Three stars align to bring new definition to longevity
by Dalton Narine
Global - ....The principal protagonist in this bluesy soap opera, The Woman on the Bass, Town say, lives incognito, but many regard her as a dream vision.
....Who’d believe that a few years earlier, a few of your colleagues in Sforzata would treat you like a dree-vay? Shucks, when you turned up for practice, they’d mumble, “Look trouble come.” You, a bass player? Not if we can help it. Tough to make the Panorama side if the bass lines are dribbled out to you as though from the nipple of a baby bottle.
How’d you channel such embarrassment? It drove you up the steep incline to the Desperadoes pan yard. Smack into manager Rudolph Charles’ den of master panists.
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The icing on the cake related to this article would be the backstory on the writing of the actual calypso WOMAN ON THE BASS.
Great story , Dalton.
I must mention the fact that most of the great steelband calypsos of yesteryear told stories of culture and current events that resonated through the carnival season , making them popular hits that stuck in our musical memories.
Beautiful, all these years I though it was just a story, just lyrics, Thank you
This story of the Woman on the BASS brings tears in my eyes. I remember when the public were calling for THE SCRATCHER MAN The boys in the band were telling me how stupid I was. and anytimeI had an eye on a girl, the members used to tell the girl our stupid he is. Well I am proud to have a succesfull marriage and became a band leader of Calypso Pan-tas-tic now living in Australia.
Thanks so much for this piece of important history (to me at least). It has filled in an important piece of my memory of all of it. This tune form Scrunter, and the All Stars' brilliant rendition of it is my all time favorite, only the story of the woman was missing until now. Thank you Dalton, for this work of holding and telling this history of Trinidad & Tobago.
I met her at the Savannah just before Despers ramped onto the stage when she introduced herself. And after the band played I showed her off to the public. But we only chatted for a minute or so on TV. And I've been trying to reach her all these years. Persistence paid off and now you know the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would say.
Many thanks for your interest in the piece.
Great article Dalton. Real history here. Beautiful and effective layout.
bugs
Much appreciation, Bugs