Dave Martins—Is we Own
By Tangerine Clarke, The Guyana Cultural Association, New York, Inc. and Vibert C. Cambridge, Ph.D., Ohio University.

Dave Martins is an unquestioned lover of Guyana and things Guyanese. A visit to his home in the Cayman Islands is testimony of this truth. The driveway to his home is lined with croton trees. In his yard are a variety of Guyanese fruit trees—golden apple, whitey, star apple, carambola, avocado, soursop, mangos, etc. He is very proud of his Buxton spice. The Cayman Island parrots are very fond of his golden apple tree. We should not be surprised if we hear a song about the golden apple trees and the Cayman Island parrots in the future. Dave Martins has this ability to encapsulate a moment and enshrine it for history.

His home is a celebration of Guyana. Hard woods from Guyana—locust and green heart – are evident in the ceilings and the floors. Guyanese art--paintings and sculpture—is proudly displayed in the spacious and warm home. A taste of Guyana’s cuisine and a good gawf is guaranteed. A visit with Dave Martins is to experience Guyana’s legendary hospitality. The spirit of generosity permeates his home.

Over the past forty years, this spirit of generosity has also been evident in Dave Martins’ creative output. His body of work is substantial. He has given the world more than 100 compositions, which include many number one hits. These compositions, have spoken to Caribbean and Guyanese people. The compositions speak to our hopes, our aspirations, our joys, our sorrows, our pain, and our achievements. His compositions have motivated us, inspired us, chided us where necessary; told aggressors "Not a blade of Grass," and reminded Guyanese that all of it "Is We Own."

Dave’s route to this iconic status has its origins in Vreed-en-Hoop, Pouderoyen, and Hague where he grew up. It was in this space that he started his musical career with Joe Henry, Jack Henry, and Billy Stephenson. Joe and Jack Henry played guitars, Billy Stephenson played drums, and Dave played the harmonica. He could also play the guitar, but the group, which was never formally named, did not need three guitars.

When the group was launched, the Ramblers dominated the music scene in Georgetown. U.S. hit parade and country and western music dominated the radio. Billy Eckstine and Nat Cole were some of the popular male vocalists on the air. Latin American music was also popular. "Maria Elena," "Spanish Eyes," and "Solamente Una Vez" were some of the hits. According to Dave, few calypsos were played on the air. This musical reality influenced the repertoire of the West Demerara group.

Dave thanks Jerry Martins of Pouderoyen (no relation) for helping him to sharpen his guitar skills.

According to Martins, "he wrote out some chords for me, and that got me started."

His brother-in-law gave him his first guitar, a Guyanese made instrument purchased from Hussein’s music store on Lombard Street.

After leaving St. Stanislaus, Dave Martins worked for a short period with the air traffic system at Atkinson Field. He migrated to Canada in the late 1950s. He recalls that just before leaving for Canada he began to "get into calypso music." There was some Lord Kitchener on the radio, however, he what he heard most often were the calypsos that relatives brought from carnival in Trinidad and Tobago. They were played in the family shop at Hague. Among the more memorable calypsos was "Grenada Excursion" by the Roaring Lion.

The musical muse traveled to Canada with Dave. Initially, he played for fun while developing his engineering career. He developed a new circle of friends. His "padnas" were Trinibagonians, and through them he begins to delve deeper into the calypso genre. He was exposed to many calypso styles---"sans humanite" and the innovations of Sparrow, Blakie, and Lord Nelson.

Eventually, he formed The Debonairs, which he describes as a professional "three-piece bar band." He disbanded the group in the mid-1960s to focus on his career and family. Instead of performing, Dave began to compose and wrote two songs that attracted critical acclaim in Canada. Both songs – "Steel Men" and "Bluenose" – reflected on the Canadian culture.

