone to bouts of profound depression. By 1975 the partnership between the two had fractured. One of their final joint sessions yielded the single "Long Way." Though ostensibly a brooding love song, its lyrics in retrospect perfectly encapsulate the singer and producer's shared trajectory. Byles then moved to the Ja-Man label operated by Dudley Swaby and Leroy Hollett, where he immediately scored three hits in duet with Rupert Reid—"Chant Down Babylon," "Know Where You're Going," and "Remember Me"—plus a fourth, the solo "Pitchy Patchy." Clearly, despite his emotional struggles the singer remained fully capable of producing outstanding material. Further successful singles with Lloyd Campbell ("Buy-O-Boy") and Pete Weston confirmed this. Weston supervised Byles's second album, Jordan, which featured the duo's two major hits—a splendid cover of "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" and a spectacular reading of "Oh Carolina"—alongside other covers and original tracks, nearly matching the excellence of Beat Down Babylon. Virtually everything Byles released that year, however, was eclipsed by the single "Fade Away." Produced by JoJo Hookims, this potent dread track became a smash both in Jamaica and Britain, where it landed with explosive impact. The singer appeared unstoppable, one of Jamaica's biggest stars who had also built a substantial following in Britain; an international breakthrough seemed imminent. Then, on August 27, 1975, Haile Selassie died. Although every devoted Rastafarian felt the loss deeply, Byles, already emotionally vulnerable, could not cope. He attempted suicide, survived, and was admitted to Bellevue Hospital. Released soon afterward, he had not truly recovered. Over the ensuing years Byles tried to continue working, yet managed only brief periods of activity. After years of flooding the island with singles his output dwindled to a few releases annually. In 1976 he managed only a pair of tracks under Holness's supervision: a cover of Delroy Wilson's classic "Run Run" and a new version of "King of Babylon." The following year he rejoined Lloyd Campbell for "Can You Feel It" and "Weeping," the latter's lyrics mirroring Byles's own emotional condition. He also teamed with DJ Big Youth for a version of the Archies' "Sugar Sugar," utilizing the rhythm from the Mighty Diamonds' "Right Time." In 1978 Byles reunited with his original producer, Joe Gibbs—now partnered with Errol Thompson as the Mighty Two—and recorded another pair of singles: "Dreadlocks Time" and "Heart and Soul." Every one of these tracks proved masterful and charted, yet none altered the reality that the singer's personal life and career lay in ruins. Between these sparse sessions Byles retreated to the hills or returned to the hospital. The Mighty Two recordings marked his last output for four years, after which he vanished from the music scene entirely. In 1982 Byles reemerged determined to revive his career. He began recording a new album with producer Black Morwell for Bullwackies, though it would not appear until 1986. In the meantime his life deteriorated further. Close to his mother, he was shattered by her death during this period. Tragedy arrived in threes: his house burned down, and to compound his distress his wife and two children left Jamaica for the United States. During this bleak stretch Morwell issued two new Byles singles, "Better Be Careful" and "Don't Be Surprised," while the singer also cut "Dance Hall" for Winston Riley. When the new album finally surfaced, Rasta No Pickpocket proved disappointing after the brilliance of his prior two. The title track re-recorded an old Perry-era single, and although flashes of brilliance remained, the overall impression suggested a talent in decline. By late 1987 the singer was homeless, destitute, and scarcely recognizable. Two years later Holness returned Byles to the studio and captured the superb single "Young Girl." In 1992 the pair reunited once more for the equally strong "Little Fleego." After each release the singer again receded from view. Five years later Byles joined guitarist Earl "Chinna" Smith for a handful of Jamaican performances across 1997 and 1998. Since then he has faded from sight once more. Despite these lengthy absences Byles has not been forgotten, a fact the expanding reissue market has ensured. The singer, both solo and with the Versatiles, appears on numerous various-artists and producer compilations, while the Trojan label has kept much of his Perry-era work in circulation. Responding to his live appearances, the Heartbeat label released Curly Locks: The Best Of, an outstanding overview of the singer's catalog.
Albums
