Barbadians living abroad can use this space to share experiences, search for news about what is happening on the Rock.
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2,162 responses to “Diaspora Corner”
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Lari Basilio guitar sweetness.
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Cheating on G G lol but this Brit can sing.
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Couldn’t resist. G G pure sweetness.
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Enjoy.
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World class. Minister John King take note,
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Edwin
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Who knew that “Midnight Train to Georgia” started as “Midnight Plane to Houston” or that Cissy Houston mother of Whitney recorded it first?
Jim Weatherley the song writer just died and the heading of his obit reads “Jim Weatherly, whose song ‘Midnight Train to Georgia’ started with a plane to Houston, dies at 77”
Some people here may have heard of “ slow grind”, a few here (present company included) would have been “grinding” to Gladys Knight and the Pips back in the day.
Here is a refresher
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Alanna White on drums is awesome. All female band.
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Shhhhhh
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@ Sargeant
I interviewed Gladys Knight and the Pips in the early 1980s at the Dominion in Tottenham Court Road. I had asked for an interview for ages and it was not granted. When I met her I told her about the delay. She was genuinely shocked. Her manager had not told them.
She was apologetic and kind. -
I used to frequent a used music/book store owned by an acquaintance (he acquired most of his inventory from Estate sales, (it’s amazing people die and their family sell off their complete record collection that the deceased had spent a lifetime collecting) . I would purchase music that caught my fancy, but I missed out on purchasing the Mills Brothers greatest hits on on CD.
The Mills Brothers was the longest lasting black singing group, I believe they sang together for over 50 years, originally there were 4 brothers and after one brother died their father replaced him.
This song is from The Nat King Cole show
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desperately seeking Bajan music videos lol
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Bajan queen still got it.
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G G still sweet
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@Hants
Audio Crop Over could be answer
IN THE FIGHT to contain the raging COVID-19, the cancellation of Crop Over 2020 was an expected and nationally responsible decision.
It fell in line with that of
We Gatherin’ and of all other events globally that depend on crowd attendance for their existence, financial and otherwise.
The Crop Over festival originates from and is driven primarily by music, predominantly calypso. It is appreciated and enjoyed in greater numbers more by listenership than by viewership or revelry.
Our main industry, tourism, is boosted and dominated financially by the influx of tourists who participate physically in celebrations, hitherto ignorant of social distancing. This does not mean that the would-be tourists would not enjoy the same music broadcast on air and online.
Music broadcast
As chief proponent of cultural and creative industries in a technological environment, the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) should transpose its usual programme into a music broadcast, for the continuity of the festival and the benefit of its artistes.
The NCF has engaged in earlier sessions of radio broadcast, e.g. organising tent recordings to be heard in homes, which increased attendance in the tents – the occasion of “no new music” when old music took over the airways.
Every year, there is an outcry from the public and deejays that the music is taking too long to come out.
Last year, recording producer Chris Allman, in promoting and encouraging online business, concluded that the country wants music around the time Crop Over is usually held.
The chief executive officer of COSCAP (Copyright Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Incorporated), [Erica Smith], also urged that “beyond immediate relief, the aim should not be to embed a system of charity and mendicancy but one that enables participants with the ability to develop their business”.
Innovation
COVID-19 should not be a killer of creativity but, like any other necessity, be the mother of innovation. NCF, let’s embark on the first audio Crop Over.
Using the same timetabled programme, let’s call the disappointed exponents back to action – songwriters, calypsonians, back-up singers, arrangers, instrumentalists, recording studios, engineers, DJs, broadcasters.
This venture will need the unprecedented collaboration of all the radio stations of CBC ( Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation) and Starcom Network, not only in synchronising programming but in sharing experience of similar initiatives, like the Peoples’ Monarch that embraced listeners’ participation by electronic voting.
The NCF’s Party Monarch already had the model of calypsonians submitting their songs on CDs to be judged, but in camera, for selection to go forward.
In this proposal, the NCF would be the coordinator of the submission of recordings to the radio stations for public electronic voting.
Amid their usual promotional material, special notices should be sent to their parent ministry, as well as to the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Tourism, BACA (Barbados Association of Creatives and Artistes), BATMAN (Barbados Association of Tents Managers), registered calypso tents, sponsors, advertising agencies, banks, insurance companies local and international, where possible.
Radio stations
The broadcast of competitions – Pic-O-De Crop, Party and Sweet Soca,
and possibly Junior Monarch – would be discussed with radio stations as to dates, times of broadcast and of voting, and sourcing numerators for collating results.
The proposed new format for audio Crop Over is: 1. The usual registration procedures will be maintained.
2. Deadlines for entries set.
3. Each calypsonian will enter and sing the same one song lyrically, which may be improved but not changed to be identified with another competition which might be in place.
