Jay Douglas

I had the privilege of meeting Jay Douglas many years ago at a small Jamaican variety store called “Wire’s Variety.” I had heard about his musical abilities; I was curious, and so I asked him what it takes to be good at his craft musically. I will never forget his answer, he said, “Meh bredda, you affi married the music.”

For the very few who do not know who Jay Douglas is, sit tight. We are going on a journey to meet this musical icon who sings almost every genre of music there is and then some.

With almost five decades of musical experience under his belt, Mr. Douglas is indeed a musical force to reckon with anytime and every time he hits the stage.

Born in Montego Bay Jamaica, Douglas migrated to Toronto as a teen in the early sixties and began pounding the pavement musically. This journey would see him becoming the frontman for a then-well-known group called the Cougars in the 60s and 70s.

Experiencing Douglas’ performance is like watching and listening to a magician pull trick after trick out of a musical bag. You never know what genre he is going to touch next, and his audience will testify that his dance moves can rival the late James Brown any day.

That said, Douglas has not only thrilled Canadian and U.S. audiences with his electrifying presence but has many international appearances to his credit as well.  From Hong Kong to Cuba and more Jay Douglas lights a musical fire wherever he shows up.

Douglas has amassed many awards over his lengthy career, the lineup goes something like this: “Male Reggae Vocalist” in 2007 at the annual Canadian Reggae Awards and given the Harry Jerome Award for Best Performer. Douglas is also a three-time Juno nominee, with his album Lovers Paradise winning Best Reggae Recording of the Year and was the winner of NOW Magazine’s “Best R&B Act” in 2006.

To this day he continues to tour as Jay Douglas and The All-Star Band and has worked with many famous musicians from around the planet including gospel icon the late Cissy Houston, mother of the late Whitney Houston. Douglas is exceptionally humble but has a mental library of knowledge concerning the early years of: Reggae, Ska, and Rocksteady in Canada that can rival any encyclopedia.

I was recently honored to do an interview with this legend and believe me when I say he delivered.

“Who exactly is Jay Douglas?” I asked. “Jay Douglas is a child of the most- high, the creator. Music is an international language, and the creator has chosen me to be one of the messengers, to deliver the message of peace and love and that is what I have been doing for so many years,” he answered.

Douglas spoke highly of his mother who came to Canada in 1955 as a domestic worker to pave the way so that he could follow nine years later.

Douglas revealed how just hours after he came to Canada, his mom sat him down and asked, “So what do you want to do with your life?” I told her “I want to get some Chubby Checker shoes and a suit, “ and she replied, “Come again? I brought you here to be somebody.”

“You are going to need education,” my mother said, “And we are not going to compromise that.”

Long story short; Douglas attended Central Tech High School, and it was from there that he unknowingly entered an audition for the band called the Cougars at what was then known as the WIF (aka West Indian Federation Club).

Douglas gave me a little history lesson on what it was like with a band like the Cougars. “We had to learn how to play the: American soul, Rock and roll, and RnB Motown music so we could piggyback the: Ska, Rocksteady, and Reggae too.”

Jay and the Cougars with time got to play at the famous (Le Coq d’Or) club on Yonge Street in Toronto, a club back then that was seriously high class, and the story goes on.

After tearing down many musical barriers in the city the band began touring Canada from Barrie and did many shows right into Montreal. This was done using a Pontiac with a rack on top which carried their instruments.

Douglas described Toronto as a very conservative city back then, “It is a very conservative city yuh know, when meh say conservative, dem time deh the church dem run things you know.”

“Once we got into Quebec my brother, automatically we were superstars.” That was how receptive Douglas, and his band found the climate there. “Quebec treated us royally; they are known to make stars out of an artist before they leave,” he said.

It was at Club Sahara in Montreal where Douglas met Cissy Houston. “Those days you worked six days a week,” Douglas told me.

This musical maestro said he got some very important advice from Cissy Houston, who once said to him “Young man when you get up there be accountable, kick some ass, when you get down, come back to earth, be yourself. That’s the reason whenever you see me performing, I don’t play when I am up there, I work.”

“This music is a gift from the most high and we must treat it with reverence,” Douglas said, “Because the ego seeks to get, but the soul seeks to give.”

Douglas life’s work has been put in a documentary produced by Ultramagnetic called “Play It Loud” which will be screening in Toronto on February 6^th, 2025. I asked him how this made him feel, and he answered. “I feel good, because everything that I’ve done, or tried to do I gave and I am still giving from the soul to leave a legacy for the young generation, because they are the gems of the future.”

Play it Loud is directed by Graeme Mathieson, executive producers are Clement Virgo and Andrew Munger with executive producers for TVO-Alexandra Roberts and Jane Jankovic.

Douglas left me thinking, as he said to me, “Everything starts with an idea, and if you do not execute the idea, it goes dormant.”