Junior Ross

b. Clifford Palmer, 7 September 1953, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. Palmer began singing in the 70s for the DJ/producer Tappa Zukie, who produced, ‘Babylon Fall’. He remained with Zukie releasing a series of hits on the DJ’s independent Stars label. A number of the recordings were credited to Junior Ross And The Spears with vocal backing provided by artists such as Prince Allah, Leroy King, and Palmer’s brothers Roy and Frankie Jones. While Frankie nurtured his career, Junior Ross maintained a high profile with hits such as ‘Judgement Time’, ‘Rastaman Say’ aka ‘Man From Zion’, ‘You Can’t Run’, and ‘Rough Way Ahead’. Although Junior Ross And The Spears’ hit-making formula lasted only for a brief period in the mid-70s they have since achieved cult status. In the early 90s, Tappa Zukie compiled the group’s hits on Babylon Fall, which featured Palmer’s earlier hits alongside, ‘African Border’, ‘So Jah Jah’, ‘Liberty’ and ‘Send Me Over There’. After the release of the album Junior Ross retired to the Jamaican countryside until 2002 when his work was again reissued, alongside Prince Allah’s Heaven Is My Roof, on a double CD as I Can Hear The Children Singing. To coincide with the release Junior Ross came out of retirement to undertake promotional work.