One of the reasons why Barbados’ spouge beat failed to blossom successfully was that the music industry was controlled by a group of corporate entities when it was trying to establish its presence on the market.
This assertion was made by bassist and recording engineer Norman Barrow, ( PICTURED ABOVE ) during the Jackie Opel Day roundtable discussion Celebrating The Life & Music Of A Legend at the Courtney Blackman Grande Salle, Central Bank, on Saturday night.
The event, coordinated by the National Library Service, also had as panellists entertainers Richard Stoute and Desmond Weekes; adjunct lecturer in music at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill, Dr Stefan Walcott, and songwriter Sach Moore.
“The music industry was controlled by [a certain company] and all the people who were making waves and selling thousands and thousands of copies all over the Caribbean. In the late ’60s and ’70s Barbados was a different place than it is now socially and it was not supposed to happen. That is my feeling.
“We suffered from it. I suffered from it. I can tell you stories that make you cry, about the pressure that was put on me by the same organisation to stop doing what I was doing,” said Barrow.
The above feature first appeared in NATION NEWS August 29 at 11:53 AM…..
Entertainer Desmond Weekes.
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Entertainer Richard Stoute.
