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[h3]Jason Kay was born 30 December 1969 in Stretford, Manchester. In his teens, he moved with his mother, jazz singer, Karen Kay, to east London. It was here that he developed an interest in hip hop, graffiti, and all the related street culture, displeasing his mother and causing many fights between them. Eventually his mum threw Jay out of her home, at age 15. He was forced to take on a variety of jobs to try to get by, including telemarketing and selling kilts. [/h3]

Things weren’t going all that well. Kay was living in a squat in Ealing, west London and resorting to petty theft, often in trouble with the law. He finally reached the decision to stop this way of life and pursue his interest in music, after being attacked and stabbed in a near-death experience, and being arrested for a crime he did not commit.

The early 1990s acid jazz revolution was the perfect new start for the young Kay, in his unusual buffalo hat. After auditioning unsuccessfully as lead singer for The Brand New Heavies, he formed his own band, Jamiroquai. The original band members were Toby Smith (keyboards), Nick van Gelder (drums), Stuart Zender (bass), Wallis Buchanan (vibraphone) and Jay Kay (lead singer).

1992 was the year it all truly began. Jamiroquai’s debut single “When You Gonna Learn?” was played on Kiss FM and then released on record label Acid Jazz. Shortly after that, Kay signed an unprecedented £1 million, eight-album record deal, with Sony’s label “S2” (now known as Sony BMG Music Entertainment). It was a gamble for Sony, as at that stage, Kay was relatively unknown. It was a gamble, however, that paid off. To date, that deal has included sales of over twenty million albums and five world tours. Seven of the eight albums have been released, all of them huge successes.

Jamiroquai is recognised the world over and their music is undoubtedly danceable and their live act, electrifying. They’re not, however, all about funky visuals and good tunes, Kay always has an opinion about the world and mankind, and he isn’t afraid to share it. He gets the message across in his lyrics. The mercurial debut album, “Emergency on Planet Earth” (1993), full of soulful grooves and flowing jazz instrumentals, dealt with climate change, wars of power-hungry dictators, and world poverty.

“The Return of the Space Cowboy” (1994) followed, a raw and dark observation of inner-city life. The album that was to make Jamiroquai a global phenomenon, “Travelling Without Moving” (1996), also came with a warning about the dangers of biogenetic engineering. These concerns are today mirrored in the debate over cloning and donor babies. Strangely enough, the Grammy-winning single from the album, ‘Virtual Insanity’ (1996), was released on the day Dolly the Sheep was born. It won four awards at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards, for Best Video, Best Special Effects, Best Cinematography, and Breakthrough Video. ‘Cosmic Girl’ (1996) was another huge hit single from this album, which helped Jamiroquai establish a hold on the American market.
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Jamiroquai’s hit single ‘Deeper Underground’ (1998) was in the soundtrack of the movie “Godzilla” (1998). ‘Canned Heat’, a single from the next album “Synkronized” (1999), was featured in two films, “Center Stage” (2000) and “Napoleon Dynamite” (2004).

“Synkronized” (1999) and the multi-platinum “A Funk Odyssey” (2001) were two deeply personal albums for Kay and showed a shift in musical direction. Less evident were the acid jazz sounds and stonger was the pull towards funk and disco. This brought further commercial success for the band, with the single ‘Little L’ (2001) reaching number one in charts worldwide. Kay then took much-needed time out, to recuperate and recharge his energies.

“Late Night Tales: Jamiroquai” (2003) is a DJ mix album by Jamiroquai and is the tenth release in the “Late Night Tales” series.

After spending almost two years on the writing, recording and fine-tuning of the next album, Kay felt satisfied that it was worth the effort and was extremely proud of “Dynamite” (2005). It is probably their most diverse album, bringing together funk, disco, house, electronic and acoustic music. It was recorded in New York, Los Angeles, Costa Rica, Italy, Spain, Scotland, and in Kay’s studio in Buckinghamshire.

The single ‘Feels Just Like It Should’ (2005) reached number eight in the UK and number one, for six weeks, in the US. ‘Seven Days in Sunny June’ (2005) reached number 14 in its first week on the UK charts. Issues on this album surround world leadership, television evangelists and their moral credibility, and why there is so much hate in our modern world, often in the name of religion. Kay may have been quiet for a while, but he is back with feeling. The Jamiroquai sound is a little tighter, a little leaner and meaner, but it hasn’t lost any of its social conscience.

Many may view Kay in a poor light when looking at his tabloid headlines, his lifestyle, and his silly hats. However, it would be a mistake to underestimate him in any way. His fearless and forthright attitude may make him an easy target, but his heart is most certainly in the right place.

The current Jamiroquai line-up is: Jason Kay (vocals), Derrick McKenzie (drums), Sola Akingbola (percussion), Rob Harris (guitar), Matt Johnson (keyboards), Paul Turner (bass), Lorraine McIntosh (backing vocals), Hazel Fernandez (backing vocals), Sam Smith (backing vocals).
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Derrick McKenzie (drums)
• Born 27 March 1962, with drumming in his blood.
• Became a fulltime and well sought after session drummer, with bands such as Urban Species.
• Central cohesive force of the band.
• Influences include classic soul music, Prince, and Billy Cobham (his drumming hero).
• Joined Jamiroquai in 1994 for the recording of the “Return of the Space Cowboy” album.

