Where He Gone? Paying Tribute To William Smokey Burke

Firstly, I send greetings from sunny Barbados to my readers from: Spain, United Kingdom, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Turkey and the British Virgin Islands. 😎

I thought of highlighting Rihanna's stirring acceptance speech at the NAACP Image Awards on receiving the President's Award for her wonderful philanthropic work. It would be quite popular and if you've not seen it, you can follow that link.

Then I remembered that a couple of years ago, I noted on this blog the desire to feature interesting Barbadians. On February 26, 2020, 69-year-old entertainer, William "Smokey" Burke passed away. So I am highlighting Smokey today. We share an alma mater - Harrison College - in different decades. 

                                       Calypsonian William "Smokey Burke" (1950-2020)

These clips show insights into Barbados' past - both in the lyrics of Smokey's calypso rendition and his details about the local music scene.

Known in the recent past for his contribution to calypso in Barbados, what I discovered in putting this tribute together is that he used to sing other genres and he played both drum and bass guitar. He also toured with the international group The Drifters, so he was no "fly-by-night" entertainer - to use local parlance. 

This is one of my favourite calypsos by him as it reveals the wit of the artist. The Prime Minister at the time was the Right Honourable Owen Arthur and the song really is saying that he has complete control of everything happening in Barbados:

         “Barbados Calypso Music” – Smokey Burke – Arthur Seat (Crop Over 2004) [Cheyne Jones 2015]

This clip shows a much younger Smokey performing a duet with a former band member, Cynthia Layne. What I love about this is the vocal quality of these two middle-aged persons who had not sung together for 25 years or so - and this is a recording from more than 20 years ago! It is also a great historical record of a youngster in the annual Richard Stoute Teen Talent contest, Ishiaka McNeil, who since went on to perform in the calypso arena as well as to become a member of the Laugh it Off crew (a popular comedy revue). At the end of this clip, he is rendering a spouge song, which is a sound unique to Barbados in the late 1960s/70s and a groove that I love because it was kicking on the radio when I was a child. 

                                            Smokey Burke & Cynthia Layne  [Jeff Grannum 2014]

Finally, this face-to-face interview produced by Jeff Grannum, seven years ago, provides a rich glimpse of Barbados' entertainment scene decades ago in Smokey's words. He is an excellent story-teller. It was an interview with him during his recovery after a battle with cancer.

                                                  Off the Cuff! Smokey Burke [Jeff Grannum 2013] 

Smokey went on to compete in the national calypso competition again. Then in 2018, when he came with two very strong songs, he took ill suddenly and was unable to compete in the finals. Over the last year he was trying to rally from that illness, however as February drew to a close, he lost his final battle. 

May he rest in peace. 😢

Celebrating The Motherland

The month of February is celebrated as African Awareness Month in Barbados. Local school children were taught British History during the colonial era; then we were introduced to Caribbean history in the post-Independence era. More recently, children are learning about Africa and the untold stories of great achievements by persons of African heritage. That will be the focus for today's blog entry. 

With that let me shout out the person in Zambia who visited the blog. 👋 Someone in Indonesia also visited recently. Hello from the gem of the Caribbean, Barbados.

Coinciding with African Awareness, is the national release of the regional film, JOSEPH - the story of a West Indian professional, who reconnects with his African roots in Ghana. The movie has been receiving some acclaim internationally. Ladies and Gentlemen, the official trailer for JOSEPH...

                                  JOSEPH Official trailer [Dave Weekes, November 2019]

Coincidentally,  in December 2019, Barbados' Prime Minister, the Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, reciprocated a visit from the President of Ghana, His Excellency Uhuru Kenyata. Here is a clip of her brief speech on the occasion of the 56th Jamhuri Day celebrations. 

                      Mia Amor Mottley’s during Jamhuri Day celebrations  [DailyNation, December 2019] 

As Barbados' Prime Minister mentioned the word "battle", I considered sharing Shontelle Layne's "Battle Cry" - one of several songs by her that I enjoy immensely. She is Barbadian for anyone who did not know this and she is one of the actresses in JOSEPH as well. Then I opted for Barbados' own Alison Hinds' collab with Richie Spice, which celebrates our people as Kings and Queens - after centuries of being brainwashed into thinking we are slaves, property, a different species, "hewers of wood and drawers of water". The whole purpose of African Awareness month is to remind our children of the great continent Africa has always been and to instill pride in our African heritage. Note also that Alison Hinds is starring in JOSEPH.

                                     Richie Spice & Alison Hinds – King & Queen [Jay Will, July 2009]

In parting, I say here's to our Kings and Queens everywhere.👑