Tributes to Mighty Diamonds, Beverley Kelso of The Wailers at Dancehall Thursdays

The reggae-loving world was shaken to its core in 2022 when two members of the iconic trio, the Mighty Diamonds, died within days of each other. Lead vocalist Donald ‘Tabby Diamond’ Shaw, 67, was killed on March 29 in a drive-by shooting in his St Andrew community; Fitzroy ‘Bunny Diamond’ Simpson, died on April 1 after a long battle with diabetes. He was 70.

Friends of the Diamonds have been hosting an annual tribute in New York to the two legends since 2022. Following a March event in Queens, a second event will take place tonight at the Original Dancehall Thursdays, the weekly event staged by promoter Oneil Famous at the Rebel T HQ on Dumbarton Avenue.

Relatives of Bunny and Tabby will receive awards on their behalf, and the only surviving original member of the Mighty Diamonds, Lloyd ‘Judge Diamond’ Ferguson, will also be a recipient of the Casony Impact Award. Another reggae icon, Beverley Kelso, of The Wailers fame, will also be celebrated with a Lifetime Achievement Award, which she will collect in person.

“On March 28, we held a tribute at Sanz, Queens, NY, instead of Swift River, where it was held last year. We had the usual presentations from speakers of different organisations, followed by entertainment from Derek Barnett and The Statement Band. We had Papa Michigan, Cherry Rock and Khalilah Rose performing, and we gave out awards to deserving members of the music business,” committee member Maureen Myrie told The Gleaner, adding that the event was free.

“The tribute will always be free because it represents what Tabby stood for, which is giving back to the people,” she stated.

Charles Dawes, who has been spearheading the tribute, has known Tabby Diamond for close to half a century, and although he is recovering from surgery and will not make it to Jamaica, he was adamant that the show must go on.

“Their songs have been in my household all my life. I knew Tabby from school days ... he is one year older than me. Tabby is the godfather of my first daughter. Tabby’s music is a reflection of his life and I want to preserve that which he left for me. People who left a legacy that you want to hold on to must be celebrated. In the spirit of Marcus Garvey, the Diamonds left a powerful legacy. I don’t know if there’s a UNIA (Universal Negro Improvement Association) chapter in Jamaica, but I asked Frankie Campbell of JAVAA (Jamaica Association of Vintage Artistes and Affiliates) to make a special presentation,” Dawes said.

HITS

The Mighty Diamonds is known for hits such as Right Time, I Need a Roof, Gates of Zion, Them Never Love Poor Marcus, Have Mercy and Gnashing of Teeth.

Dawes and Myrie both expressed gratitude to Oneil Famous for allowing them to use his popular Dancehall Thursdays platform for the event. It was the promoter who requested that Beverley Kelso be added to the line-up.

Kelso, who is best known as an early member of The Wailers, is actually listed as one of the founders. The youngest member of The Wailers, she left the group after three years, but during that time she recorded all of 25 songs with them.

“I joined The Wailers when I was 14 [years old], and after I left Jamaica I went to school in America and did cosmetology. I didn’t do much singing, except for when a friend had a birthday or something like that,” Kelso, who is managed by Big Stone, told The Gleaner.

She shared that during the years, she would keep track of what was happening with her former band mates and recalled the shock of hearing that Bob Marley had been diagnosed with cancer. She recalled the great times she shared with Bob, Peter, Bunny, Junior Braithwaite and the members of the I-Three, Rita Marley, Judy Mowatt and Marcia Griffiths.

“I used to keep in touch with them until the group separated, and I didn’t hear much after that. I miss them ... I miss all of them. We used to laugh and talk .. they were so ‘jokify’, especially Bob. Bob will tease yuh and laugh yuh to scorn ... but it was all good fun,” a soft-spoken Kelso shared.

While she had a memorable reunion with Griffith two years ago, having not seen her for decades, Kelso has not yet had the opportunity to reconnect with Mowatt.

Big Stone, who has known her for 25 years, hailed Kelso as his heroine, and emphasised that her contribution to The Wailers needs to be highlighted.

“I take it upon myself to push her to the four corners of the world. She is a part of the foundation on which our female artistes stand. Sunday is her birthday and we will be having a big bash for her in Arnett Gardens. To me, she is an angel. She is so polite ... so calm ... and she has only love for everybody,” Big Stone said.

Among the artistes who will perform at Dancehall Thursdays tonight are Leroy Sibbles, Papa Michigan, Fred Locks, Ital Iytes, Goshen, Tishana, Dub Poet Wise Words, Ken Bob and Beverley Kelso.

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com