Clive Bradley and I both grew up in Greenhill Village Diego Martin. We were part of the generation of boys in the late ninteen fifties early sixties who happened to be the benficiaries of a quality of Secondary Education out of what was then perceived to be the prestige schools in the country, he out of Fatima and I St. Mary’s College. A number of the other guys were out of QRC, Osmond, Burkes High School, Belmont Intermediate,and St Crispin’s.
We played both cricket and football. In a football game he took a shot that hit the cross bar then ricohetted to my left foot and I made no mistake in scoring the goal that levelled the score in a Diego Martin league match. We eventually went on to win the game from a deft pass Clive made to me just outside the penalty box.
Photo: Andre' Walker 2nd from the top right. Sometimes after a game or on a holiday we would run and/or walk to Blue Basin which was approximately one mile from the savannah in the village. There, some of the guys would climb up the vertical jagged rock formation that skirted the basin and dive from the stone edged cliff that marked the semi circled basin. Clive was one of the most daring ones who seemed to be able to do the climb to the highest ledge of jagged face of the rock with consumate ease. He would then perch himself on the most accommodating stone protrusion for footing and then dive from a height of approximately forty feet into the coffin like basin of unfathomable depths below. I watched at him in awe as he emerged from the depths.
Photo: Blue Basin Water Fall. There were many fatalities that happened at Blue Basin, one of which I witnessed as one of our guys who played in goal for our team Gentlemen scraped his body on his descent during his high dive and had to be rushed to hospital where he spent a long time recuperating.
This watching in awe will continue for the rest of my association and connection with Clive. He played the guitar and would from time to time play for the sheer pleasure of it, as we gathered to play cards at one another’s home. Once on visiting at our home he would sit and play some popular tunes on an old honky tonk piano we had. This amazed me. He knew I loved to play the harmonica, so he would encourage me to play it as he strummed in accompaniment on the guitar. The song “Young Love Sweet Love” sung by Bobby Darin (I believe) was one such that he liked and persuaded me and two of my younger sisters who both sang to join him. When we finished he would turn to my mother who also loved singing, and say “Mrs.Walker we have music to make here.” These were prophetic words put out by him to the Universe. The rest is now his story.
It was a long time afterwards that I was made aware of and came to realize that he was wooing one of my many beautiful sisters as he went on to do with many other admiring lady friends he had around that time, because of his natural charm and charisma.
First car 1965 Photo Charlene Phillip. I had my first experience of playing a pan through Clive and his cousin Frank Bradley aka Pepe. Pepe was the captain of the band that was based underneath the house where they lived in the village. Clive would come down in the pan area and play any pan. He told me if I wished to learn I could look at what he was doing and then do the same. I did just that after some tries and with him slowing down the movement of his hands on a guitar pan. He was introducing me to some strumming chords. I was amazed again.
The first steelband Clive arranged music for was called Melo Stars from Covigne Road in Diego Martin. At the Diego Martin R.C Boys School, he was their Math and English teacher. It was while he worked at this school in Diego Martin that he got a scholarship to study Agriculture at the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture (ICTA.) an institution that was indeed the precursor to UWI. Clive was the recipient of a Certificate in Agriculture from ICTA which at that time was the only one of its kind in the world.
Most of the parents and their children in the village held teacher Clive in high esteem. The guys in the lime had a healthy respect for him in their awareness of his knowledge, his skills and his talent. He was brilliant and self effacing as he “did what he had to do and saw it through without exception.”
Clive was the saxophonist, pianist and guitarist respectively of a band that played at the Penthouse atop Salvatori’s Building which was located at the corner of Fredrick Street and Independence Square. If I am not mistaken, Choy Aming,was the proprietor and band leader. Clive moonlighted in this activity as he continued his teaching profession during the day. The story is told that on many a morning as he arrived late for his class the Principal Mr.Scipio Mark a strict disciplinarian as Principals then were, would turn in another direction to avoid noticing and having to discipline him. Clive led a combo side called Esquires Now whose music around that time was very much the choice of the young people. The combo was very popular and was in great demand for many of the teen dance parties. He played the organ in the band .