With a growing awareness of Caribbean culture, he formed the Tradewinds in 1966 and recorded four songs, including "Honeymooning Couple.", Rum and Calypso," "Meet Me in Port-of-Spain," and "Tobago." They anticipated that "Meet Me in Port-of-Spain," a carnival song, was going to be the hit. The band toured Trinidad and Tobago in 1967 on its own initiative. The band was unknown and had not been invited. During the trip, the Tradewinds performed free at many venues and appeared on Sam Ghany’s radio show. The Sam Ghany show was broadcast in many West Indian media markets. Within six months they were back in the Caribbean, having been invited for a regional tour.

The Tradewinds had arrived, and "Honeymooning Couple" was a "monster hit." This 1968 tour included a visit to Guyana. It was Dave’s first trip to Guyana since he had emigrated. He was thrilled to be playing to a sold-out Astor Cinema. The rest is history.

Dave Martins and The Tradewinds have performed across the Caribbean and at prestigious venues around the world, including Madison Square Garden and Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre. He has performed for world leaders and at important international events such as Expo 67.

Dave’s body of work is significant and influential—18 albums and five CDs. His work is a celebration of his love for the Caribbean and his unyielding commitment to Guyana. His describes his works as having a sociological lens that focuses on Caribbean group behavior. His "Wong Ping" addresses Caribbean machismo, "Copy Cats" addresses the identity crisis faced by many West Indian immigrants, and "You Can’t Get" is about the frustrations experienced by young males. "Where Are Your Heroes" is a clear call to the peoples of the Caribbean to recognize and celebrate their own.

Dave Martins’ works that speak to Guyana are very special to him. They reflect not only his upbringing but also identify his hopes and aspirations for the Dear Land. He identifies three factors that influence his Guyanese collection—"Play de ting man," "Not a Blade of Grass," "Hooper and Chanderpaul," "Is We Own.

The first is growing up in Guyana. Spending his formative years in West Demerara and the Pomeroon, attending Sacred Heart and St. Stanislaus, and working at Atkinson Field left an indelible impression on his psyche. This exposure to Guyana’s landscape and nature has helped him "to remember the look of the trees, the lay of the land, the smell of the place, and the feel of the road under your foot."

For Dave, this natural environment conjures up a feeling that there is a blessed mystery to Guyana. That it is the home of benevolent ancestral deities like Makonaima. This benevolent mystical ambience transcends traditional religious categories and suggests a higher unifying condition. This spirit of togetherness and harmony is clearly evident in "Not a Blade of Grass" and "Is We Own." This is the second of the factors that flavors Dave’s Guyanese works.

The third factor is his scholarly side. In addition to studying engineering, Dave studied journalism completing courses in the social sciences and the humanities. He has a special love for linguistics, anthropology, sociology, and history.

In 1984, the Guyana Commemoration Commission encouraged him Martins to produce a work to celebrate Guyanese life since the emancipation of enslaved Africans in Guyana in 1838. The result was Dave Martins’ first musical Raise Up, also titled IS WE from one of the songs in the work.

Raise Up was produced by the Theatre Company and had its premiere in 1988. It was judged Best Play that year. The musical also toured the Caribbean and the United States. In preparing the script and the score, Dave conducted extensive research on Guyana’s post-emancipation history. He pored over dusty tomes in libraries and archives. He conducted interviews with many village elders. The experience was a reaffirming one for him.

For Dave, these three factors keep him grounded and allow him to create a music that reconnects Guyanese in the diaspora with their native land. It allows him to create a music that inspires and motivates Guyanese at home. Dave has traveled from Hague to many places around the world, he has met with presidents and prime ministers, but he has never lost the common touch. He is Guyanese to the core and acclaims it proudly.

His nation has awarded him the Golden Arrowhead of Achievement. In 2002, he was one of the first recipients of the Wordsworth McAndrew Award by the Guyana Folk Festival Committee. On September 27, 2003, his alma mater St. Stanislaus also recognized him.

Dave Martins is a Guyanese cultural hero. Dave Martins is we own…Waio!

Sources:

• Telephone interview: Vibert Cambridge and Dave Martins, April 12, 2002
• Interview: Vibert Cambridge and Dave Martins, Cayman Islands, August 29, 2002.
• Interview: Tangerine Clarke and Dave Martins, Brooklyn, New York, August 30, 2003.