Kenwrick Joseph, known professionally as Kenny J, was a Trinidad and Tobago calypsonian and Assistant Superintendent of Police who was best known for his soca parang hits including The Paint Brush.
14 Facts About Kenny J
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Kenny J sang ballads before venturing to calypso and later soca parang, for which he became best known.
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Kenny J won the National Police Service Calypso Monarch in 1987 and then began performing professionally.
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Kenny J made it to the finals of the National Calypso Monarch competition four times.
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Kenny J began performing soca parang in 1993 and released The Paint Brush, which was described as "an instant hit" and "an evergreen classic".
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Kenny J was described as a pioneer of parang soca by Marcia Miranda, a fellow parang soca singer.
7.
Gordon Rohlehr contrasted the reception that Kenny J received as a public servant with the harassment experienced by calypsonian Chalkdust in 1968 when it was revealed that he was a schoolteacher.
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Kenny J, who was Dougla, is discussed by Ferne-Louanne Regis as one of only three Dougla calypsonians to discuss this aspect of their identity in their creative work.
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In Baboolal, Kenny J tells the story of a failed relationship from the context of a man who doesn't understand why his wife left him, and from the position of a narrator who references the man's domestic violence against his wife.
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Kenny J was born on Prince of Wales Street, in San Fernando on 15 July 1952 and attended St Benedict's College.
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Kenny J retired from the Police Service with the rank of Assistant Superintendent.
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Kenny J was a resident of Siparia, in south Trinidad.
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Kenny J died from COVID-19 on 2 January 2022, at the age of 69.
14.
Kenny J's daughter reported that he was fully vaccinated, and had participated in a series of public service announcements encouraging people to get vaccinated.