Junior Delgado

In a crowded field, Junior Delgado stands out amongst Jamaica's consummate roots performers, one whose distinctively expressive, and slightly husky, vocals have seen his popularity remain undiminished, even after styles changed and his original forte was pushed away by dancehall. Born August 25, 1958, in Kingston, Jamaica, Delgado began singing in his teens as Junior Hibbert, with the vocal group Time Unlimited. In 1973, the quartet came under the wing of the seminal producer Lee Perry, who both groomed the group and recorded them. Unfortunately, little of this material was released, but eventually Time Unlimited did score a hit with "Reaction."



A higher profile brought more opportunities, and the group recorded singles for producers Rupie Edwards and Tommy Cowan, although none of these enjoyed the success of "Reaction." The group moved on to work with Bunny Lee, but these sessions went nowhere, and in frustration Hibbert quit the quartet in 1975 to pursue a solo career, changing his moniker to Junior Delgado at the same time. Delgado was his longtime nickname, taken from the Spanish word for skinny.

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