 david anthony martins international singing star  david anthony martins international singing star david anthony martins international singing star webmaster tue 10102017 2340 he will tell you that his last name is martins people usually leave out the last letter martins is a portuguese name dave s forebears took the boat from madeira the stormy seas ended in british guiana and the empire has pro duced a musician that has become an international icon dave martins and the trade winds have etched their names in the folklore of the caribbean the trade winds is 51 years old and is going strong over the years dave has given us his wit vision and a unique ability to capture the feelings and mood of the people dave is originally from hague on the west coast of demerara in guyana when he was ten years old the family moved to vreedenhoop he attended st stanislaus high school where he had a liking for languages and a fascination for words and music dave played in a small group on the west coast that focused on ballads and latin music he said that the calypso was a perfect fit because i could twist and bend words my aunt had a dry goods shop and there was a calypso from trinidad about a boat that was going to grenada that sunk i was fascinated because people don t usually write such songs it captivated me dave worked at atkinson airport for four years and then he migrated to canada in 1956 he became exposed to trin idadians that had a good record collection and the music wrapped him and held him in awe dave says that some of his early songs were influenced by that era how did the trade winds come about he saw an advertisement in a toronto newspaper from someone that wanted to start a caribbean band he answered the advertisement and a group of four musicians was born the band sounded good and it was hired six nights a week dave moved away from mainly latin music and he also changed the name of the group to the debonairs they could now play a mixture that included calypsos the band played in this genre for several years the hectic schedule took its toll on dave s life and he gave up the weekly gig in 1963 he would play only on weekends but the music kept calling him in 1966 he formed an all caribbean band he called it the trade winds dave said that a metamorphosis occurred i discovered and appreciated caribbean music by being away from it he exposed the new band to the caribbean and after writing four songs he decided to go to the trinidad carnival in three months one of the songs topped the charts and by 1967 the trade winds was a household name in the caribbean the band toured guyana and played at the astor cinema to sold out crowds the trade winds has become an integral part of caribbean life producing one hit after another dave has made the connection with caribbean society he has blended music humor and meaning in a tapestry in which we could laugh at ourselves and also appreciate the uniqueness of our caribbean heritage here is a bouquet the lady calls the fire station with the cricket test match finely poised she says frantically send the fire brigade my house in on fire the man at the fire station calmly replies lady please call back later sobers batting now then there are the quirks that are unique to the caribbean when a person sit down bad how could this be expressed in proper english how does one describe ruc tion how does one misaverage the flour in baking when you eat too much it gainst you when the man can sing bad bad it means he can really sing in the cayman island if you eat something that doesn t agree with you they describe it as stalling the point is that these are fodder for a musical mind and dave has been able to us them in his repertoire to good effect it is called the value and power of the dialect dave has resettled in guyana for the last nine years and he is as creative as ever his song postpone on the parking meters in guyana shows a mind that is sharp and abreast with the times one of his biggest hits is not a blade of grass and dave explained its genesis he said the idea came from pat cameron a broadcaster at radio demerara she suggested to dave that he should write a song about the guyanavenezuela border dispute after some hesitation dave put his mind to it he was inspired by a speech in which an apache indian stated that his people would not give up a blade of grass to the white man dave said that the song wrote itself he had it done in about an hour the song has since become an anthem dave said that music will always be a part of his life he credits his parents zepherina and joseph francis for values they imparted in him as a child that have enabled him to treat people with respect and honesty and kindness dave is impressed by the trinidadian song writ ers they have produced volumes with ingenuity and joy he pays tribute to singers such as calypso rose and the mighty sparrow and said that the caribbean should honor its artists and heroes in a big way dave makes furniture and plant trees in his spare time and he is a good handyman as well the university of guyana has selected dave to be the next artist in residence this is on the initiative of the vice chancellor professor ivelaw griffith and it is a most worthy choice dave cares deeply about the welfare of young people he said that their success is influenced by their upbringing and they must not forget their roots a most memorable event occurred nine years ago when dave met a beautiful young lady she was annette arjoon he was impressed with her knowledge of amerindi an life her photography aviation skills and ideas on conservation annette speaks highly of dave s generosity and humility he is the love of my life she says with a smile and they make a good team david anthony martins is an icon and a treasure that brings entertainment and wisdom to many we wish him and his family all the best in the future  david anthony martins artist in residence 