My name is Junior Miller, I was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica. My parents were very young, my mother was only 14 and my father 19 and both were extremely poor. My father was a smart and lucky young man who mastered 3 card poker, traveling to the Bahamas, Miami, and Cayman winning big. He used his winnings to build a house, a commercial building, and start a full band with every possible instrument, from the double conga to the flute.
Growing up with two younger brothers, our life was extraordinary. We learned music by watching the musicians of the time like Glen Washington on drums, bully on keyboards, bubbles on base guitar, Merick on lead guitar and Tony Sabratie as lead singer. Our daily routine involved watching and learning from these musicians as they practiced five days a week and played live at my father’s night club on weekends.
We experienced both rich and poor sides of life, which always reminded us to stay humble. By the time we reached our teens, my brothers and I, along with a new musician on keyboard, Augie, were jamming at our house where we lived with our father. Our house on Hampton Drive was the place were live music played everyday after school. However, things changed when my father left Jamaica for a few weeks and returned to find all his band members jumped ship for better-paying opportunities or so they thought. That was questionable since they had to pay for their own food and drink then.
Life became challenging when my stepmother left for America due to my father’s drinking problem. We started going to school hungry, with no lunch money. People couldn’t understand how a supposedly rich man’s children could be in such a situation. Despite the hardships, our father had taught us not to depend on others, to be self-reliant and respectful.
In 1985, I unexpectedly left Jamaica for the Cayman Islands to live with my mother after almost 15 years with my father. I abandoned school exams and started working construction with my new stepfather. I made sure my brothers had food, clothes, and money, constantly moving between Jamaica and Cayman.
My siblings were spread out – some in the United States, some with different mothers. My brother Hugh always encouraged me to continue our family’s musical legacy. Though I wasn’t initially interested in pursuing music professionally, I remained involved with sound systems and occasionally DJing.
In the mid-1980s, I started developing my music industry persona “PRO-LINKS”. Meeting young star Little Kirk was a turning point, sparking a friendship that has lasted from the mid-1980s until today. I began exploring event promotion, always ensuring Kirk was invited to performances.
My official journey in the music industry started in 2008 when I applied for a recording license at JIPO in Jamaica. After obtaining a 10-year license, we recorded a 7-song CD for my brother Donovan, but struggled with marketing and sales. The record label went dormant for about 8 years.
By 2018, with the original license expiring, I decided to renew systematically. In June 2021, I renewed the PRO LINKS RECORDING & PROMOTION License, receiving it back in December of the same year. NOW I AM IN THE STARTING BLOCKS AGAIN, READY THIS TIME.