Soul Sunday a hit!

Tongues were set wagging and the appetites for the arts were somewhat sated when the first night of a concert series put on by the Prime Minister's Office came off this past Sunday night. With the Daphne Joseph Hackett Theatre providing the backdrop for a handful of specially-invited guests, several of the island’s more talented entertainers got a chance to strut their stuff after months of inactivity.

Set to be aired on CBC TV8 from as early as this coming Sunday, the concert series, which will also feature a 'Reggae Affair' and 'Soca Everywhere', got things started with 'Soul Sunday'. The small but wildly appreciative crowd was treated to some of the most memorable soul jams from the likes of Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind and Fire, Luther Vandross, Patti Austin and James Ingram as they were taken on a trip of love and joy.

Backed by a solid band of young, talented musicians, the roster of featured artists included singers who plied their trade on cruise ships and on the local hotel circuit. With names such as Terencia Coward, Edwin Yearwood, Lisa Griffith, Kathy-Ann Charles, Betty Griffith-Payne and Shernell Bovell belting out classic hits, what was most notable was the inclusion of the likes of Barry Chandler, Claudia Jack, Brian Carter and Kimberley Inniss who have all been missing from the mainstream local entertainment scene for many years.

Speaking to the Barbados Advocate, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office with responsibility for Culture and the National Development Commission John King explained that the initiative was put in place to ensure that entertainers had an opportunity to work while members of the public would not be robbed of the opportunity to see the offerings. “We have had for a very long time, a lot of our artists, especially those who worked in the hotel industry, because of COVID-19 some of them have not been able to work for almost two years. With no tourists on-island a lot of their jobs were gone and we wanted to find a way to help them. We know that they were under a lot of strain for a long time and we thought that an initiative like this would also give the Barbadian public the opportunity to know some of these artists who they have never seen before.” he said.

Crediting Dwayne Grazette with bringing the concept to the Prime Minister's Office at a time when they were exploring how they could do something to benefit the island's creatives, Minister King, himself a decorated performer, said that he was amazed by the quality of the show. “There is just a wealth of talent in this island and we thought that this would be a wonderful way to give them a chance to earn some earnings, give us a chance to give CBC some programming and give the Barbadian public a chance to see the immense amount of talent we have on this island.”

Speaking of the upcoming reggae and soca offerings, King said that the series could possibly open the door to more initiatives of the like. “Depending on how those go, we're going to seek to do this some more. We've got jazz artists, we've got classical artists, so we want to be able to help as many people as humanly possible with this. And then we are not only looking at musicians, but this is a theatre space and we have to find a way to make sure that theatre comes back to the Barbadian public. I want to encourage corporate Barbados to join in on this initiative so that we can make use of this fantastic space that we have in Queen's Park, bring people back out again and really showcase what we can do.” he said. (MP)