Song:I Am In Love
Album:Studio One Women
Though there have been some successful female singers in the Jamaican music scene, for the most part they are used as backup singers. Jennifer Lara did exactly that for her entire career. But when an occasional single like this 1981 classic I Am In Love was released, one had to wonder why more wasn't done with her. I will tell you my theory in a moment. Jennifer Lara was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1953. She was the cousin of Derrick Lara of The Tamlins. Studio One keyboard player Richard Ace brought her to Studio One owner Coxsone Dodd in 1969 and she never left. She sang backup vocals for stars like Delroy Wilson, Freddie McGregor, Dennis Brown and Sugar Minott. Dodd released a few Jennifer Lara singles in the 80s including I Am In Love. You can get it on this Studio One Women various artists CD from the British label Soul Jazz. It's a great song. So why was she not better known? Maybe she didn't want that. She was a mom and raised two kids. Maybe she was happy making a living as a studio singer. She was at Studio One for 35 years so obviously Dodd and the other musicians liked her work. Sadly, Jennifer Lara died of a stroke in June 2005 at age 52. Here's a video for I Am In Love by Jennifer Lara.
She was a fabulous singer! She was also my grandmother. My mom Sheka is her daughter. You can contact me on my yahoo account please. Sade.spencer6@yahoo.com
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