Jay Douglas is a 3 times Juno Awards Nominee, music producer and bandleader of the Jay Douglas All-Star Band. He has performed at venues and various festivals worldwide. Douglas’ connection to his homeland Jamaica has been there his entire career, working with founding musicians of ska, rock steady, reggae.

His earliest experiences in the music business started out as a teen singing in Doo Wop groups in Montego Bay. His professional career was ignited as the frontman of The Cougars, a popular group in the Caribbean nightclub scene in both Toronto and Montreal that performed regularly throughout the ’60s and ’70s, playing a mix Ska, Rock Steady, Reggae, Rhythm and Blues, Soul and Funk. His latest single is a rendition of The World Is Troubled by Dennis Brown.

When asked why he choose to record Dennis Brown’s song The World Is Troubled, Jay Douglas responded:

“I’ve always been a big fan of Dennis Brown and his music. Bob Marley said before he died the greatest singer that he ever heard was Dennis Brown. The Crown Prince of Reggae was a kind man who would give you his last dollar if he saw you needed it. He had a great R&B style and did wonderful renditions of many Rhythm and Blues classics like Ben E. King’s Spanish Harlem.”

“I discovered The World Is Troubled, a song that Dennis wrote and recorded. He had a vision, and his words were so well chosen. In the song he didn’t say that the people of this world are troubled, but the world is troubled. What he meant is the people are struggling because of the ways of the world.”

“When I look at what’s happening today these lyrics ring so true. “The world is troubled and living ain’t easy”. What are we doing for our grandchildren, the next generation?”

“I got in touch with Sly Dunbar and told him that I wanted to record this song. He said he was on the original track, so he got together the same guys that recorded the original. Toronto based songstress, Tasha T happened to be in Jamaica at the time and she was so generous to jump on the track with her magic. Listen to what she says, “We got to fix It”.”

“The spirit and message behind this recording are what I hope will transcend to listeners.”