TRUE HOUSE STORIES® W/ JUNIOR # 145 INTERVIEWED BY LENNY FONTANA
Norman Washington "Junior" Giscombe an English singer-songwriter often known as Junior who was one of the first British R&B artists to be successful in the United States. He is best known for his 1982 hit single, "Mama Used to Say". Giscombe was born in Wandsworth, London, England, and was a backing vocalist with the funk band Linx between 1980 and 1982. "In the early to mid-70s, Junior collaborated with classmates to establish a record label in Balham, South London. They released a record titled Nice and Slow, which Junior later said it had reached number one in Australia. "In 1978 or 1979, Get Up and Dance / Hot as Heated was recorded and later released in 1980. According to Junior, it reached number one in France as well as number one on the Billboard Breakout Chart. "When turning towards a solo career, he was first billed simply as Junior. He scored a no 7 hit in the UK Singles Chart in 1982, with "Mama Used to Say".Junior has claimed that the song was number one on US Cashbox." His follow-up single, "Too Late" also made the top 20 in the UK."Mama Used to Say" was also a Top 40 Pop and top 5 R&B hit in the United States, earning him a "Best Newcomer" award from Billboard magazine. "Junior's single Unison was released in 1983 and achieved some commercial success, particularly on the U.S. Dance Charts. While Junior has claimed that the song reached the number one position, official chart records indicate that it peaked at number 16. After a period outside the charts, Giscombe made a brief return to the top 10 in 1987 when he sang a duet with Kim Wilde on "Another Step Closer to You" which peaked at number 6 in the Uk Singles Chart and, according to Giscombe, number 3 in the French Charts, as well as an unspecified chart position in Germany. Junior became involved with the formation of Red Wedge in 1986 with Billy Bragg, Jimmy Sommerville and Paul Weller, and had been a part of the Council Collective with The Style Council, Jimmy Ruffin and others for the 1984 fundraising single, "Soul Deep". In 2008 Junior Giscombe sang "A Change Is Gonna Come" which was originally sung by Sam Cooke and Junior gave a performance with the Virtual Jazz Band which was later released presumably using the same vocals in 2011. On 15 April 2010, Giscombe performed his classic hit "Mama Used To Say" with the Virtual Jazz Band at London's Jazz Cafe. In 2014, Giscombe formed "The British Collective" In 2017, Giscombe appeared on Mike City's album The Feel Good Agenda, Vol. 1 on the song "Sang and Dance". Sweet Tender Love is a song by Junior Giscombe that peaked at #15 on the UK Heritage Chart. It was released in 2024.
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