Jimmy Justice (musician)

James Anthony Bernard Justice (né Little; 15 December 1939 – 15 November 2022) was an English pop singer who scored three Top 40 hit records in the United Kingdom in 1962.

Biography

James Anthony Bernard Little was born in Bermondsey, South London, England on 15 December 1939. As a young man, Little befriended Dave and George Sweetnam, who were stepbrothers of Emile Ford. Because of this, Little was occasionally invited to sing with the Checkmates, and was encouraged by Ford to start his own group. After competing in a talent show in 1959 he was noticed by executives from EMI, but he eventually signed with Pye Records instead at the urging of Ford. His debut single, credited to Jimmy Justice and the Jury, was 1960's "I Understand Just How You Feel". While "the Jury" was the name used for Justice's subsequent backing band, on this first recording he is backed by the Checkmates.

Despite "I Understand"'s lack of success, Pye offered Jimmy a three-year recording contract. While visiting his girlfriend, who lived in Sweden, he sang in clubs and on radio and television, resulting in his first major exposure; eventually, he would score a major hit in Sweden with the tune "Little Lonely One", originally by the Jarmels. He remained in Sweden during the time that his records began to break in the UK, with three of them hitting the UK Singles Chart in 1962; "When My Little Girl Is Smiling" (No.