Blake Alphonso Higgs
Encyclopedia
Blake Alphonso Higgs better known as "Blind Blake", was the best-known performer of goombay
/calypso
in the Bahamas from the 1930s to the 1960s. (Not to be confused with the blues singer/guitarist of the same nickname.)
. Included in his wide repertoire was "Love, Love Alone," a song (by Trinidadian calypsonian Caresser) about the abdication of Edward VIII. Blind Blake's version of this calypso is said to have been enjoyed by the former king himself, who, as the Duke of Windsor, served as Governor of the Bahamas during World War II.
Higgs played banjo and sang, releasing 4 albums during his tenure at the Royal Victoria Hotel, one with singer Lou Adams, and several other lesser albums towards the end of his career. His first 4 albums were released on Floridian label Art, including a 10" with Lou Adams. Although never famous in his own right, sadly, his music has been covered by the likes of Dave Van Ronk
(Yes, Yes,Yes) Pete Seeger
(Foolish frog), Lord Mouse and the Kalypso Katz
(Tomatoes), and the Percentie Brothers, (Goombay Drums). His style was a mix of dixieland jazz, calypso/goombay, and American folk, probably because of the close proximity the Bahamas has to the USA. For Several decades, he was arguably the most important figure in the Bahamian tourist entertainment industry. One of his most famous songs, the medley "Little Nassau/Peas and Rice," written during the US prohibition era, is about the easy access to alcoholic beverages in Nassau, then complaining of the local's frustration with a diet of peas and rice.
Johnny Cash
based his hit "Delia" on an old blues ballad
from Georgia
that Higgs had adapted into a calypso
.
Goombay
Goombay is a form of Bahamian music and a drum used to create it. The goombay drum is a membranophone with one goat skin head held between the legs and played with the hands or sticks....
/calypso
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
in the Bahamas from the 1930s to the 1960s. (Not to be confused with the blues singer/guitarist of the same nickname.)
Biography
For much of his career, Blind Blake was based at the Royal Victoria Hotel in NassauNassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
. Included in his wide repertoire was "Love, Love Alone," a song (by Trinidadian calypsonian Caresser) about the abdication of Edward VIII. Blind Blake's version of this calypso is said to have been enjoyed by the former king himself, who, as the Duke of Windsor, served as Governor of the Bahamas during World War II.
Higgs played banjo and sang, releasing 4 albums during his tenure at the Royal Victoria Hotel, one with singer Lou Adams, and several other lesser albums towards the end of his career. His first 4 albums were released on Floridian label Art, including a 10" with Lou Adams. Although never famous in his own right, sadly, his music has been covered by the likes of Dave Van Ronk
Dave Van Ronk
Dave Van Ronk was an American folk singer, born in Brooklyn, New York, who settled in Greenwich Village, New York, and was eventually nicknamed the "Mayor of MacDougal Street" ....
(Yes, Yes,Yes) Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
(Foolish frog), Lord Mouse and the Kalypso Katz
Lord mouse and the kalypso katz
Lord Mouse and the Kalypso Katz are a calypso band based in Berlin, Germany. Starting as an active band in 2008, their music is produced independently, with help from Cannery Row Records of Berlin, Jump Up! records of Chicago, Illinois, and Zamzama Productions of Paris, France.-Biography:The main...
(Tomatoes), and the Percentie Brothers, (Goombay Drums). His style was a mix of dixieland jazz, calypso/goombay, and American folk, probably because of the close proximity the Bahamas has to the USA. For Several decades, he was arguably the most important figure in the Bahamian tourist entertainment industry. One of his most famous songs, the medley "Little Nassau/Peas and Rice," written during the US prohibition era, is about the easy access to alcoholic beverages in Nassau, then complaining of the local's frustration with a diet of peas and rice.
Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
based his hit "Delia" on an old blues ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
from Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
that Higgs had adapted into a calypso
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
.
Discography
- Blind Blake and the Royal Victoria Hotel "Calypso" Orchestra: A Group of Bahamian Songs (1951)
- Blind Blake and the Royal Victoria Hotel "Calypso" Orchestra: A Second Album of Bahamian Songs (1952)
- Blind Blake and the Royal Victoria Hotel "Calypso" Orchestra: A Third Album of Bahamian Songs (1952)
- Lou Adams Plays Bahamiana Calypso featuring vocals by Blind Blake (1952)
- Blind Blake and the Royal Victoria Hotel "Calypso" Orchestra: A Fifth Album of Bahamian Songs (1952)
- A Cultural Experience (with Pandora GibsonPandora GibsonPandora Gibson-Gomez was a Bahamian comedienne and storyteller known for her imitation of the dialect of Eleuthra. She was also an actor and performer for concerts and shows. She died at 47...
) (1976) - Blind Blake & The Royal Victoria Hotel Calypsos: Bahamian Songs (2009)