(EDITOR’S NOTE: As a proud son of Andros, I was compelled to publish this post by Fred Ferguson in my online publication BAHAMAS CHRONICLE, not only to share it with The Chronicle’s huge following among Bahamians in the diaspora across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom as well as The Bahamas and the wide Caribbean Community (CARICOM), but also to include it in The Chronicle’s archives. Fred Ferguson is also a gifted and talented Bahamian Musician/Producer. BAHAMAS CHRONICLE has very affordable advertising and promotional rates. Contact me at oswaldb317@gmail.com). Following is the brief narrative Fred posted with this photo of Joseph Spence:
On This Day In Bahamian History : Joseph Spence was born August 3,1910 on the island of Andros. A master guitarist, Spence’s repertoire included calypso, blues and folk music. He played a steel-string acoustic guitar, and nearly all of his recorded songs employ guitar accompaniment in a drop D tuning. His earliest recording “Music of The Bahamas-Volume 1” was made by Samuel B. Charters in 1958. He spent several years accompanying Bahamian singers such as Frederick McQueen on the Nassau docks, but he earned his living as sponger/fisherman, farmer, and stone mason before becoming a night watchman in his later years. He died in Nassau in 1984 at the age of 73.
Here’s a tribute song written by Fred Ferguson and Kirk ‘KB’ Bodie in honour of this musical giant. https://youtu.be/WvNYG36BxOA
