I love you Wayne,
Kev
*Below is a post-script essay included in the ten year anniversary Light in the Attic re-release from 2014, and below that, a heavily condensed version of my Sounds Of Joy liner notes for further context.
Wayne McGhie (with microphone, bottom right)
*Below is a post-script essay included in the ten year anniversary Light in the Attic re-release from 2014, and below that, a heavily condensed version of my Sounds Of Joy liner notes for further context.
May 21, 2014
Much has happened over the last 10 years, but the music and
stature of Jamaican-Canadian singer-songwriter Wayne McGhie has only grown
since Light in the Attic’s 2004 reissue of Wayne
McGhie & The Sounds of Joy. Despite critical acclaim from the likes of
the The New York Times, CBC, and plenty of street level props, it’s a shame
that Wayne can’t fully join in on the celebration and much deserved notoriety.
In early 2013, The Sounds of Joy, McGhie’s debut album and a landmark record of
Black Canadian expression, was awarded with an eighth place honour in NOW
Magazine’s, “The 50 Best Toronto Albums Ever” list. Appearing alongside Neil
Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Rush, and fellow Jamaican and musical collaborator,
Jackie Mittoo, McGhie was definitely in good company. It was a long overdue
acknowledgement of the Caribbean musician’s immense contributions to our collective
cultural fabric (whether the masses are aware of it or not), but also an ironic
clash with his daily struggles to survive. McGhie lives with acute schizophrenia and
no longer plays or writes music. His loving sister Merline helps take care of
him, a true guardian angel if there ever was, while Wayne maintains a low
profile. Though he was excited to hear of a renewed interest in his
vintage material, which also helped McGhie to reconnect with his estranged
daughter, Wayne lives a relatively solitary life, far removed from the
recording studio or steady supply of gigs that once filled his calendar. Though
unable to relish in the spotlight or reestablish his music career, McGhie’s
legacy has reached far beyond its initial regional audiences in Montego Bay and Toronto. Since the rediscovery of The Sounds of Joy through DJ and sound
system culture, Wayne’s music has been sampled by hip-hop producers looking to
craft the perfect beat and keenly championed by selectors from New York to
London to Paris and Tokyo. It was also a major catalyst in LITA’s six album Jamaica-Toronto
series and subsequent live showcase revue tour featuring The Mighty Pope (Earle
Heedram), Everton “Pablo” Paul, and Jay Douglas. Over the years, I’ve been
blessed to break bread and spend some quality moments with Wayne and his
family, but apart from meeting him for the first time in preparation for the Sounds
of Joy and Jamaica to Toronto reissues, one instance still burns bright in my
mind, a family anniversary party in an Etobicoke apartment basement. Merline, along
with some relatives and friends, had made a lovely spread and there was a local
sound system pumping out reggae tunes. I sat on a chair next to Wayne as the guests
trickled in and looked to the ground to watch his feet tap away to the rhythm
in perfect time. Clearly, the music is still running strong within McGhie
whether we get to hear it or not. Thanks for the memories Wayne, you’ve changed
my life for the better. Your music will never die. I will champion your sound
forever!
Kevin Howes (aka Sipreano)
Voluntary in Nature
Unceded Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver
Wilfred (Wayne) McGhie was born in Montego Bay on October 15, 1946. He
picked up music at a young age after learning a basic guitar scale from his
sister Merline. Music came naturally to Wayne. He bought a guitar instruction book on a trip to Kingston and proceeded to master chords. He also began formal music training at Montego
Bay Boys’ School. Throughout the 1960s, local talent shows at the Palladium
Theatre in downtown Montego Bay were the place for up-and-coming musicians and
singers to hone their craft in front of a live audience. Wayne, as he was now
known, would bring the house down with American R&B tunes such as Billy
Stewart’s 1962 “Reap What You Sow.” During these talent shows, Wayne's skill was noted by Kingston-born musician Jo-Jo Bennett, a prominent trumpet player and
bandleader. Wayne was soon performing with Billy Vernon and the Celestials
alongside piano/organ player Dizzy Barker and singers Jimmy Wisdom and Bob
Williams. He played with this band, along with popular vocalist Keith Stewart,
until his departure for Canada in 1967.
In the 1960s, Toronto became a new home for many Caribbean
immigrants thanks to immigration reforms. Toronto's West Indian Federation Club (WIF) and Club Jamaica were places where folks could converse, eat,
listen to music, and sustain their heritage. Scouted by the club’s management
back home in Jamaica, Bennett had moved to Toronto in 1967 to perform at the
WIF and soon called for McGhie. Winter in Toronto was a shocking change from
Montego Bay, but a steady diet of music made the shift smoother for Wayne,
whose girlfriend soon joined him in Canada. They wasted no time starting a
family; in 1968, their sole daughter, was born. Unfortunately, Wayne’s constant
gigging and busy practice schedule put stress on the young family. By the tail
end of the 1960s, Wayne had developed into a promising musician, singer, and
songwriter. Wayne penned “Chips-Chicken–Banana Split”, the A-side of Jo-Jo and
the Fugitives’ sole 45 on the minor Cobra label. Eventually, other avenues began to
open up for the growing pool of young Caribbean musicians in Toronto, which now
included Jamaican music legends Jackie Mittoo and Alton Ellis.
While the
Yorkville area nurtured the burgeoning folk-rock coffeehouse scene with
performances from the likes of Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, and Joni Mitchell,
Yonge Street was the place for the midnight movers and groovers. Frank Motley
& the Bridge Crossings, King Herbert & The Knights, the Hitchikers (with
Jackie Shane), Jack Harden & the Silhouettes, the Sheiks featuring the Mighty
Pope, the Majestics, the Cougars, Jon and Lee & the Checkmates, Mandala, Eddie
Spencer, and Grant Smith & the Power were just some of the groups and
artists that played to mixed-race crowds at clubs like the notorious Le Coq d’Or,
then the number-one R&B club in Toronto.
