Byron Lee: One of the Greatest
By Shyko Amos-Zwambila
The
Dragon, Caribbean Musical Icon and Bandleader are
just some of the titles used to describe the late
Byron Lee who passed away on November 4, 2008 after
a brave battle with cancer.
How do you begin to pay homage
to a man, whose music has successfully spanned 50
years, entertaining three generations of Caribbean
people? As a twenty-six year old hearing of Byron
Lee’s death, I instantly remembered my grandfather
giving me the nickname Tiny Winey at the age of about
three. Tiny Winey was the first calypso tune I knew
and would cement my love of this music forever. "Grandad"
Amos would sing to me "tiny winey" and I
would answer him with that well known refrain, "wine
yuh boom boom". This was the magic of Byron Lee’s
music. For so many West Indians worldwide, his catchy,
rhythmic melodies brought love and togetherness across
the ages, and across the islands.
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December
/ January, 2008 Issue
In
Caribbean households, Christmas is not Christmas without
black-cake. The Christmas season, is a time to soak
fruit, buy liquor and gear up for weeks of eating
and drinking. Other than getting presents, one of
my fondest memories of Christmas was sneaking a bit
of cake mix from the bowl (or bucket, as my grandmother
made cakes for family at home and abroad). Nothing
could beat a slice of black cake with a glass of sorrel
or ginger beer, some nuts, and candy on the side.
Any self respecting Caribbean household would have
to suffer the “ole talk” of dozens of
guests if they didn’t have some cake to serve
when people came by
