By: Janice Dayle
Former Trenchtown Comprehensive High School Manning Cup footballer, Mikey Dangerous walked away with the 2008 Juno Award on Sunday April, 6, for his outstanding hit reggae single, "Don't Go Pretending." Voted number one by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) in the category, Best Reggae Recording, Mikey Dangerous was elated.
He told YardFlex the whole experience has been tense, yet exhilarating. "Having been my first nomination, I didn't know what to expect. So I was very nervous, but when I heard my name called, I was relieved and very happy to know that my hard work paid off and that all of the work me and my manager have done meant something. I am very grateful," Mikey said.
And there was another proud Jamaican – Canadian that night, who was honored by a Juno win for her Best R&B/Soul Recording titled, "Revival." The multi-talented Jully Black, known as one of Canada's most respected singer/songwriters also tore up the stage at Calgary's, Pengrowth Saddledome on Juno night.
An eclectic Juno crowd viewed and performed at both the two day Juno-fest and the annual Juno Awards ceremony held in Calgary, Alberta, from April 4 to 6. This year as always, the 38 year old Canadian tradition of honoring high achievers in the recording arts closely reflected a mosaic that sees Canada boasting a population with only 32.2 percent, reporting the northern country as their only ethnic origin or in combination with other origins.
At the April 4th JunoFest, 17 venues across
Calgary hosted pre-Juno Awards
musical celebrations that were flocked by Calgarians and out-of-towners of all ages. Golden agers were reportedly grooving into the late hours at the Shamrock Hotel, to Skavenjah, an eight piece ska band; while at The Stetson Village Inn, everyone was hopping, including more retirees who skanked along to the beat of Montreal based reggae rocking Mikey Dangerous and other musicians who played punk and alternative rock.
Juno winners came from all genres and ethnicities. Palestinian-born rapper Belly's The Revolution, won in the best rap recording category. Billy Newton-Davis vs. Dadmau 5 took dance recording of the year for "All U Ever Want," Daniel Belanger picked up Francophone album of the year for his release "L'echec du materie," Derek Miller nabbed aboriginal recording of the year for "The Dirty Looks" and World Music Album – "Agua Del Pozo" by Alex Cuba, got the Juno nod in that category. Feist, who hails from Calgary beat Celine Dion, taking home 5 awards; Dion won none from her six nominations.
Host, Russell Peters, hailed as Canada's ambassador of comedy and known widely for poking fun at his own Indian heritage, kept the Pengrowth Saddledome alive, while performers like: 2008 Juno winning Canadian soprano - Measha Brueggergosman, Jully Black, Avril lavigne and Feist gave riveting performances.
Mikey Dangerous, who is managed by MB Music & Artist Management has been rocking the global reggae scene for many years with his explosive deliveries and releases. His catalogue of tunes is impressive and he gained much recognition internationally after being featured on the popular Additiv hit entitled "The Game," that also features Kay Slay and Pitbull. The Juno winning single "Don't Go Pretending" was released in 2007 by MBOSS Records.
The phenomenal Jully Black who doubles as a correspondent for CTV's E-Talk Daily entertainment programme, is currently riding the waves of success with her recent number one hit "Seven Day Fool" from the Juno winning album, "Revival." The three time Juno winner has penned hit songs for numerous artists including Destiny's Child and Nas.
YardFlex sends hearty congratulations to all Juno winners and special love to our Jamaican rooted greats: Mikey Dangerous and Jully Black. Check them out at: myspace.com/therealmikeydangerous and myspace.com/jullyblackmusic.
