I’m sitting outside on my porch eating the most delicious grapefruit- it has the most subtle floral flavor to it. I don’t think I’ve ever had one like it. Whenever I eat grapefruit I think of my father. When I was young he lived in Nassau, most of the time on his boat, the Black Pearl- but he had plenty of friends and lovers down there so I’m sure there were other places he stayed when he was by himself. When we visited though, we were either on the boat or at the Lyford Cay Club- and once in Eleuthera at his friend Max Aiken’s house, which for me, was a very special time. But before I digress… one day Dad took me to some country club or golf course for breakfast- just him and me, which was rare and exciting. In fact I don’t have any other memories of doing anything else alone with him throughout my entire childhood. Maybe that’s part of what made it so memorable. Anyway, he ordered a grapefruit for me sprinkled with brown sugar and a maraschino cherry in the middle. I thought it was the best thing I ever tasted in that moment! It was such a wonderful treat and every time I eat grapefruits I think of him and that special few hours we spent together.
Now, how do I turn this into a musical post? Because there was music in Nassau! There was Blind Blake and on Saturday nights there was a buffet at the Lyford Cay Club and Blind Blake would play. I was only 7 years old but I loved his music. I was also painfully shy and whenever we went to see him I wanted to hear “Jamaica Farewell”- which of course I called “Down the way where the nights are gay”. It was my favorite song. I would ask Dad to ask him to play it. But instead he would tell me to go up and ask him myself- in front of all those people who were dining and dancing! I was terrified. But every time I requested a song- maybe that was the only one- he would have me come up and sit on his lap and have me tell him what I wanted to hear. He was so sweet and I was so totally embarassed but thrilled at the same time. I couldn’t find that version of his song but here is another by him. I like the video because it has a number of pictures of him. I also found this short but interesting article which I am reposting from the Grand Bahama Museum website:
Father of Bahamian Music
Mar. 31, 2022
Blake Alphonso Higgs (1915 – 1986), better known as "Blind Blake", is considered the Father of Bahamian Music. Born in Matthew Town, Inagua, Higgs was blind from boyhood. Over his lifetime he wrote sixty goombay tunes and recorded four albums. He spent most of his career performing at the Royal Victoria Hotel in Nassau. In his later years, the Government hired him to entertain tourists at the International Airport.
In keeping with goombay tradition the themes of Higgs’ songs do not have profound social messages but tell a story or recount a specific event. One of his most famous songs, "Little Nassau/Peas and Rice", was written during Prohibition. The medley details the easy access to alcohol in Nassau but complains of the Bahamian frustration with a diet of peas and rice.
Click here to listen to "Peas and Rice".
His ballad "Run Come See Jerusalem" describes the1929 Bahamas Hurricane.
Click here to listen to "Run Come See Jerusalem".
He is well-known for his performance of "Love, Love Alone", a song about the abdication of Edward VIII. The Duke of Windsor, served as Governor of the Bahamas during World War II.
Click here to listen to "Love, Love Alone".
Though Higgs never enjoyed fame in his own right, his music influenced many popular performers, including Dave Van Ronk, James "Stump" Johnson, Pete Seeger, and Lord Mouse and the Kalypso Katz. Most famously, the Beach Boys recorded Higgs’ 1952 “John B. Sail”, renamed as the “Sloop John B.” Johnny Cash’s “Delia” was a rewrite of “Delia Gone.”
