By Francis Quamina Farrier
NOT many Guyanese have been to the bauxite town of Kwakwani, which is located on the Upper Berbice River in Region 10. Unlike its sister Bauxite town, Linden, Kwakwani is “Off the beaten track” as it were. A very small amount of traffic goes through Kwakwani. Nonetheless, it has been producing quite an impressive amount of precious ore over the decades and has contributed handsomely to the National Coffers due to the mining of Bauxite within its environs.

Kwakwani has also given to Guyana one of the country’s greatest female singers, Daunne Schultz Blackmore. Her singing talent was recognised since she was a little child, growing up in Kwakwani, where she was born. “I was always asked to sing for visitors to our home,” she said. “That was even when I was so small that I used to be placed on a box or chair,” she added.

Daunne’s singing talent was also on display on many occasions at the Kwakwani Primary School while she was a pupil there. But that was just the beginning of an impressive singing career over the decades, which took her to many locations around Guyana and the world. That came about after she had performed at GUYFESTA – The Guyana Festival of the Creative Arts. First, The Department of Culture, recognising her singing talent, took her under its wings. Not long after, Rudy Bishop invited her to be the vocalist of his renowned Chronicle Atlantic Silvertones Steel and Brass Orchestra (CASSBO).

It was another forward step in her singing career, and the opportunity to visit places many only dream of. Commencing in 1978, Daunne toured with the band in America, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, and the USSR (Russia). She met many international celebrities on those tours, including “The Greatest”, Mohammed Ali. The Guyanese touring group visited the home of the charismatic Heavyweight Boxing Champion in California.

Then came the invitation for Daunne to perform an iconic role in an equally iconic musical, which changed her life forever. Theatre personality Monty Blackmore, who is competent on guitar and keyboard, had heard Daunne’s singing voice on a few occasions and was most impressed. He invited the Kwakwank songbird to play the lead female role of Maria in his production, a local rendition of ‘The Sound Of Music.’ It was staged at the National Cultural Centre and is one of the most successful productions at that August venue in Georgetown.

There is a wedding scene in that musical. As the bride of the male lead, Capt. Von Trapp, which was played by Robert Naraine, Daunne Schultz looked the quintessential bride, as the ‘naughty-but-nice’ Maria. The audience at the National Cultural Centre just loved it. Some returned to see the production twice, which necessitated held-over performances. The role by Daunne Schultz, as someone who falls in love and gets married, in that musical, became reality. Sometime after the production ended, the star and the producer realised that they were in love with each other, and so, they became “Man and Wife.”

Daunne Schultz and Monty Blackmore have been married for over 30 years, and are the parents of two talented children, Rawle and Cheryl. Like the Von Trapps, the Blackmores have been performing as a Family Group to live audiences on many occasions over the years.