Twenty years ago, singer Jango Thriller found himself having to make a choice between the music business and family. As much as he loved writing and recording songs, the decision was not a difficult one.

He stepped away from the music scene for an extended period to focus on his children’s education. Last year, Jango Thriller completed his comeback with Rejuvenate, his first album.

That set produced Never Too Much, a song that enjoyed steady rotation in South Florida and New York City reggae circles. Jango Thriller, who collaborated with Ainsworth “Bassie” Clarke on Rejuvenate, said the objective was to be contemporary while retaining the live feel he discovered as a young singer in the early 1980s.

“Rejuvenate was primarily created for a certain, distinctive demographic. Passionate, organic reggae music lovers who can remember the love, the energy and the trance our music provides, or for the younger audience that appreciate love songs,” he told OBSERVER ONLINE.

Jango Thriller was born in the United Kingdom but moved to Jamaica in his youth. He began recording songs during the early 1980s, with his first release being Yuh nuh Wrong, produced by Paul “Computer Paul” Henton.

Other songs, such as Fade Away and It Could Not Happen followed, before he migrated to the United States where he has lived for almost 40 years. While his children’s education was priority, Jango Thriller never gave up on music entirely.

“Although my absence from the stage stemmed over two decades, I was always active creating and writing songs, and partaking in different scenarios behind the scenes. Being one of the primary members of the Dennis Brown Memorial Organization (in New York), producing various artistes’ compilation albums and creating harmony for studio recordings kept me very busy,” he said. “Mentoring the young talents on topics from the business of music to protecting their artistic work was very refreshing and intriguing.”

Jango Thriller plans to release another song in August, and his second album in 2024.

Howard Campbell