The way I see it, friendships should be long lasting, no matter the number of years that pass by, when you may not even see the individual.
And so, it was earlier today, Friday 3rd August, I was hustling down Hanley’s Road to record the 90th Birthday celebrations for one of our beloved seniors.
As I headed down the road, I saw an individual with a familiar walk and a very familiar slouch.
Nobody told me that he was here but it had to be him and sure bet-it was!
I was introduced to Cliff GINGER Walters during the late 70’s. That’s a long time back. He was a virtual recluse but I was soon to find out- a TALENTED recluse.
His ‘pardner Joe’ was the one who introduced us. He actually took me to his house to meet him. ‘Joe” or Steadroy Williams was to eventually become my boss at the Public Health Department.
He knew of the many talents of GINGER. He had discovered that he was a decent musician, brilliant composer/song writer and a singer/calypsonian.
However, all the young man did at the time, was to produce song after song, after song, in the privacy of his bedroom and would actually record himself, playing all the instruments and then play them back for his friends to hear.
When JOE heard them, he kept pleading with him to enter the big stage for the Nevis Calypso arena.
His pleas fell on deaf ears. One thing I was to find out: Ginger was an absolutely shy individual.
When I heard a few of his songs, I told him point blank, ‘you are wasting your talents in this room. You MUST go public.’ He just laughed and I felt that I was not going to get him out of that house.
Weeks upon weeks, I pleaded with him and gave him the historical background to my entrance into the Calypso ring and one day, he gave in. Ginger told me he would answer the call. It was like music to my ears!
The rest is history. GINGER has become one of the most noted writers ever, in the history of Nevis calypso and one of the finest calypsonians in the entire region.
Well I newa!
As we greeted each other warmly on Friday, he introduced me to his friend and started to tell her that I was the one to get him into calypso and so we started to reminisce.
So intriguing was our conversation that I only remembered my original mission, when I received a phone call to find out where I was.
We talked about that intriguing Calypso show down at the then Grove Park. Culturama Calypso finals 1981.
That year Ginger and I knew that the real competition was between the two of us. I was singing the eternally popular “NICKNAMES’ and “LEY WE GO’, while Ginger was doing ‘Write the Right History’ and another lyrically sound tune, the name of which I do not recollect at this time.
During the call in program on ZIZ radio earlier in the day, persons called in and voted for the King for the big show. Ginger got a lot more votes than I did, but I was in second place, on the fans’ list.
The night of show, Ginger went before me in the first round and as expected, literally woke up the crowd. Now, for those of you who have some experience in these matters, it is not a nice feeling to follow someone who has just wowed the crowd in such a mighty way. It makes you nervous.
Nervous as I was, I knew I had a big song and so I still had some confidence.
By the time I started “NICKNAMES’, I had the crowd virtually eating out of my hands. By the time the song was done, I knew that we were even-Stevens. Game on!
Ginger again sang just before me in the second round and again, he had the crowd going. My heart sank. His would be an even harder act to follow in the second round. In my mind, I was settling for second place.
Then something happened—or better put, something did not happen. I heard the band, but not Ginger’s voice. I peeked from back stage and what I saw lifted my spirits.
Ginger had BUSS. Ginger forgot all of two lines of his song and his friend asked him, during our conversation, ‘so you couldn’t just put in something else?’
I told her: ‘Ginger panicked.’
He panicked so badly that he just froze and said nothing—absolutely nothing, for two whole lines. Once again, his shy personality came to the fore.
For once, I was not sorry for him. It was my opportunity to play catch up.
Just before I went on stage, I told SWANNY (Elroy Swanston), to play ‘LEH We Go,’ as fast as if they were on the road.
‘You sure you can keep up? He asked cautiously. ‘Yes,’ I said confidently.
That night, I gave the performance of my life. I dominated the stage; threw the mike from hand to hand; passed it between my legs and all the while keeping in tune and rocking the audience.
So moved was the crowd that people threw away their chairs and stood up and danced.
When I was done, I knew that I had won-or so I thought. But the story does not end there.
When I went backstage, I could not find Ginger. I went looking for him and found him in the car park, heading to his vehicle. He told me: ‘I am going home. You aint see how I just embarrass myself?’
I told him that he had done so well that he must get a place and encouraged him to return for the announcements. Little did I know that I was talking to the King!
When the announcements were made, Ginger was crowned King and to add insult to injury, Flamingo was placed first runner up and I was placed second runner up.
But that is not all. A week or two later, Ginger and I were invited to sing as guest artistes on an OBSTINATE show at the Paramount Cinema. When Ginger went on stage, my shy friend found it in himself to say that he did not BUSS. ‘I was so far ahead of the others that I left out a couple of lines, to see if they would catch up.’
I could have BUSS his head!
On Friday, many years later, we laughed about it and just rejoiced in the fact that we were still friends. We took pictures and I gave him my numbers so that we could stay more closely in contact.
Yes friendships are to be treasured and circumstances in life should only serve to solidify them.
That’s the way I see it. How do you see it?