Born in London, England, in 1949, the singer-songwriter first gained notice as half of the duo Truth. Their 1966 Pye single, a cover of the Beatles’ ‘Girl’, climbed into the UK Top 40. Early in the following decade he cut solo sides for both Pye and its Dawn imprint, using his own name on some releases and the alias Nosmo King (No Smoking!) on others. Label staff singled out ‘Goodbye Nothing To Say’, the B-side of the earlier Nosmo King track ‘Teenage Love’, as a likely Northern soul favorite and shipped test pressings to clubs under the fabricated name the Javells, implying the record came from an American act. The ruse turned Jameson into an instant favorite on the Northern soul circuit, leading to the hasty formation of a three-piece lineup that performed live as the Javells. Produced by Roger Greenaway, the single climbed close to but stopped short of the UK Top 20. Later efforts in the same style found no traction, and the invented outfit vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Reverting to his own name, Jameson cut unsuccessful sides for Decca Records in 1977.
