Veteran musician honoured for outstanding contribution

TORONTO:

Veteran musician, Jamaican Canadian Jay Douglas who has performed in Canada and Jamaica for more than 50 years, is being celebrated for his contribution to the art at two Black History Month events during February.

Douglas, who first appeared onstage in Montego Bay, Jamaica, migrated to Canada in 1964 and is internationally recognised for his repertoire of reggae, American blues, West Indian rhythms, and jazz standards, including the Light in the Attic’s “From Jamaica to Toronto” concert series.

In the late 1960s, Douglas fronted the R&B group, The Cougars, who with their skill and verve lit up the city of Montreal, as well as Toronto’s Yonge Street nightclubs and the first-ever Caribana Festival with, soul,funk and reggae.

On February 5, one day before the City of Toronto-declared Bob Marley Day, Douglas received the lifetime achievement award at the Bob Marley Day Humanitarian Awards held at City Hall, a place where he sang Marley’s One Love song when Rob Ford was mayor in 2013.

Organised by the Bob Marley Day Committee, the event honours individuals in the community who exemplify the spirit of Bob Marley through their exceptional humanitarian efforts.

A citation read by Nicholas Marcus Thompson described Douglas as “a luminary in the world of music” whose image has been captured on iconic murals in Reggae Lane in Little Jamaica and on Yonge Street in the city.

In response, Douglas recognised the sacrifice of his late mother, Noreen Pinnock, and her sister-in-law, who migrated to Canada as domestic workers in the 1950s under the West Indian Domestic Scheme. He said the test they did was difficult, and further, although she had four children she had to declare untruthfully that she was childless in order to qualify.

POSITIVE TRANSFORMATION

Douglas, who first performed on the Vere Johns Opportunity Hour in Montego Bay – a popular talent show in the 1940s and 1950s in Jamaica – said that was the first time he met Millie Small and would also see Roy Panton, and the Blues Busters, guests on the show at the Palladium Theatre.

He eventually headed to Clement ‘Coxsone’ Dodd’s Studio One on Brentford Road in Kingston where he met Bob Marley and the Wailers, and would later meet Marley on two other occasions.

“I’m honoured and I take it on behalf of the young people because they are the gems of the future. We’ve got to get them ready. Music is powerful,” said Douglas who was joined at the celebration by his wife, Joyce, and Wesley Anderson, brother of Rita Marley. Sharon Marley, who once lived in Toronto, and her daughter, Donisha Prendergast, are featured artistes at the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Black History Month celebration.

Born in Ramble, Hanover, Douglas grew up in Montego Bay, where he attended Barracks Road Primary School.

“The Bob Marley Day Humanitarian Awards has been a symbol of recognition for those who not only make a difference, but also inspire others to build a better world. This year, under the theme, ‘One Love’, we continue to acknowledge the unwavering dedication of individuals who contribute to the positive transformation of our communities,” said the organisers.

DOCUMENTARY IN PRODUCTION

On February 18, Douglas will again be recognised for his contribution to music with the Mabel-Helen-Rose Foundation Stone Award during the worship service of Verity Centre for Better Living in Toronto at an event titled, Led To Love: A Black History Month Celebration. The guest speakers will include veteran jazz pianist Eddie Bullen, and Dani Elwell and John Devenish of JAZZ.FM91. The performances will feature drummers from the Community Verity Community Choir, Derrick Sweet & Son, and Kolette Easy.

Douglas has performed at annual Toronto events, such as the Beaches Jazz Festival, Jerk Fest, Canadian National Exhibition, Yonge and Dundas Square, Koerner Hall, Roy Thomson Hall, Island Soul Harbourfront Centre festival and the Rastafest Festival, as well as events overseas. ‘

The three-time JUNO Award nominee has won NOW Magazine’s ‘Best R&B Act’, the annual Toronto Reggae Awards’ ‘Male Reggae Vocalist of the Year’, and the BBPA Harry Jerome Awards’ G98.7 Entertainment Award.

Toronto-based filmmaker, Graeme Mathieson, co-founder of Bonfire Originals company, is currently in production of a documentary on the artiste which is expected to be completed by this summer, and at TVO, formerly known as TV Ontario, by the end of the year. Mathieson said the project which he calls ‘a beautiful story’ will be submitted to film festivals. Douglas, who expressed satisfaction with the work of the filmmaker and his crew on shoots in Jamaica and Canada, said, “It gives me an opportunity to create a legacy for the young people. Music has been so good to me.”