Rain, tears and laughter at Ernie Smith tribute

It was truly the pitter patter of raindrops that greeted the gathering at the Louise Bennett Garden Theatre last Friday as the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission held a tribute to Glenroy Anthony Smith, better known as Ernie Smith.

 The singer, best recognised for hits such as Duppy Gunman and Tears On My Pillow, passed on April 16, and, since then, the outpouring of tributes from stalwarts in the music industry has been ongoing. Smith’s music defined a generation and beguiled music lovers worldwide as his voice, writing and generosity kept reminding them that life was indeed “just for living”.

Speaking about his brother, Paul Smith shared that they grew up loving music because it was a passion inherited from their parents. 

“My mother would always sing to us at home. My dad taught us the guitar, so there was music everywhere. We learned early how to harmonise and create new songs out of everything possible, even the arithmetic tables,” Smith said.

In addition to the numerous video tributes and overly lengthy speeches, there were musical tributes from some of Ernie’s close friends and others whom he shared a stage with over the decades. Backed by the E-Park Band, which included veteran musicians such as Frankie Campbell, Lloyd Parks, Robbie Lyn and Peter Ashbourne, singer Boris Gardiner offered up Unforgettable while Astley ‘Grub’ Cooper stepped from behind the drum set to sing Blind Man Swimming. Charmaine Lemonious got tearful during her rendition of People like You while Roy Rayon lightened the mood with Give Thanks and Praises. Abijah went with the popular Duppy Gunman, while Carlene Davis blessed the gathering with The Way Old Friends Do followed by All for Jesus.

Good friend, Reverend Seymour Black, said that his favourite song by Smith is All for Jesus, which has since made its way into both the Anglican and Moravian hymnals, though some have been critical about that decision. Its strong Jamaican dialect and situational reality, he added, made some question its appropriateness for inclusion in a church hymnal but Seymour defended it, as he said that is exactly why it was a perfect addition. The song, he shared, reflects how a tormented Ernie, after a night of drunken excess, woke up with a massive hangover and was both guilty and mentally fatigued. 

“He was totally miserable and, in that anguish, he cried out, ‘Lord help me’, and within a few seconds, he said, it was like sun rays rose up around him and he just felt loved by God. The song was written within two hours.”

Percussionist Bongo Herman left the stage to engage the audience up close as he sang Rocksteady, Breaking Up is Hard to Do and Let Him Try. Every time he pulled an item out of his bag of tricks, the crowd cheered as he made a musical sound regardless of whether it was a grater or a clothes hanger. When he finally got to the much-anticipated chamber pot, the decibel level rose, and he used it as a drum, to the delight of the gathering.

Though he initially seemed shy, when he made his way to the stage, once Ernie’s son, Ojay Smith, opened his mouth to sing Tears on My Pillow, the crowd was left in awe as his tone and inflection was similar to that of his late father, and the gathering was very appreciative. Other acts of the evening included the Tivoli Dancers, Dance Theatre Xaymaca, Ras Roy and Tammi-T.

nicola.cunningham@gleanerjm.com