Music was a breakfast, lunch, and
dinner affair for these talented musicians. Band work, pickup gigs, and
recording consumed most waking moments. Still, high-end studios were a luxury;
the Canadian recording industry of the time was in its infancy and neither structured
nor willing to support Black artists. Sessions for the Sounds of Joy album were
self-funded and recorded during off-hours at Sound Canada studios in the winter
of 1969. Wayne was 23 at the time.
Possessed with an intensifed vision, Wayne
assembled a stellar cast of musical friends. Many of the Jamaican-born
instrumentalists involved had already developed solid recording pedigrees back
on the island. Twelve musicians are listed on the LP sleeve; others, including
Jackie Mittoo, are rumoured to have sat in. Of the 10 songs recorded, six were
McGhie originals, and as the material moved from funk, to soul, to
reggae/R&B crossover, it is Wayne’s pure and soulful voice that sets the
tone. Look no further than his emotional take of the Friends of Distinction’s
1969 hit “Going in Circles” for proof. McGhie squeezes every possible ounce of
soul out of his vocal while a haunting flute floats “round and round” in the
background and the chain-gang rhythm reaches and pulls in equal measure. Instrumentally, the contributions were
economical, dynamic, and heartfelt. The musicians didn’t overplay. Everton
Paul’s opening drum break on “Dirty Funk” is as badass as they come, and once
the song kicks in you’d be forgiven for thinking the band came from New
Orleans, not the Caribbean.
As Wayne finished the album, he decided to start a band of
his own to capitalize on its coming release and make some money on the road.
The band was dubbed the Sounds of Joy and lent its handle to the Wayne McGhie
& The Sounds Of Joy LP released in the spring of 1970. Although the band had
started to gig to support the album, Birchmount did nothing to promote it.
Compound that with zero radio play, and the album sank without a trace. Apart
from friends and family, people didn’t seem to care. Even some of the album’s
players didn’t even receive a copy of the finished disc.
Months later, an accidental fire at the Quality warehouse
destroyed all of the remaining copies of the record. Because of its poor sales
up to that point, the album was lost in the label’s scheduling shuffle, never
to be re-pressed. This extinguished any hopes of the Sounds of Joy as a recording
and touring unit, and despite Wayne’s righteous aspirations for the group, the
absence of label support meant it was only a matter of time until things fell
apart.
Distraught, but with bills to pay, Wayne continued gigging
as a singer and accompanist in Toronto and on the Ontario and Quebec club
circuit (he even ventured south to the United States on occasion as well as
returning to Jamaica to record “How Does it Feel” for Studio One). His next
notable recording projects were with the Hitchikers featuring the Mighty Pope
(“Mr. Fortune”) and Ram, a post-Hitchikers splinter group. Ram’s lone release
was an infectious McGhie-penned and sung jam entitled “Love Is the Answer.” Released
in 1972 on the Tuesday label, it also featured Studio One veteran Joe Isaacs on
drums. Despite minor regional attention, the single never caught on and Ram,
like the Sounds of Joy before them, disintegrated.
Although Wayne continued to be musically active with session
work for Jackie Mittoo on the Canadian Talent Library label and an unreleased solo
album from the mid-to-late 1970s, the musical climate and club scene were
changing. The hard-funk feel of the late 1960s and early 1970s was morphing
into the slicker and more polished sound of disco. Wayne worked predominantly
in the reggae and gospel scenes during this period through recorded an unreleased album of original material.
Constant gigging throughout the 1970s took its toll on
Wayne. Unable to balance career and family, his fast pace and financial
uncertainty began to be a problem. Despite playing with
American-born/Toronto-based jazz and pop musician Bill King, at the start of
the 1980s, Wayne had all but abandoned hope of a stable music career and was
experiencing mental health problems. Heavily medicated, he lost touch with friends and
became a wandering vagabond—a shadow of the strong, confident, and talented man
who tore up the scene only a handful of years before.
Lost and presumed dead by some, Wayne eked out an existence
under the radar of even his closest friends. Merline was never too far away and
was able to care for him, but Wayne was underground. Stone cold gone and missed
by many, he turned his back on the music that had brought him so much
happiness.
Wayne’s music had an underground resurgence in the mid-1990s
through sample based hip-hop and DJ culture. The Sounds of Joy was was
re-released by Seattle-based Light in the Attic Records in 2004 with assistance from
Kevin Howes (aka Sipreano) and Montego Bay-born/Toronto-based vocalist Jay
Douglas who helped to find Wayne.
He was prominently featured on the 2006 archival compilation
Jamaica to Toronto: Soul, Funk, and Reggae 1967-1974, a project that was taken to
the stage by Douglas, Everton “Pablo” Paul, Bob and Wisdom, Val Bent, Lloyd Delpratt,
The Mighty Pope (Earle Heedram), Glen Ricketts, Noel Ellis, as well as other
veteran players from the Jamaica-Toronto scene.
Wayne McGhie & The
Sounds Of Joy was given a 10th anniversary re-release by Light in the Attic Records in 2014 and was his story was featured in the Jamaica Observer newspaper in 2015.
With the full blessing and support of Wayne and his family, Voluntary In Nature is currently in production on its first release, a special tribute to the man from Montego Bay who has affected the world (and beyond) with his unique
musical voice. Watch this space...
PEACE
