MoBay says farewell to ‘Ticka’ with three days of celebration

WESTERN BUREAU:

Montego Bay danced, sang, and marched for three days in honour of Extoll ‘Ticka’ Earle, the sound system icon whose name was woven into the fabric of the city’s culture.

The celebration of life began on Thursday night at Pier One, rolled into a vibrant thanksgiving service on Saturday at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James, and ended with his burial at Dovecot St James.

By Saturday afternoon, the Convention Centre’s ballroom was packed with standing room only, while crowds spilled outside to follow the service on speakers. Marching bands, Cornwall College schoolmates, and Ticka’s loyal supporters gathered in waves. The send-off was as colourful as the man himself, a selector who gave Montego Bay its rhythm and heartbeat.

“Ticka music was a movement, a voice of the grassroots, a voice of the people of Montego Bay,” said economist and Opposition Senator Dr Andre Haughton, recalling the man whose dances stitched communities together.

Deputy Prime Minister Dr Horace Chang hailed him as “an iconic Montegonian” who pioneered entertainment in the city. Cornwall College alumnus Ali McNab, speaking on behalf of the Class of 1979, remembered him first as a footballer with a wicked left foot, before he turned his gift to music.

Trevor Mitchell, a lifelong friend and teammate, added laughter to the tears, recalling how goalkeepers ducked when Earle’s left boot connected with the ball.

“That’s when the name Ticka was born,” he said. “And later, Ticka Muzik became a movement of its own.”

Behind the selector, there was always the family man. In her eulogy, cousin Tamara Thompson painted a portrait of a disciplined yet loving figure. She remembered him sneaking records into croton plants to hide them from his parents, walking his twins one by one in the early mornings, and later doting on grandchildren whose clothes he ironed and meals he cooked.

“Humility, kindness, and love were interwoven into his soul,” she said. “Ever since childhood, he always made sure that all of us were alright.”

Brother-in-law Tommy Wong Shue reminded the congregation that Ticka’s nearly 50-year career began with encouragement from his brother, Jumbo, who also introduced him to Rosie, the woman he would marry and share life’s triumphs and tragedies with. Together, they endured the devastating loss of two children and a grandchild, yet remained unshaken in their service to the community.

“When the weekend wasn’t going well, people knew they could go to a Ticka dance and restore their vibes,” Wong Shue said. “That was his gift to the people.”

McNab summed up Ticka’s legacy as a “dash”, the mark between birth and death on a tombstone.

“What does your dash say?” he asked. “Ticka’s dash says he lived with passion, touched lives, and left a good name.”

The crowd erupted in applause when McNab imagined a heavenly parlour where Ticka would line up his sound boxes.

“Oh, what a heavenly party it’s going to be.”

RESILIENCE AND GENEROSITY

Ticka’s story was also one of resilience and generosity. Mitchell told of the day he forgot his lunch money as a boy, and Ticka collected enough from teammates to cover four days’ worth of meals. He also recalled how Ticka refused to take payment when he played at his wedding, and how he was the first to call when Mitchell’s wife died last year.

“That’s why I was the man for this assignment,” Mitchell said. “He was always there, through music, through friendship, through life.”

As the bands played and the hearse rolled towards Dovecot, it was clear this was no ordinary funeral. This was Montego Bay honouring one of its most fantastic sons with music, laughter, and memories.

Chang summed it up best.

“We cannot think of Montego Bay without thinking about entertainment. And we cannot think of entertainment without remembering Ticka Muzik.”

For three days, the city remembered. And as the selectors say when they drop a timeless tune, play it again.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com