Junior Kelly sets his sights on the US

Root Reggae artiste Junior Kelly spent much of the summer blazing a trail across Europe and is now eager to blaze a trail across the United States of America this fall.

Kelly delivered powerful performances at several events in Europe including the Chiemsee Reggae Festival in Germany,and the Sudoeste Festival in Portugal, where he shared the stage with American superstars Snoop Dogg and Kanye West, as well as roots legends Alpha Blondy, and Inner Circle. 

He also gave rousing performances at the Garance Reggae Festival in France, Ruhr Festival in Germany, and the Oland Roots Festival in Sweden.

The hectic tour also included club dates in Italy, Amsterdam, Denmark, and Slovenia.

Kelly is now tapped to continue his success in Europe at a number of summer festivals throughout the United States.

The artiste, whose given name is Keith Morgan, has spent the past decade touring the world as one of roots reggae's strongest acts. 

His breakthrough single Love So Nice from his album of the same name, established him as a bonafide star in 2000.

His commanding juxtaposition of precisely timed, deejayed rhymes and melodic singing, coupled with his vivid storytelling abilities, took the song to #1 on the Jamaican charts. Love So Nice spent 15 weeks at the top, making it the country's longest charting number one single for 2000. 

The album Love So Nice, released in 2001, also spawned the well-received singles Sunshine, Boom Draw" and the biting social commentary Hungry Days, which brought him recognition throughout the Caribbean, North America, and Europe.

Kelly followed up Love So Nice, with Juvenile and Conscious Voice in 2002), Smile and Bless in 2003 and Tough Life in 2005.

His latest album, Red Pond, released in 2010, features the lilting lovers rock tune Too Late with Queen Ifrica, Murderer, a ferocious admonishment of gun violence and African Child, which was partially inspired by Kelly's unforgettable visit to Haiti.

Earlier this year, Junior Kelly released the critically acclaimed single Mister Mighty, which is currently in rotation on stations around the globe.