Johnny Reggae

"Johnny Reggae"
Single by The Piglets
Released1971
Recorded1971
GenreReggae
LabelBell Records
SongwriterJonathan King
ProducerJonathan King
The Piglets singles chronology
"Johnny Reggae"
(1971)
"This is Reggae"
(1972)
Music video
"Johnny Reggae" on YouTube

"Johnny Reggae" is a 1971 novelty song[1] credited to The Piglets. The single cover states that it was "conceived, created, produced and directed by Jonathan King".[2] It was released on Bell Records.

The song spent 12 weeks in the Top 100 of the UK singles chart, reaching a peak position of number 3 in the chart for 20 November 1971.[3]

King himself has explained in comments on his YouTube channel[4] and in his autobiography 65 My Life So Far that the vocalists were session singers "coached to sound like teenage scrubbers", and that the lead vocalist was session singer Barbara Kay, who also recorded as Kay Barry for Embassy Records.

The lead vocals have been at various times been incorrectly attributed to Adrienne Posta or Wendy Richard.[citation needed]

A follow-up single "This is Reggae" was released in 1972.[5]

Track list

[edit]
  • Side A: "Johnny Reggae"
  • Side B: Backing track (of the song)

Chart positions

[edit]
Chart (1971) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart 3

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Russ Litten in the Sabotage Times: Here Comes Daddy Reggae
  2. ^ Discogs.com: Images for The Piglets - "Johnny Reggae"
  3. ^ https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/piglets-johnny-reggae/
  4. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Johnny Reggae - The Piglets 1971- Jonathan King. YouTube.
  5. ^ "The Piglets – This Is Reggae (1972, Vinyl) - Discogs". Discogs. July 1972.