Maxie, bring on ‘culture radio’

THE EDITOR: As a culture man, allow me to plead a case for a “culture radio” station which will give voice to “pan song” composers.

I think they are being disrespected by some radio deejays who wear the red, white and black but their hearts are Jamaican.

Recently, I asked the Government to consider a “culture radio” station which will embrace all the music of TT. Now I don’t call a spade a shovel. I am not getting into the foolish argument about pan songs and pan could play anything.

While I applaud WACK radio deejays, Power 102 deejays Saldenah and David “Daddy Mac” Mc Intyre, I95.5 FM’s Keith Diaz of Steelband Times, the trio Ruskin Mark, Llewellyn “Shortpants” Mc Intosh and Vanessa Herbert of Talk City 91.1 FM for keeping the pan songs pumping and giving pan composers “a play,” it is just not enough.

Calypso and pan are being treated like vagrants in TT. As a true blue “culture man” it hurts to hear these artistes’ lament, while some deejays “Jamaicanise” our youth.

Do you know there are over 1,000 pan song composed since Kitchener’s (Aldwyn Roberts) Steelband Music in 1936? Anthony “Muff Man” Williams followed almost 50 years ago with Pan Down Fifth Avenue. Then the floodgates opened.

There are so many sweet pan melodies from calypso bards Kitchie, Sparrow, Terror, De Fosto, Shadow, Black Stalin, Bro Valentino, Colin Lucas, SuperBlue, Ellsworth James, Crazy, Merchant, Duke, Pelham Goddard, David Rudder, Ray Holman, Alvin Daniel, Larry Harewood, the late Edwin Pouchet, Ken “Professor” Philmore, Jason “Peanuts” Isaac, Dennis Smith, Len “Boogsie”Sharpe, Gregory Ballantyne, Clive “Tele” Telemaque, Robert Greenidge, Mark Louquan, Amrit Samaroo, and others waiting to be played. I could go on till the sun comes up.

Why does this disrespect continue when, year after year, composers burn the midnight oil, put their hands in their financial pockets, only to have a Trinidadian-born, Jamaican-inspired deejay put it on a shelf? I say love your own, Mr Deejay.

Long Live pan songs and calypso. Bring on “culture radio,” Communications Minister Maxie Cuffie. Get well quickly to sort out this vexing problem.

KEITH ANDERSON via email