(October 18, 2022) I detected a hint of Michael Jackson in Junior Giscombe’s vocals on his 1982 song and biggest hit “Mama Used to Say.” I heard “Mama Used to Say” a lot during the spring and summer of my senior year in high school. The coming-of-age tune that told the story of the pearls of wisdom dropped by his ‘mama’ was all over the radio and became a part of the setlist on the soundtrack for that year. It reached Number 2 on the R&B charts and was a Top 30 Pop hit, making Junior one of the first British R&B singers to have a hit on this side of the Atlantic. Rolling Stone magazine ranked “Mama Used to Say” as one of the top 100 songs of 1982, coming in at number 75.
(October 18, 2022) I detected a hint of Michael Jackson in Junior Giscombe’s vocals on his 1982 song and biggest hit “Mama Used to Say.” I heard “Mama Used to Say” a lot during the spring and summer of my senior year in high school. The coming-of-age tune that told the story of the pearls of wisdom dropped by his ‘mama’ was all over the radio and became a part of the setlist on the soundtrack for that year. It reached Number 2 on the R&B charts and was a Top 30 Pop hit, making Junior one of the first British R&B singers to have a hit on this side of the Atlantic. Rolling Stone magazine ranked “Mama Used to Say” as one of the top 100 songs of 1982, coming in at number 75.
“Mama” was the biggest hit for an artist who had had a solid career that produced a half dozen Top 40 hits on the US R&B chart, and Giscombe has remained active as is evidenced his latest single, the very funky “Who’s Been Schoolin’ U.” Giscombe remains in his sweet spot of 1980s era synth funk. “Who’s Been Schoolin’ U” is a bumping jam filled with deep funky bass, syncopated hand claps, keyboards and a jazzy saxophone solo that could have easily followed “Mama Used to Say” on the radio in 1982.
With the help of Minneaoplis stalwart Walter Chancellor Jr, the song finds Giscombe adopting a funky vocal from the Larry Dodson Bar-Kays school and an infectious and fun romp about a woman who can teach a masters class on grifting and ingratitude. Check it out here.
By Howard Dukes
Junior - "Who's Been Schoolin' U"