So these are some of my memories of Clive Bradley as we grew up in Diego Martin. He loved music and teaching. As we drifted apart through my moving out from Diego Martin after getting married in the early sixties, we would meet by chance occasionally and he would ask me jokingly and with a wicked grin on his face, “Andre' yuh still playing the mouth organ?” I would answer “no I am learning piano and want to beat pan.” He in turn would say “but you can do all of of them man.”
As I look back with amazement and awe having regard to what he has left for us in the music of the steel band and through which he fully employed his teaching skills, I could only surmise that the spirit we called Clive Bradley supped at the table of the Muses.
Here’s to Clive Bradley steel band music arranger legend par excellence. He really and truly had music to make for us all. Let us remember him for what he was and what he left with us in the magical music of the pan that is.. “May the good Lord bless an keep him.”
Andre Godwin Walker. On the Celebration of our local Mardi Gras Carnival Tuesday 28th February, 2017
Post Script: I completed this memoir between last night and this morning accompanied by the coasting pan music of one of the scintillating arrangements Clive Bradley did with Despers in the background. I suggest that the reader should do the same as they read.
Andre, I also lived in Diego Martin, Anne Avenue, and remember your family. At one time Clive lived on Allan Street, not far from my parents home. He drove a red MG sports car and we would exchange greetings as he drove by. My brother lived in Brooklyn, Rogers Avenue, and while visiting him pre Labour Day, he took me to one of the Panyards in the area. He said that he wanted to introduce me to the master arranger from Trinidad. I realized that it was Clive but said nothing. " Clive, I want you to meet my brother who lives in Toronto". Clive smiled and said, " Morris, Anne Avenue," My brother was surprised. Clive was very friendly and had many friends in the neighbourhood.
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The Legacy of Clive Bradley...
As I remember Clive Bradley
Clive Bradley and I both grew up in Greenhill Village Diego Martin. We were part of the generation of boys in the late ninteen fifties early sixties who happened to be the benficiaries of a quality of Secondary Education out of what was then perceived to be the prestige schools in the country, he out of Fatima and I St. Mary’s College. A number of the other guys were out of QRC, Osmond, Burkes High School, Belmont Intermediate,and St Crispin’s.
We played both cricket and football. In a football game he took a shot that hit the cross bar then ricohetted to my left foot and I made no mistake in scoring the goal that levelled the score in a Diego Martin league match. We eventually went on to win the game from a deft pass Clive made to me just outside the penalty box.
Photo: Andre' Walker 2nd from the top right.
Sometimes after a game or on a holiday we would run and/or walk to Blue Basin which was approximately one mile from the savannah in the village. There, some of the guys would climb up the vertical jagged rock formation that skirted the basin and dive from the stone edged cliff that marked the semi circled basin. Clive was one of the most daring ones who seemed to be able to do the climb to the highest ledge of jagged face of the rock with consumate ease. He would then perch himself on the most accommodating stone protrusion for footing and then dive from a height of approximately forty feet into the coffin like basin of unfathomable depths below. I watched at him in awe as he emerged from the depths.
Photo: Blue Basin Water Fall.
There were many fatalities that happened at Blue Basin, one of which I witnessed as one of our guys who played in goal for our team Gentlemen scraped his body on his descent during his high dive and had to be rushed to hospital where he spent a long time recuperating.
This watching in awe will continue for the rest of my association and connection with Clive. He played the guitar and would from time to time play for the sheer pleasure of it, as we gathered to play cards at one another’s home. Once on visiting at our home he would sit and play some popular tunes on an old honky tonk piano we had. This amazed me. He knew I loved to play the harmonica, so he would encourage me to play it as he strummed in accompaniment on the guitar. The song “Young Love Sweet Love” sung by Bobby Darin (I believe) was one such that he liked and persuaded me and two of my younger sisters who both sang to join him. When we finished he would turn to my mother who also loved singing, and say “Mrs.Walker we have music to make here.” These were prophetic words put out by him to the Universe. The rest is now his story.
