News Americas, GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Mon. Aug. 19, 2024: Guyanese-born singer, Dave Martins, band leader of the Tradewinds and the patriotic ode, ‘Not A Blade of Grass,’ passed away in Guyana on Sunday, August 18th, reports from Guyana indicate. He was 90.
Martins wife, Annette Arjoon-Martins, wrote on Facebook: “Eternally grateful to have shared fifteen years of unconditional love, support and especially shared passions for everything Guyanese with my soulmate.” How Dave Martin died was not immediately clear.
Arjoon Martins also announced that there will be a private funeral for the late cultural hero but a public memorial will be announced at a later date.
President Irfaan Ali and Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton both paid tribute to Dave, a former resident of Canada and the Cayman Islands.
“I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of a true Caribbean icon, Dave Martins, whose music was the heartbeat of our region. As the leader of the Tradewinds band, Dave captured the essence of the Caribbean spirit and its identity, blending upbeat rhythms with biting satire that spoke to our hearts and minds. His music not only invited us to laugh at ourselves but also encouraged us to stand tall and be proud of our Guyanese and Caribbean heritage,” said Ali, “‘Not a Blade of Grass,’ his timeless anthem, stands as a powerful statement to our nation’s collective resistance against threats to our sovereignty and territorial integrity. In our moments of challenges, it was Dave’s music that lifted our spirits, reminding us of the strength and resilience we hold as a people and our duty never to surrender an inch of our territory.”
He continued “Dave Martins was more than just a musician; he was a true Caribbean person whose influence extended beyond borders, touching the lives of countless individuals across the region. His loss is deeply felt, not only in Guyana but throughout the entire Caribbean and in our diaspora. Whenever his music plays, no matter where you are, it stirs a deep sense of pride in being a Caribbean person. The rhythms and melodies carry the essence of our shared heritage, reminding us of who we are and where we come from. Dave Martins’ music connects us to our roots and fills us with a profound love for our Caribbean identity. I extend my heartfelt condolences to his wife, Annette and to his family, friends and massive following of fans.”
Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton told Demerara Waves Online News: “It’s a great loss to Guyana. He is one of our cultural icons and one of the men who took a lot of Guyanese culture and put it into music. Wherever you went in the world, you could have related to it and be proud of it. It is my only hope that we can have more of him. The death of Dave Martins is a great loss to Guyana.”
Martins was born in the village of Hague in Region 3 (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) to Joseph and Zepherina Martins. However, at the tender age of 10, his parents relocated to Vreed-en-Hoop. There, he completed his primary education and went on to attend St. Stanislaus College in Georgetown. And this is where the young Martins developed an interest in literature, music, and a love for different languages.
He fondly recalled in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle last year, that his mother was the one who enjoyed playing and singing songs while his father farmed extensively in the Pomeroon River in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).
Dave Martins enjoyed travelling back and forth with his dad from Pomeroon to Vreed-en-Hoop. This allowed him to interact with a number of people he encountered along the way. The conversations would entail their “real life” stories, which he found fascinating. Because of those conversations, Dave believes the composer/musical side of him was triggered.
Dave also credited the Trinidadian Calypso, which in those days had “drama, suspense, comedy, bravery, and power in the music. I became familiar with the old Trinidad Calypso music from recordings. I knew I wanted to do that type of music but with my twist.”
He and his family moved to Toronto, Canada. There, he was exposed to the “business side” of his musical life. According to him, one day he came across an advertisement in the newspaper for a new Caribbean band. He applied, got through, and played with four other musicians. The band (the Debonairs) was hired to play for six evenings a week, and they performed exceptionally well.
The band moved away from the traditional Latin music to playing a calypso-heavy blend. For several years, the band performed in this style, but Martins’ life was adversely affected by the demanding schedule. In 1963, he quit his weekly job and only performed at the weekends, but the music kept calling him, and in 1966, he founded an entirely new Caribbean band and named it “The Trade Winds.”
“We were a natural group who loved the music, the stories, and the people, and we just grew,” he told The Chronicle. “When we started to record, Canada didn’t have any radio stations that played Caribbean music as they do now, and so we were the pioneers at that time. The market was there at the time, and if you had started a band with good music, you would have gotten work, which we did. I don’t know why I felt like I needed to write the type of music that I did, but I knew I must be true to myself and my roots, which are in Guyana.”
The band’s other songs include “Honeymooning Couple,” “Cricket in the Jungle,” “Civilisation,” “It’s Traditional,” “Copycats,” “Sweet Talk,” “Wong Ping,” “I Want to Be A Puppy,’ “You Can’t Get,” “Boyhood Day,” “Where Are Your Heroes,” “Play De Ting,” “Mr. Rooster,” and “West Indian Alphabet.”
“The song about the honeymooning couple, I wrote that from a joke that I heard, and it blew up, and of course the famous ‘Not a blade of grass’ came from the controversy between Guyana and Venezuela. I also wanted people to relate to what I was singing and get a message from the songs, so I wrote and sang about what was happening at the moment.”
Martins turned 90 in April this year. In 2022, the University of Guyana conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters. The death of Dave Martins is a great loss to Guyana.
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