D.A.Jay has blazed a musical trail that few musical pioneers have found successful. While most reggae outfits in New York, USA, have been comprised of Jamaican musicians, D A Jay, being an individual whom do not play a musical instrument, or read music, he eats, sleep and breathe music. He has been able to convince his original ‘techno’ and ‘drum and bass’ composer to add reggae to bis repertoire. This has resulted in some of the ‘wickedest’ beats on the musical scene. These beats were laid by native local musician whose experience is from a rock and classical music background. The catalyst is this Jamaican immigrant who kept on hearing “Cherry Oh Baby” in his head as a youth. D A Jay is really Dudley. A. Johnson, the one and only country youth from Manchester where he attended New Green Primary school. After New Green he attended Top Hill All Age School then Kobbla Youth Center where he received auto mechanic training. He then went on to Porus Training Center where he received training to become a tailor. In 1984 he moved to Montego Bay, St James, Barnett Street to be exact, and started working at MoBay Freeport, with Hanes Garment Factory, as a machine operator. After settling in at Barnett Street and working at Hanes he decided to occupy his free time by boxing at MoBay’s Guiness Gym. His boxing career culminated with him competing in Jamaica National Boxing Championship at the National Stadium. During his boxing career he racked up a boxing record of eight (8) wins and one (1) loss, not bad for the future singer / producer. At the same time his work career was also progressing favorably. During his eleven years at Hanes, he completed a three week course in Costa Rica on how to train machine operators. This resulted in his being promoted at Hanes and he remained a trainer until his migration to USA in1995. As a youth in Top Hill, Manchester, where his family had relocated, while attending Top Hill All Age School he became associated with the local sound system, Delfonics, that was being operated by Delroy “Diego” White. the son of his school principal. In 1977 Diego brought a new DJ to ’Delfonics’ called ‘Bimbo’. His style impressed D. A. Jay, then known as ‘Papa Dudley’ and they struck up a friendship due to their mutual interest in music. ‘Bimbo’ later on changed his name to Garnet Silk and the rest is reggae history. D. A. Jay lists his major influences as Eddie Fitzroy and Leroy Smart. Fitzroy, whom he met briefly, for his humbleness, as a person and the cultural content of his songs. Mr Smart for the way he carried himself and the way he dressed, always ‘clean’. In 1984, when D.A.Jay moved to MoBay, he also decided to enter the music industry professionally. He was ready to record his first song, “What More You Want” and went to Tifton Recording Studio in Mount Salem, St James, which was owned and operated by recording artist Ed Robinson. After recording the song he was asked for the name of the artist to print on the finished record to which he replied ‘Papa Dudley’. Ed Robinson did not approve of the name “Papa Dudley and asked for a name change, that was the birth of D. A. Jay Johnson the recording artist. D is for his first name which is Dudley, A is for his middle name which is Alphanso and Jay is for his surname Johnson.
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D.A.Jay has blazed a musical trail that few musical pioneers have found successful. While most reggae outfits in New York, USA, have been comprised of Jamaican musicians, D A Jay, being an individual whom do not play a musical instrument, or read music, he eats, sleep and breathe music. He has been able to convince his original ‘techno’ and ‘drum and bass’ composer to add reggae to bis repertoire. This has resulted in some of the ‘wickedest’ beats on the musical scene. These beats were laid by native local musician whose experience is from a rock and classical music background.
The catalyst is this Jamaican immigrant who kept on hearing “Cherry Oh Baby” in his head as a youth. D A Jay is really Dudley. A. Johnson, the one and only country youth from Manchester where he attended New Green Primary school. After New Green he attended Top Hill All Age School then Kobbla Youth Center where he received auto mechanic training. He then went on to Porus Training Center where he received training to become a tailor.
In 1984 he moved to Montego Bay, St James, Barnett Street to be exact, and started working at MoBay Freeport, with Hanes Garment Factory, as a machine operator. After settling in at Barnett Street and working at Hanes he decided to occupy his free time by boxing at MoBay’s Guiness Gym. His boxing career culminated with him competing in Jamaica National Boxing Championship at the National Stadium. During his boxing career he racked up a boxing record of eight (8) wins and one (1) loss, not bad for the future singer / producer.
At the same time his work career was also progressing favorably. During his eleven years at Hanes, he completed a three week course in Costa Rica on how to train machine operators. This resulted in his being promoted at Hanes and he remained a trainer until his migration to USA in1995.
As a youth in Top Hill, Manchester, where his family had relocated, while attending Top Hill All Age School he became associated with the local sound system, Delfonics, that was being operated by Delroy “Diego” White. the son of his school principal. In 1977 Diego brought a new DJ to ’Delfonics’ called ‘Bimbo’. His style impressed D. A. Jay, then known as ‘Papa Dudley’ and they struck up a friendship due to their mutual interest in music. ‘Bimbo’ later on changed his name to Garnet Silk and the rest is reggae history. D. A. Jay lists his major influences as Eddie Fitzroy and Leroy Smart. Fitzroy, whom he met briefly, for his humbleness, as a person and the cultural content of his songs. Mr Smart for the way he carried himself and the way he dressed, always ‘clean’.
In 1984, when D.A.Jay moved to MoBay, he also decided to enter the music industry professionally. He was ready to record his first song, “What More You Want” and went to Tifton Recording Studio in Mount Salem, St James, which was owned and operated by recording artist Ed Robinson.
After recording the song he was asked for the name of the artist to print on the finished record to which he replied ‘Papa Dudley’. Ed Robinson did not approve of the name “Papa Dudley and asked for a name change, that was the birth of D. A. Jay Johnson the recording artist.
D is for his first name which is Dudley, A is for his middle name which is Alphanso and Jay is for his surname Johnson.