THE Guyana International Artistic Music Awards, scheduled for Sunday, May 1, at the National Cultural Centre, will be the first major event on the official calendar for the nation’s 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations.The occasion will be a red carpet affair at which the Guyana-Canada Artistic Inc. will be honouring known and recognized Guyanese in the music industry.
“This red carpet event will see the National Cultural Centre ideally transformed for a Grammy-style night of recognition of the best that Guyana has to offer. Our 50th Independence Anniversary is really a time to do this. This is Jubilee for everything, so I am excited!” said President and Founder of the Guyana-Canada Artistic Inc., Sherlock Shepherd, as he addressed a media briefing at the Guyana Pegasus Hotel on Friday.
Giving a sneak peek into what is on the cards for the Awards, Shepherd said that heading the list will be Guyana’s most outstanding artiste – the legendary Eddy Grant. He will be receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award. Others to be honoured include: Malcolm Corrica – Lord Canary; newcomer of international standing – Lisa Punch; Natural Black for the International Reggae Artiste Award; and Ian Greaves – an International Gospel Award.
“These are all Guyanese who have set the trend or paved the way for the music industry with the songs they sing at the international level,” Shepherd announced.
Outstanding artistes will be honoured in both male and female categories. There will be twelve categories, among which will be Gospel, Soul, Hip Hop, Reggae, Dance Hall Reggae, Chutney, Classic, Steel Pans, Disc Jockey (from radio) and Producers Awards.
Jamaican and Trinidadian Awardees
Shepherd announced that the organizers will also be honouring Jamaican and Trinidadian artistes. “The reason we are honouring Jamaican and Trinidadian artistes is that Guyana’s main music right, now and for the longest while, has been Soca, Reggae and Chutney.
We don’t see a problem with honouring people whose music we (have) been playing all the time; and so we are honouring the pioneers, not the young ones,” he emphasized.
Those artistes include Marcia Griffith; Studio One Band and Lord Nelson.
Procedure for entry
The awards will be judged on the basis of the international standards around the world. The entries will be judged by a panel of judges who are professional musicians and singers from different countries, and not just from Guyana. Each artiste is required to go to a website guyanamusicaward.com.
In order to be a part of the award, each artiste must submit the information indicated on the website. Voting will be done through texting and the like.
Guyana Music Fest – April 30th
Preceding the Guyana Music Fest will be another mega-event on the day before — April 30, 2016. This event, according to Shepherd, will be the National Stadium’s first marathon concert, and it is slated to run for 12 hours. There will be gate prizes for patrons, and other activities for families to enjoy under a picnic atmosphere, Shepherd promised.
Additionally, about 32 Guyanese artistes — drawn from France, England, the United States, Canada, Barbados, Trinidad, Antigua, and two from Africa –who are performing well in whichever country they live, will be coming in for the grand occasion. Shepherd said it was considered a good gesture before the award to put on a show which can allow Guyanese at home to be treated to fine talent from which they are separated by distance.
Shepherd said that, so far, about 92 Guyanese from around the world have shown an interest in coming to participate in the activities, but that number will have to be reduced to 50, synonymous with the 50th Anniversary celebrations.
“So, as it stands, we will be having 50 Guyanese artistes performing at the National Stadium on the night of Saturday April 30,” Shepherd declared.
This is the third annual event of its kind, the first having been held in Toronto, Canada in 2008, where pioneers of the Guyanese music industry who have kept the industry going for years were honoured. Those artistes included Aunty Come See, Pamela Maynard, Aubrey Mann, and High Water. The second was held in Guyana in 2010. There was the Accolades Award ceremony also, subsequently held in Guyana.
According to Shepherd, this year’s events have been endorsed by the Minister of Tourism and Telecommunications, Mrs Catherine Hughes; and by Minister within the Ministry of Education (Department of Culture), Nicolette Henry. Fly Jamaica has agreed to provide all flights for artistes coming into Guyana from abroad; E-Networks is on board to provide live streaming internationally; and the slate of artistes from both locally and abroad is growing. Other sponsors include Banks DIH Limited and Duncan’s Recording Studios.
Commuications Consultant Mr. Russel Lancaster, lending support to the initiative, noted that Shepherd is really passionate about elevating Guyanese music. Albeit, he observed, “The problem that we have is that people [at home] are not supporting Guyanese music in Guyana.”
Citing a classic example, he said, “We have a radio station and we prefer to play foreign music than to play Guyanese music. Another phenomenon that is detrimental to Guyanese music industry is that artistes have to pay the disc jockeys, or DJs, to play their music. This, again, is hindering artistes, because if you have to pay and the international artistes do not have to pay to have their music played, then obviously Guyanese music would not be played,” Lancaster affirmed.
