Norman Jay

One of England's foremost DJs ever since his Jamaican-style Good Times Sound System debuted at London's Notting Hill Carnival in 1980, Norman Jay pioneered the sound of rare groove, house, and acid jazz during the heady days of Britain's increasing ascendancy in the global dance scene. A native of London (though he was born of first-generation West Indian parents), Jay began buying reggae and soul singles at an early age and first DJed at the tender age of eight. During the early '70s, he branched out into funk as well, even as his brother Joey built a reggae sound system named the Great Tribulation in 1975. He also earned valuable mixing skills witnessing sets by the legendary Larry Levan at New York's Paradise Garage (while staying with relatives) and soul weekends in Northern soul hotspots like Wigan and Blackpool. Eventually, Joey and Norman got together, merging their interests in DJ sets that ranged from soul and funk to reggae and dub to disco, broadcast over Joey's re-christened sound system Good Times. After several years playing the Notting Hill Carnival, the brothers' sets became legendary themselves and Norman made the move into radio in 1985. With Gordon Mac, he co-founded Kiss FM, London's best-known pirate station, and Jay's quickly spreading fame helped the station lure in other soon-to-be-famous DJs like Gilles Peterson, Danny Rampling, Trevor Nelson, Jazzie B, and Judge Jules. His own program, "Original Rare Groove Show," helped spawn a movement around the capital, as younger club-kids began looking back to the sound of '70s funk maestros like Roy Ayers, Fela Kuti, and Lonnie Liston Smith, among others.

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