SPECIAL SCREENING OF TV MOVIE ABOUT JAY AT THE ROYAL
Jay Douglas Movie Turns Up the Volume at the Royal Theatre for One Night Only
By Stephen Weir
It is only fitting that the city of Toronto is getting a sneak preview of a documentary about one of its favorite sons—Jay Douglas. Play It Loud! – How Toronto Got Soul is coming to The Royal Theatre with a special advance 6:30 p.m. screening on October 23.
Given his long history performing in Toronto, perhaps this new movie, made for television, should be called Play it Long and Loud because the Jamaican-Canadian performer has been taking the stage since the late 1960s. He’s still very much a part of the reggae scene, having performed a major concert in late August at the CNE.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Toronto's Caribbean, Jamaican, and reggae music scene was almost unrivalled in North America in terms of quality and talent. Jay Douglas, the lead singer of The Cougars and one of the biggest and brightest stars of that era, is the subject of this new TVO Original documentary. Produced by Clement Virgo (Brother, The Wire), the documentary will have a special advance preview ahead of its official TV launch next year. There are a limited number of tickets ($14) available for the public at the 6:30 p.m. showing at The Royal Theatre (608 College Street).
"Yes, of course Jay is going to be at the screening," said his PR manager, Eric Alper. "He and his wife will be there to meet his fans!"
Play It Loud! – How Toronto Got Soul traces Douglas's life from his childhood in Jamaica to his immigration to Canada during his teenage years. He settled in Toronto alongside a host of other Jamaica-born artists such as Jackie Mittoo, Leroy Sibbles, and Wayne McGhie. With Toronto becoming a hotbed of Jamaican music, Douglas established himself as the lead singer of The Cougars, a fabulous group that performed a blend of genres (reggae, Caribbean, soul, ska, funk) whenever and wherever they could.
Whether it was in the vibrant clubs on Toronto's Yonge Street during that era or in smaller towns in Northern Ontario or Quebec, the group dazzled fans despite receiving little airplay or label support, aside from appearing on one album, Caribana '67.
Douglas (born Clive Pinnock), described by legendary reggae producer Sly Dunbar as "the Lou Rawls of Jamaican music," continued his music career performing on cruise ships, at banquets, and in clubs long after The Cougars' heyday. In 2006, after influential hip-hop artists discovered a drum break from McGhie's song "Dirty Funk," that time and place in Canadian musical history was resurrected, thanks to Jamaica to Toronto: Soul Funk & Reggae 1967-1974, a now-legendary compilation issued by Seattle label Light In The Attic. The collection shone a spotlight on the blazing Jamaican music scene, Douglas (a three-time Juno Award nominee), and this magical era.
Featuring interviews with Sly Dunbar, vocalist Jackie Richardson, Cadence Weapon (Rollie Pemberton), former MuchMusic host Michael Williams, and many others, and the music of Bob Marley, Bo Diddley, James Brown, The Cougars, and Wayne McGhie, Play It Loud! – How Toronto Got Soul makes its broadcast and digital premiere in February 2025 on TVO and British Columbia's Knowledge Network.
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