Janet Kay | |
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| Born | Janet Kay Bogle[1] (1958-01-17)17 January 1958 (age 67) |
| Origin | Willesden,London, England |
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| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1977–present |
| Labels | Sony Music Japan |
| Website | janetkay |
Janet Kay BogleMBE (born 17 January 1958)[1] is an English actress and vocalist, best known for her 1979lovers rock hit "Silly Games".[2]
Janet Kay Bogle was born inWillesden,North West London. She was discovered singing impromptu at a rehearsal studio by Tony "Gad" Robinson, keyboardist from the bandAswad, who recommended Kay toAlton Ellis.[3] The Jamaican-born Ellis, a successfulrocksteady vocalist, had relocated permanently to London, where he continued to be involved withreggae music and was looking for a female vocalist to record a reggae cover ofMinnie Riperton's song "Lovin' You".[4]
In 1978, Kay recorded "I Do Love You" and "That's What Friends Are For".[3] The single "Silly Games", written and produced byDennis Bovell, was released in 1979 and became a hit across Europe,[3] reaching No. 2 in theUK Singles Chart.[5] The chart success of "Silly Games" led to Kay appearing onTop of the Pops, then the BBC's flagship television music programme. She played the character Angel in the UK sitcomNo Problem!, created by the Black Theatre Co-operative (nowNitroBeat) and broadcast onChannel 4 (1983–85).[3] While on the programme, she enjoyed a further club hit with "Eternally Grateful" in 1984, which also reached the UK top 100.[6]
Kay has recorded, and co-produced her seventh album forSony Music Japan. It was released on 18 June 2003, and is entitledLovin' You … More. The popularity of the song "Lovin' You" inJapan is so strong that she was asked to record it again for this album (for the third time). That version was produced byOmar.
"Silly Games" first hit the UK charts in 1979, and appeared again in 1990 as a re-recording, billed as byLindy Layton featuring Janet Kay, which reached No. 22. Aremix version of Kay's original recording spent three weeks in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 62.[5][6]
Kay is credited as producer on "Missing You", recorded byAswad.
She was a founding member (along withJoanne Campbell,Judith Jacob,Suzette Llewellyn,Josephine Melville, Beverley Michaels andSuzanne Packer) ofBiBi Crew, Britain's first theatre troupe made up entirely of Black women.[7]
Kay was included on the 2003 list of "100 Great Black Britons".[1]
In November 2022, "Silly Games" was named the runner up in a list of the 70 best number-two singles, compiled by UK newspaperThe Guardian to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the UK Singles Chart.[8]
Kay was appointedMember of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the2023 New Year Honours for services to music.[9]
| Year | Song | UK [6] | Certifications | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | "Loving You" | — | ||||
| 1979 | "Silly Games" | 2 | ||||
| "Closer to You" | — | |||||
| 1982 | "You Bring the Sun Out" | — | ||||
| 1984 | "Eternally Grateful" | 86 | ||||
| 1985 | "Fight Life" | — | ||||
| 1987 | "No Easy Walk to Freedom" | ― | ||||
| 1990 | "Silly Games"(remix) | 62 | ||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||||
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