“HEY JUDE” GIVES SINGER HUGH ENGLISH HIS FIRST CHART SUCCESS!

Ever since his ‘youth days’ in Waterhouse, singer Hugh English was taken by the classic Beatles song, Hey Jude.

Last year, he finally covered the sombre 1968 hit, one of many gems in the ‘Fab Four’s hallowed catalogue.

“From mi was a juvenile mi love it, but mi used to sey ‘Hey June’. Is not till mi voice it dat (guitarist) Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith tell mi is Hey Jude,” said the dreadlocked English.

Earl Chinna Smith

Smith played on the English version which is co-produced by his son, Earl Smith Jr and English.Released in late 2015, Hey Jude has turned out to be the journeyman artist’s best work to date, making the Foundation Radio Network Top 30 Music Chart out of New York.

It is a long time coming for English (born Donovan English), who spent his early years in Trench Town, before moving to Waterhouse to live with his aunt. There, he befriended budding roots singers Hugh Mundell and Junior Reid.

Mundell and Reid went on to successful careers, but it was not until 2003 that English recorded his first song, the self-produced Sufferation.

“Is a long time mi look fi a good producer, but dem don’t want work wid yuh unless yuh have a big name, so mi jus’ do it miself,” he said.

Most of English’s songs are produced by his Trench Town International label. He and Smith Jr are working on the follow-up to Hey Jude. It is a cover of Something, another Beatles standard.

— By Howard Campbell