Janet Kay, was born Janet Kay Bogle (the first of 6 children) in London to Jamaican parents, Clifton and Monica Bogle. Janet is a descendant of the Jamaican National Hero the Rt Excellent Deacon Paul Bogle.
As a sixties child, Janet was exposed to the singing greats, especially those from the Tamla Motown stable and as a result of the exposure and inspiration, Janet’s love for singing was born.
In 1977, whilst in Secretarial College, Janet was invited by her school friend Sonia Ferguson (who recorded a cover version of Smokey Robinson’s ‘Oh Baby Baby’ in the late 70’s) to a band rehearsal. Destiny saw to it that band member Tony Gad heard Janet singing in the rehearsal room. He was so impressed with the sweetness of Janet’s voice that he introduced her to the reggae legend, the Late Great Alton Ellis.
That meeting resulted in Janet recording a cover version of Minnie Ripperton’s ‘Loving You’ (produced by Alton Ellis), which became a reggae smash hit spending many weeks at No. 1 in the reggae charts.
The following year, 1978, saw Janet record 2 more cover versions, ‘I Do Love You’ and ‘That’s What Friends Are For’, again, both spending weeks at No. 1 in the reggae charts.