Janet Lee Davis

About Janet Lee Davis

b. 1966, London, England. Lee Davis moved to Jamaica at the age of three and was raised in the Old Harbour Bay area of St. Catherine. Following the customary path of many Jamaican singers, her vocals were nurtured singing in the local church choir. Although a competent chorister, she was influenced by the country, R&B, pop and reggae hits that she performed in neighbourhood shows. In 1981 she progressed into the sound system circuit, forming an allegiance with the St. Catherine-based Ghetto Sound, performing both as a vocalist and in the DJ style. Her versatility gained her notoriety and she proved that she was equally proficient at performing in stage shows. Lee Davis relocated to the UK and her initial recording session came when she met up with DJ Jah Walton through soundman Vego Wales. She was asked to chat on the massive number 1 hit for Fashion Records, ‘No Touch The Style’, with the DJ performing as Joseph Cotton. Although Lee Davis was not credited for her performance on the hit, she quickly gained recognition with her solo hit for Flash, ‘Never Gonna Let You Go’. In 1987 she returned to Fashion for ‘Two Timing Lover’, while the b-side, ‘Call Me An Angel’, featured her DJ skills, recorded under the name of Shako Lee. The song was written by Philip Leo who also worked with her for the vocal/DJ release ‘I’m Gonna Make You Happy Again’ and ‘I’m In Love’. She also worked with High Power, resulting in the concurrent release of ‘Prisoner Of Love’. In 1990 she topped the reggae charts in combination with C.J. Lewis, performing a version of the 60s hit from Keith And Enid, ‘Worried Over You’. Lee Davis’ success led to a four-album contract with Island Records, and although no album surfaced, the label released ‘Spoilt By Your Love’ and ‘Pleasure Seekers’. The Island sessions were supervised by Barry Boom, who released ‘Just The Lonely Talking Again’, ‘Love Is Alive’, ‘Never Say Never’ and the classic ‘Hello Stranger’. Following from his success with Deborahe Glasgow, Gussie Clarke recruited Lee Davis to perform backing vocals on Cocoa Tea’sAuthorised and released her solo hit, ‘Oops There Goes My Heart’. Following from her disappointing brush with the majors she returned to Fashion, secure in the knowledge that she could compete on the wider market while maintaining her credibility within the reggae community. By 1992 she dominated the UK lovers rock scene with a continuous profile on the reggae chart, including the hits ‘Ooh Baby Baby’, ‘Big Mistake’, ‘Ready To Learn’ and another chart-topper, in combination with Tippa Irie, ‘Baby I’ve Been Missing You’. Another DJ combination came with General Levy for a version of the Joya Landis Treasure Isle hit, ‘Moonlight Lover’. In 1994 her series of Fashion hits surfaced on Missing You, alongside an array of self-composed new tracks and has proved to be an all-time classic in the lovers rock genre. In 1995 she was awarded a number of accolades including Best Female Singer and Best UK Album by the British Reggae Industry and the Bob Marley Award for Best Female Singer by the Black Arts, Sports And Enterprise Awards. By 1997 her quest for international recognition was almost complete, having been described as the ‘queen’ of contemporary lovers rock. Her collaboration with Mr. G Spot, Wayne Marshall and Barry Boom highlighted her songwriting, singing and DJ skills, as well as consolidating her reputation for sheer hard work and professionalism.

HOMETOWN
London, England
BORN
1966
GENRE
Reggae

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada