Jay Douglas sings lovers rock for Valentine's Day at Sonic Boom, Friday

Jamaica To Toronto keyman Jay Douglas is appearing at Sonic Boom on Friday (6 pm) followed by a full show at The Drake Hotel on Saturday (February 15).  

Here's the scoop...

Back from a successful west coast swing promoting the great new feature-length documentary Play It Loud! How Toronto Got Soul with director Graeme Mathieson, the film's star Jay Douglas is looking forward to returning to the stage in Toronto – despite the chilly temps – for a Valentine's Day warm-up. While some performers choose to hibernate during the winter months in the Great White North, Jay Douglas is clearly made of sterner stuff.  

"We just flew in from the Yukon," say Jay, "where we had a screening of Play It Loud! at the Available Light Film Festival in Whitehorse. It was well accepted by the audience there and other than the bitterly cold weather, everything worked out great!" 

Later today he'll be singing a set of lover's rock for a free in-store at Sonic Boom (215 Spadina) starting at 6 pm to coincide with Light In The Attic's timely vinyl repress of the Jamaica To Toronto 2LP anthology and follow it up with a full show at The Drake Hotel on Saturday (February 15) backed by his longtime pal, dynamite drummer Everton "Pablo" Paul and crew. The doors open at 9:30 pm and tickets are $17.31 available right here. 

Check out a short clip of Jay's version of "I Wish It Would Rain," the trailer for "Play It Loud!," a video chat about the documentary with Rudy Blair along with some performance footage. 

Jay Douglas featured in Play It Loud! doc on Toronto's Jamaican connection

Jamaican-born, Toronto-based soul great Jay Douglas stars in Graeme Mathieson's forthcoming film Play It Loud! Check the trailer.

Here's the scoop...

Early 1960’s Toronto was a mostly white, Anglo-centric city. Beneath this veneer of Conservative respectability, an exciting underground music scene emerged, created by a Jamaican diaspora including newcomers like Jackie Mittoo, Wayne McGhie and a teenageJay Douglas. Battling racism and indifference, they made an indelible, but little appreciated mark on Canadian music and culture. Six decades later, Jay Douglas is still carrying the torch for Jamaican music, and enjoying the recognition and respect he has long craved.

Play it Loud! (set for release via TVO Docs in February, 2025) is a feature documentary that tells the little known story of how Jamaican music became a critical and unlikely part of Canadian culture. The film reveals a social and cultural migration that made Canada a  mecca for Jamaican music, recognized around the world, but little heralded at home. This story is told through the life, music, struggles and triumphs of beloved Jamaican Canadian singer Jay Douglas. Born as Clive Pinnock, in rural Jamaica to a single mother, Douglas began performing professionally at 17 and has never stopped. Today, nearly 60 years later, he’s more popular than ever. 

For more info, clips and theatre screening dates, check the site: https://www.playitlouddoc.com/ 

Watch the Play It Loud! trailer below. 

Island Soul with Jay Douglas @ Harbourfront, Sunday

Jay Douglas performed with The Cougars at Toronto's first Caribana celebration back in 1967. Jay's on stage at 9:30 pm. 

Jay Douglas goes Brasstronomical for LulaWorld 2015 @ Lula Lounge, Thursday

The Heavyweights are launching their Brasstronomical tour with Jamaica To Toronto star Jay Douglas.