Tribute Britain’s wealthiest female musician
briefly battling pancreatic cancer,
his relatives said. He was
53.
Denis Bowman — a perennial
finalist in the Calypso
Monarch Competition in St.
Vincent and the Grenadines
for Vincy Mas, the national
carnival, and public relations
officer of the Brooklyn-based
Dynamites Calypson Tent, the
lone Vincentian calypso tent
in North America – told Caribbean
Life over the weekend
that Jones would have loved
“True Champion – Tribute to
Soca Jones.”
“It’s a song he would have
loved very much,” said Bowman,
who penned, sang and
created a video on “True
Champion – Tribute to Soca
Jones”, to the tune of one of
the hits of Trinidad and Tobago’s
calypso icon, Baron.
“The hook allows a perfect
play on Soca (Jones) himself,
and he loved working along
with Caribbean artistes,”
added Bowman, a former lead
vocalist with the Vincentian
bands, Energy, Blaksand and
X-tract.
“Soca Jones was a people’s
man; he was continuously
involved in all Vincy activities
– be it sporting, cultural,
educational, etc.; in all
aspects of Vincy life, both
at home and in the Diaspora;
and he was definitely an
ambassador for SVG (St. Vincent
and the Grenadines),”
continued Bowman, who won
the 1997 Vincy Soca Monarch
title with “Voom, Voom.”
“Soca (Jones) was an individual
Caribbean L 28 ife, May 22-28, 2020
whose contributions
were felt and appreciated, and
would leave a massive void
to fill,” he said. “Given his
indomitable spirit, he would
not be easy to replace. And
for many years to come, that
void, created by his absence,
will surely be felt.”
In introducing “True
Champion – Tribute to Soca
Jones,” Bowman described
the entertainment promoter
as “a true patriot,” adding:
“I personally would like to
thank you for all the kind
words of encouragement that
you’ve offered me.”
For the lyrics, Bowman
sings partially: “Soca Jones,
you’re a true Vincy champion/
We love the way how you
embrace the Soca Land/Rain
or sun, you are always representing/
In many ways, you
are more than a Soca King/
zen.
“We must continue to work
together as a global community
to address the current
crisis and invest in the solutions
required to stop another
pandemic before it starts,” he
added.
Dr. Carissa F. Etienne,
PAHO’s Dominican-born director,
applauded Sony Music
Latin and Global Citizen for
“bringing hope to the people
of the Americas through
music, and we are thankful to
all the fans that, through this
song, will help save lives from
COVID-19 in the Region of the
Americas.”
She said the funds raised
by this new version of Color
Esperanza will allow PAHO to
continue supporting Caribbean
and other countries in their
response to the pandemic,
“especially for the most vulnerable
populations in every corner
of our region.”
PAHO said the 2020 version
of “Color Esperanza” features
“some of the biggest, boldest,
and brightest stars in Latin
music alongside Diego Torres.”
These include: Ruben Blades,
Camila, Camilo, Pedro Capó,
Coti, Dilsinho, El Cigala, Farruko,
Fonseca, Kany García, Leonel
García, Gente De Zona, Leslie
Grace, Nicky Jam, Lali, Ara
Malikian, Dani Martín, Mau y
Ricky, Prince Royce, Rauw Alejandro,
Reik, Río Roma, Carlos
Rivera, Ivete Sangalo, Thalía,
Angela Torres, Manuel Turizo,
Jorge Villamizar (Bacilos) and
Carlos Vives.
PAHO said this “blockbuster
group of powerhouse
talent” also appeared in the
music video that premiered
on Monday via Sony Music
Latin’s YouTube Channel.
Color Esperanza was written
by the Argentinian songwriter
Coti Sorokin and
the producer Cachorro
López with the collaboration
of Diego Torres, PAHO said.
Since its release, PAHO
said the song has given audiences
“unity, peace, and, of
course, hope.
“For nearly 20 years, it has
empowered listeners across
Latin Iberia and the US Hispanic
market, sound-tracking
various social causes and
movements as an anthem for
change,” PAHO said.
To offer support, it said
fans can stream the audio
link, watch the video, and
use various social media
platforms with the hashtags
#streamforhope, #streamforesperanza
or #coloresperanza2020.
As fans engage with the
newly released song, PAHO
said it will receive donations
as a result of streaming views
and viral support.
Continued from Page 27
Denis Bowman sings “Don’t
Spear the Rod” in Dynamite
Calypso Tent’s qualifying
round for Vincy Mas in June
2017. Lady D
Continued from Page 27
Nicky Jam performs “El Amante” at the 18th Latin Grammy
Awards Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. REUTERS / Mario Anzuoni
since 2016,” said the Guardian,
stating that she last did a
concert tour the same year.
Rihanna’s rise to the top
of Britain’s elite list appears
to have even shocked Robert
Watts, who compiles it,
according to the Guardian.
“She somewhat caught us
by surprise,” he told the BBC.
“Very few people knew she was
living in the UK (United Kingdom)
until last summer; now,
she’s well placed to be the first
musician to reach billionaire
status in the UK.”
Rihanna, 32, was just 17
when her first single, “Pon
De Replay,” became an unexpected
global smash hit, the
Guardian said.
“Her UK label was paying
such little attention to its Caribbean
signing at the time; it
didn’t even bother spelling her
name right on their first ever
run of ‘Rhianna’ CDs,” the
Guardian said.
At 22, it said Rihanna
became the only female artist
in the history of the US Billboard
chart to score four No. 1
singles in a calendar year.
By 24, the Guardian said
she had won the record as the
biggest-selling digital artist of
all time; and, at 31, she became
the first black woman to run a
luxury fashion house.
Backed by luxury brand
Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey
(LVMH), the Guardian
said Rihanna’s fashion brand
has been the key to building
her staggering wealth
— “first with the industrydisrupting
launch of Fenty
Beauty in 2017, the first cosmetics
line to cater for up to
40 skin tones, then, with Savage
x Fenty, a lingerie line for
all sizes.”
“It’s a long way from the
parish of St. Michael, in
the south west of Barbados,
where Rihanna was born,” the
Guardian said. “Her Guyanese
mother was an immigrant,
and her father came from
mixed-race heritage, black
and white.”
“The Guyanese are like the
Mexicans of Barbados,” Rihanna
told British Vogue last
month. “That’s why I really
relate and empathize with Latino
people who are discriminated
against in America.”
Rihanna spent her early
teenage years training as an
army cadet, according to the
Guardian.
When she was 14, it said she
formed the girl group, Contrast,
with her friends.
That summer, in 2003, the
group auditioned for US music
producer Evan Richards, “who
immediately dumped the
other girls and set about making
Rihanna a solo star,” the
Guardian said.
It said a meeting was
arranged with Jay-Z at Def
Jam records, who “signed her
on the spot,” the Guardian
said.
Continued from Page 27
LATIN VOICES
Rihanna accepts the President’s Award at the NAACP 51st
Image Awards at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on Saturday,
Feb. 22, 2020 in Pasadena, CA. Earl Gibson III via
Associated Press, File