Blacspade: Young, Gifted and Black Part 1
Wade Anthony Douglas didn’t have a problem being called Blacspade as a teenager and even today he is still cherishing that name for more than one reason.
“I love music, ever since I knew myself, and that was before I became a teenager. My ears were always glued to the sound of music, and I had this energy to just go out there and let the music speak for itself.”
“My friends were the ones who gave me the name Blacspade. There was a sound system that had a DJ called Spade. When I left Jamaica for New York in 1995 and returned as a deejay, my friends, who were accustomed to that name, felt since I was now fully in music the spade could be part of what is now Blacspade.
The Rastafarian singjay recalls being born in the Whitfield Town, Kingston area, but he soon left to live with his grandparents in Browns Hall, St. Catherine.
“I went to both Browns Hall Basic and Primary schools and like many boys had a lot of friends. We played marbles in the streets because traffic was scarce. This attracted onlookers, including other boys who were fascinated about the game.”
“But things did change a bit for me as grandpa had work for me in his small grocery shop which sold basic food items like flour, sugar, and rice.”
“Being there had become a part of my life as soon as I left school in the evenings.”
“My friends loved me being there because they could, at least, be sure of a bulla cake without a cent or a bun which they shared among themselves.”
“But I loved music, so I would sneak out at nights when grandpa was asleep to go to the dance or party next door.”
“My family had a record-changer, that’s what it was called then; a box-shaped encloser where the record was placed and an arm with a needle to make contact with the record for the music to be played.”
“I would put out the record-changer on the verandah, ever so often, and played the music of artistes, including The Heptones and Alton Ellis.”
“If one should ask why, I would tell them that these were some of the positive artistes who delivered a message that helped to unite people.”
On leaving Browns Hall Primary, the budding singjay moved on to Tacius Golding Secondary (now high). This opened the doors for higher education and challenges.
To know more be sure to read: Blacspade at Tacius Golding Secondary. Second of a seven-part series, only on the Reggae-Vibes site.
(Photos courtesy of Blacspade)
Source: https://www.reggae-vibes.com/news/2023/03/blacspade-young-gifted-and-black-part-1