Sola Akingbola (percussion)
• Born in 1965 in Nigeria.
• As a young child, he moved with his parents to the UK.
• Used to DJ in London clubs.
• Only started taking his percussion playing seriously, about 10 years ago.
• Is strongly influenced by African music but his tastes are varied, including Miles Davis, Earth Wind and Fire, and classical composers.
• Has played with artists such as jazz guitarist Ronnie Jordan.
• Joined Jamiroquai in 1995.

Rob Harris (guitar)
• Born 27 August 1971 in Cambridgeshire.
• Started playing guitar at age seven and soon mastered both the acoustic and electric guitars.
• Inspired by The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix.
• Been playing professionally since age 21.
• Joined Jamiroquai in 2000 and soon started work recording “A Funk Odyssey”.

Matt Johnson (keyboards)
• Started playing the piano at age five (his father was a musician but he went to a piano teacher for lessons).
• Influences range from Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock to Squarepusher.
• Was a writer and performer in two bands, Sunray and Nu Hope, before Jamiroquai.
• Joined Jamiroquai in 2001, upon recommendation from previous Jamiroquai guitarist, Simon Katz.

Paul Turner (bass)
• Born in Sunderland.
• Been a full time professional musician since 1987.
• Spent two years recording and touring the world with Annie Lennox prior to joining Jamiroquai.
• Has played with the likes of Omar, Mica Paris, and urban jazz funk band Down to the Bone (very successful in the United States).
• Joined Jamiroquai in April 2005 (newest member).
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Kay has become somewhat of a style icon, much to his amusement, gaining a collection of GQ and Elle style awards. He leads something of the rockstar lifestyle, owning a Buckinghamshire mansion, with a purpose-built recording studio, a garage overflowing with expensive, fast cars, and his own helipad in the grounds. He has a hideaway home in Scotland, near Gairloch, which he uses to escape the rigours of fame.

Carey Latimore
Jamiroquai biography



- ‘Jamiroquai’ combines the name of the Native American tribe, the ‘Iroquois’, and the music-based word ‘jam’.

- Kay is a personal supporter of Animal Defenders International (ADI), an organisation that works closely with the UK government, to stop all forms of cruelty to animals.

- A pine martin once broke into Kay’s home in Scotland, whilst he was in the United States. It shredded magazines, knocked over ornaments and left droppings everywhere.

- On 26 January 1997, Jamiroquai performed at the Los Angeles House of Blues. Their concert was broadcast live on the internet.

- Kay’s personal collection of 17 cars includes three Ferraris (one of them, a $1 million Ferrari Enzo), three Mercedez-Benz, a Rolls Royce, a red, 1972 Lamborghini, a Bentley and an Astin Martin DB5.

- Indulging his passion for speed and fast cars, Kay was one of the drivers in the Pro Celebrity race, 10-11 March 2006. It was held at the Bahrain International Circuit, as part of the opening event for the 2006 Formula 1 season. He finished in seventh place.

- The telephonic interview between Kay, at the Bahrain Grand Prix, and the BBC Radio 1 studio, found Kay conducting the call from a toilet, as the track was too noisy (the race was in progress).

- Watercolours of the band, were painted by Italian artist Alessandro Curadi, during their September 2005 concert in Milan. These have mostly been signed by the band members and Kay owns one of them.
Jamiroquai biography



2005 “Sony Ericsson Christmas Calling: The Soundtrack to Your Season”, as Jamiroquai

2005 “GMTV”, 11 November, as Himself

2005 “Jimmy Kimmel Live”, 10 November, as Jamiroquai

2005 “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”, 7 November, as Jamiroquai

2005 “The Work of Director Jonathan Glazer”, Jamiroquai
segment: ‘Virtual Insanity’

2005 “Live 8”, as Jamiroquai

2005 “Later with Jools Holland”, as Jamiroquai

2005 “Tout le monde en parle”, 4 June, as Jamiroquai

2005 “Friday Night with Jonathan Ross”, as Himself

2004 “The Rise of the Celebrity Class”, as Himself

2004 “Silenci?”, 30 May, as Himself

2003 “The Importance of Being Famous”, as Himself

2002 “Top Gear”, 2 episodes: 27 Oct & 29 Dec, as Himself

2002 “Jamiroquai Live in Verona” as Jamiroquai

2002 “Brit Awards 2002”, as Performer

2001 “Party in the Park 2001”, as Jamiroquai

2000 “TFI Friday”, 1 Dec 2000, as Himself

2000 “Elizabeth Taylor: A Musical Celebration”, as Himself

2000 “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll”, as Jamiroquai

1999 “The Priory”, as Himself

1998 "The Young Person’s Guide to Becoming a Rock Star – Sign on
the Line“, as Himself

1997 “MTV News: Year in Rock 1997”, as Himself

1997 “Saturday Night Live”, Jamiroquai was a musical guest

1997 “The Rosie O’Donnell Show”, as Himself

1996 “The Girlie Show“, as Himself

1993 “The Word”, as Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai biography



Dynamite (Dual Disc) (November 2005)

Dynamite (June 2005)

“Late Night Tales: Jamiroquai” (2003) [DJ mix]

A Funk Odyssey (2001)

Synkronized (1999)

Travelling Without Moving (1996)

The Return of the Space Cowboy (1994)

Emergency on Planet Earth (1993)

Denzel Washington Wed 19th Nov - 7:00PM

Abba Wed 19th Nov - 8:00PM

THE ROLE THAT CHANGED MY LIFE: I Became A Superhero Wed 19th Nov - 2:00PM