It was a long time afterwards that I was made aware of and came to realize that he was wooing one of my many beautiful sisters as he went on to do with many other admiring lady friends he had around that time, because of his natural charm and charisma.
First car 1965 Photo Charlene Phillip.
I had my first experience of playing a pan through Clive and his cousin Frank Bradley aka Pepe. Pepe was the captain of the band that was based underneath the house where they lived in the village. Clive would come down in the pan area and play any pan. He told me if I wished to learn I could look at what he was doing and then do the same. I did just that after some tries and with him slowing down the movement of his hands on a guitar pan. He was introducing me to some strumming chords. I was amazed again.
The first steelband Clive arranged music for was called Melo Stars from Covigne Road in Diego Martin. At the Diego Martin R.C Boys School, he was their Math and English teacher. It was while he worked at this school in Diego Martin that he got a scholarship to study Agriculture at the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture (ICTA.) an institution that was indeed the precursor to UWI. Clive was the recipient of a Certificate in Agriculture from ICTA which at that time was the only one of its kind in the world.
Most of the parents and their children in the village held teacher Clive in high esteem. The guys in the lime had a healthy respect for him in their awareness of his knowledge, his skills and his talent. He was brilliant and self effacing as he “did what he had to do and saw it through without exception.”
Clive was the saxophonist, pianist and guitarist respectively of a band that played at the Penthouse atop Salvatori’s Building which was located at the corner of Fredrick Street and Independence Square. If I am not mistaken, Choy Aming,was the proprietor and band leader. Clive moonlighted in this activity as he continued his teaching profession during the day. The story is told that on many a morning as he arrived late for his class the Principal Mr.Scipio Mark a strict disciplinarian as Principals then were, would turn in another direction to avoid noticing and having to discipline him. Clive led a combo side called Esquires Now whose music around that time was very much the choice of the young people. The combo was very popular and was in great demand for many of the teen dance parties. He played the organ in the band .
So these are some of my memories of Clive Bradley as we grew up in Diego Martin. He loved music and teaching. As we drifted apart through my moving out from Diego Martin after getting married in the early sixties, we would meet by chance occasionally and he would ask me jokingly and with a wicked grin on his face, “Andre' yuh still playing the mouth organ?” I would answer “no I am learning piano and want to beat pan.” He in turn would say “but you can do all of of them man.”
As I look back with amazement and awe having regard to what he has left for us in the music of the steel band and through which he fully employed his teaching skills, I could only surmise that the spirit we called Clive Bradley supped at the table of the Muses.
Here’s to Clive Bradley steel band music arranger legend par excellence. He really and truly had music to make for us all. Let us remember him for what he was and what he left with us in the magical music of the pan that is.. “May the good Lord bless an keep him.”
Andre Godwin Walker.
On the Celebration of our local Mardi Gras
Carnival Tuesday 28th February, 2017
Post Script: I completed this memoir between last night and this morning accompanied by the coasting pan music of one of the scintillating arrangements Clive Bradley did with Despers in the background. I suggest that the reader should do the same as they read.
Despers - Picture on my Wall slow jamz
http://www.seetobago.org/trinidad/pan/archive/uwi2004/99735532_char...
Andre, I also lived in Diego Martin, Anne Avenue, and remember your family. At one time Clive lived on Allan Street, not far from my parents home. He drove a red MG sports car and we would exchange greetings as he drove by. My brother lived in Brooklyn, Rogers Avenue, and while visiting him pre Labour Day, he took me to one of the Panyards in the area. He said that he wanted to introduce me to the master arranger from Trinidad. I realized that it was Clive but said nothing. " Clive, I want you to meet my brother who lives in Toronto". Clive smiled and said, " Morris, Anne Avenue," My brother was surprised. Clive was very friendly and had many friends in the neighbourhood.