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Melding the soul of traditional reggae music with the most modern digital sound, D. A. Jay stands ready to reach out to the world. Dudley A. Johnson was born in Manchester, Jamaica. Music has always been in his blood. In his early childhood, D. A. Jays brother would set him on a stool to sing, and he would entertain family and friends everyday. Singing was as natural to him as breathing. Growing up, the influence of being surrounded by many great Jamaican artists would blend in with his own personality and life experiences to create his own unique style.
Though music was always at his center, D. A. Jay passed through a variety of adventures to get where he is today. He has worked many trades and mastered them all, having been a professional painter, expert tailor, automotive mechanic and competitive boxer. Always the path has led back to his true love of music.
D. A. Jays homeland was quick to embrace his grove. In Jamaica, where each radio station can broadcast to the whole country, D. A. Jay became popular, reaching number 14 on the charts. This led to his performance at Reggae Sunsplash in front of a crowd of 5,000. But America loomed in the artists future.
In 1992, D.A. Jay left Jamaica to come to the United States, and he was drawn to Albany as he had family there. He has performed at many of the clubs in the Capital District region, including Studio 64 at the Armory Center, the Domino Club in Albany and the Planetarium in Newburgh. He has also performed at many of the colleges around the Albany area. As well as Woodstock and the Puerto Rican Fest (where his performance was taped and aired on local T.V). D. A. Jay recognizes a number of musical inspirations, foremost among which is Jimmy Cliff, Great Musician, Reggae Ambassador and fellow Jamaican. Another influence is Eek - A- Mouse, another Jamaican singer whose include Virgin Girl and Wa-Do-Dem. It was a dream come true when D.A. Jay got the chance to perform with Eek-A-Mouse, whom he had heard often growing up.
As a performer, D.A. Jay is versatile, with the aim and skill to put smiles on the faces in the audience. This carries over into his albums, which features a versatile array of songs, and youre sure to find offerings that will get your feet moving and your heart beating in time. Three albums have been released so far Love Me For Me, Dont Deny Me, and the latest, All About You.
He is currently cutting tracks for the next album. D.A. Jays songs are slices from his life, both his own and those people he meets. Love and war, fighting and making love, what you find in the world, youll find him singing about, and youll find the songs are so true and applicable that youre singing along before hes done with the first verse.
D.A. Jays number one goal is to get the music out there, where all can listen and enjoy. He is searching for that one song that everyone can sing along with, that will allow him to walk into a music store anywhere and see his album there. Listen to his music and you know hell get there. He is true to himself, his music and one can stop that.
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