Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/2548/-1/133/
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HEARTICALLY YOURS: That Gumbs Signature by Ijahnya Christian
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There is an Anguillian family named Gumbs who can trace their roots back to the African continent and who are so proud of their accomplishments that if you ask them, the first man, Adam, was surnamed Gumbs. In fact the way certain members of the family carry on, one is led to think that God is a Gumbs.
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Ijahnya Christian
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Today I want to pay tribute to two members of that family – one who became a Gumbs by marriage and out of that union produced eight boys and two girls and the other, one of those sons, whose talents contribute richly to the musical dimensions of planet Earth. One day, this column will tell the story of the father of that family, George Gumbs, who with his wife’s Guadeloupean French accent, became the legendary “Judge” Gumbs. It the story of a remarkable man that needs to be told over and over again but this article salutes his widow Mrs. Elma (Mealie) Gumbs and her son Alfred Wycliffe Gumbs.
This week, Heartically Yours offers warmest congratulations to Mrs. Gumbs on the attainment of her 100th birthday on Wednesday 29th June 2005. Mrs. Gumbs now resides in St. Thomas US Virgin Islands and on Saturday 2nd July members of the family will get together to celebrate that centennial milestone. The occasion is expected to be a grand one with as many of her 42 grandchildren, 48 great grandchildren and 6 great great grandchildren as possible in attendance. I am not sure if her one surviving sister in Anguilla, Mrs. Nancy Richardson of North Valley, will be there but she will certainly join the rest of the family in wishing her sister a very blessed day and in giving thanks for her life.
Older Anguilla will remember Mealie marching rhythmically along as part of a two-person evangelical mission, beating on the bass drum strapped on her husband’s back while he made the kettle drum roll. What lively services those were! And now…the son. Some of you know him as Alfred and many more, particularly his age mates call him Wycliffe. Many in the music recording business know him as Al G the owner of AWG Music recording studio in St, Thomas and like most Anguillians, near the end of each year, I look forward to hearing from Alfred and the Alfredos with that perennial favourite, Just A Christmas Card. Those who have followed Al G’s career may just remember the young calypsonian called The Winner, who soon became The Mighty Condor. Al G is a friend and brother and one of the few people of faith that I think truly understands what it means to live Christianity. Whenever, I have tried to compliment him on his musical productions, I do not get very far because he interrupts to tell me where the praise really belongs and that he is just a messenger. Al G’s latest work, Signature is now on the market and following is an adaptation of the blurb that I was privileged to write for the CD cover of that inspiring work of art.
Signature is an album that can be described only in superlatives. This long-awaited musical masterpiece is world music at its best. In the true tradition of reggae music, the pieces selected for the Signature album cover a breadth of expression from praise and thanksgiving to the Most High JAH, to romantic love, to the higher consciousness that calls on “the children of promise” to know their identity. The album also brings humanity’s urgent attention to the “African Struggle” but proposes positive action instead of the usual despair. The album is lyrically provocative and evokes the gamut of human emotion. Al G’s love songs are the kind that every man wants to write for his woman and that every woman wants written for her. They speak of a love that brings “Christmas in July” and Valentine’s Day every day of the year. This is a love witnessed by moon and stars and of which sun, rain and sky testify. The silky smooth lyrics for the “Woman In My Life”, a voice that like fine wine has become richer over time, and the ever present blessing of sheer talent, are all combined in this compilation to make a signature statement.
Even in the midst of the apocalyptical “Revelation” in which “great Babylon is falling”, the themes of love, joy and hope recur throughout Signature. In “Dance” we don our dancing shoes and step into “Better Days” singing songs of liberation. The diversity of pulsating rhythms within the genre of reggae music are all present as Signature invites us to “Party Time” and the album’s exciting arrangements cater to a range of musical tastes. This is why “Whey Mi Come From” can be the Pan-Africanist’s theme song or the dub-master’s call to order. Similarly “King’s Highway” and its remix will raise the musical bar and the temperature whether in the church or the dancehall.
Balance, harmony, the spirituality of the ancients, the creativity of the artistes and the wizardry of modern technology are characteristics of Al G’s music but as its title suggests, Signature is exceptional. Everyone associated with this album has the right to be proud of an awesome accomplishment and Signature will be in demand by music lovers around the world for a very long time.
Signature is just fine and I am sure that Mrs. Gumbs Jr. is extremely proud of her husband’s music. However, in closing I go back to the one who gave birth to AWG and share some of the lines from his tribute to her entitled “Mama Is A Lady”. The R & B version of that song is on his Be Strong album and there is a reggae version on the Celebration album.
“…Don’t have a college degree
Knows nothing about psychology
But when it comes to loving care
My Mama she’s beyond compare
She’s a lady; my Mama is a lady…
Many nights she couldn’t rest her head
When you were in pain these were the words she said,
“God help my baby”, My Mama she’s a lady…”
Please join me in hoping that the lady enjoyed a Happy Birthday and let her know that I’ll be there for the party on Saturday, Heartically, of course.