4. The first selection of songs will be judged for the suitability of the recording for broadcast by a team of engineers.
5. Judging will be by the public until the finals when a reduced panel will be chosen for rank order judging.
6. Judging will be of songs, without reference to the singer’s name or usual
stage name.
7. No more than three backups will be allowed for any song.
8. Social distancing must be observed in the recording studio.
9. The NCF will be responsible for prizes for ten finalists, winner’s trophy and competing fees for 20/15 semi-finalists in the Pic-O-De-Crop competition.
10. The usual prize structure will exist for any other approved event.
Further implementation of such a programme will reopen avenues in business for the Crop Over artistes locally and attract new customers online, where the would-be tourists and friends would still enjoy and purchase the music of their choice.
Additionally, whenever COVID-19 has passed, the artistes could organise shows with this same music.
In conclusion, calypso and calypsonians have been acclaimed as the historians of the community, the region and world affairs. It would be a sin of omission if the greatest international pandemic ever, COVID-19, is not recorded in the oral and aural annals of calypso. It therefore behoves the authorities and NCF to avoid such a travesty.
Anthony Walrond was chairman of the National Cultural Foundation from 1986 to 1994.Source: Nation
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Bunny Wailer dies at 73
KINGSTON – Jamaica is mourning the death of reggae legend Bunny Wailer, who passed away yesterday morning at the age of 73.
The three-time Grammy Award
winner, whose given name was Neville Livingston, died around 9 a.m. at Andrew’s Memorial Hospital here, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange confirmed.
Bunny Wailer, a founding member of iconic reggae group The Wailers, which also included Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, had been ailing for several years.
He suffered a stroke in 2018 and another in July 2020 and had been hospitalised several times since.
“Today, the last surviving Wailer has passed. His son, Abijah, said to me this morning that ‘Bunny Wailer cannot die, he has transitioned’,” Grange said in a statement.
“We mourn the passing of this outstanding singer, songwriter and percussionist and celebrate his life and many accomplishments.”
In 2017, the Jamaican government awarded him the Order Of Merit,
the country’s fourth highest honour.
Then, in February 2019, the government recognised his contribution to Jamaican music again with a Reggae Gold Award.
“We remain grateful for the role that Bunny Wailer played in the development and popularity of reggae music across the world. We remember with great pride how Bunny, Bob Marley and Peter Tosh took reggae music to the four corners of the earth,” the culture minister said.
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Respect from Toronto news media.
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A reminder there is sweetness in this world
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African music
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Look what just showed up
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Talent!
On Fri, Mar 5, 2021 at 3:11 AM Barbados Underground wrote:
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Enjoy.
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Still distracted lol. From 2017
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Barbados
” The shocking image of a 14-year-old girl, lying naked on a cement floor in a solitary confinement cell at the Government Industrial School (GIS),
investigations revealed that the child, who was sent to the school two weeks ago after being charged for wandering, was placed in what is called the “suicide cell” as is the practice with new entrants at the institution, a reform school for delinquent boys and girls.”
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Like this young lady’s singing.
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What I am listening to right now. Nice distraction from the Covid chatter.
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The Blogmaster seemed to have an interest in Real estate, a few weeks back in a short exchange. This full article is firewalled, but it follows on the money sources discussed.
“The property actually sold conditionally near the asking price to a couple in Singapore in March, 2020, he says. When the coronavirus pandemic disrupted global travel and financial markets, they struggled for three weeks to get funds out of Singapore before the deal fell apart.
“Unfortunately the offer could not go through,” Mr. Qin says.
He adds that clients from around the world – including Europe, Russia, the Middle East, South America and the United States – have been shopping for luxury properties in Oakville, west of Toronto.
Mr. Qin says the buyer is a local resident who decided to take advantage of the dampened interest from overseas before borders reopen.
“The buyer said, ‘I don’t want to compete with international buyers.’”I have it on reliable advisement the buyer is “local” via Hong Kong.
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@NO
You will have to share more offline if you can.
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Coming up.
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Therapy
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More therapy
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Air Canada to resume service to some sun destination flights in May
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/air-canada-flights-south-1.5961148
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World class muscians.
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Can you imagine the heavenly choir?
https://youtu.be/GO96o42yWcY -
Grown up music
Enjoy
https://youtu.be/_whzSYOcskI -
Enjoy
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Great post. Great music. I was trying to find Emmerton but could not find it.
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This is without doubt one of the greatest songs by a Bajan
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@ David,
Thought you would have the inside scoop.lol
https://www.nationnews.com/2021/04/06/two-tourism-executives-resign/
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@Hants
Like she stated, time for a new challenge.
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