#MyMusicStory
Submitted by: Jay Douglas (Spotify,Website,Twitter,Facebook)
Let's look back at the year 1972,When Pierre Trudeau was Prime minister of this beautiful country of ours, Canada. The Summer Olympic games in Munich Germany. Robert Nixon was President of the U.S.A.I was a lead singer in the Cougars band in Toronto. Cant forget club Blue Note, The le Coq D'or and Zanzibar Tavern down town Toronto. Which leads to my memories of the great hits songs that were released in the year 1972 by some of the great artists of our time, talking about Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Three Dog Night, Chicago, Neil Young, Carly Simon, Elton John, Bread, Bob Dylan, Looking Glass and the late Michael Jackson.
When I went to visit my late mom in New York 1972,we went for a tour of down town Manhattan. Mom took me to the Empire State building, world trade centre, Broadway, Madison Square Garden and our last stop was a record store. We were greeted by the sound of the Staple singers, their hit song, I’ll Take you There.
You could feel the soul of Mavis Staple and her sisters, brother and Pops Staple singing:
“I know a place
aint no body crying
aint no body worried
aint no smiling faces
lying to the races, somebody help me
I'll take you there, oh, mercy, mercy i'll take you there.”
It was an unforgettable experience for both of us. God bless her soul. One love.
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Jay Douglas first appeared on stage in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Throughout his time of entertaining, Jay has developed into an Internationally idolized musical renaissance man thanks to his wide-ranging repertoire of Reggae, American blues, West Indian rhythms, and jazz standards — including the Light in the Attic’s “From Jamaica to Toronto” concert series. In the late ’60s, Jay fronted the R&B group “The Cougars” who with their skill and verve lit up the city of Montreal as well as Toronto’s Yonge Street nightclubs and the first ever Caribana Festival with, Soul Funk and Reggae. Jay has performed around the world, and at annual Toronto events such as the Beaches Jazz Festival, Jerk Fest, Canadian National Exhibition, Yonge and Dundas Square, Koener Hall, Roy Thompson Hall, Island Soul Harbourfront festival and the Rastafest Festival.
Jay Douglas received a 2020 JUNO Award Nomination for his single, “Jah Children” featuring General Trees. “Jah Children” is Douglas’ second JUNO Award nomination, the first being for 2012’s reggae release, Lover’s Paradise. The artist has also won NOW Magazine’s ‘Best R&B Act,’ the Annual Toronto Reggae Awards’ ‘Male Reggae Vocalist of the Year,’ and the BBPA Harry Jerome Awards’ ‘G98.7 Entertainment Award.’