Desmond HenryTreasure Beach:
WAS INVITED to, but could not attend, that special function of honour at Kings House last weekend to salute Byron Lee and John Pringle. It was all the more regrettable since as a former Tourism Director, I've come to appreciate their incomparable contributions to the overseas marketing of the product called Jamaica. They were, have been, and continue to be, two remarkable titans.
Perhaps the best unsolicited advice Byron Lee ever got, was one night in the mid-fifties during a football match at Sabina Park. He was playing right-wing for St. George's Old Boys and, after completely messing up on a goal-scoring thru-pass, someone from the rear of the pavilion shouted "Byron, yuh fe guh play guitar and not football." Well, as fate would have it, that is precisely what happened and Jamaica today is far better off for that sideline advice.
There is no question that as a musical ambassador or rhythmic internationalist, Byron Lee stands hips and bottoms, waists and busts, above anyone else that this region has ever exported to the world stage. He has taken disparate island sounds and combined them into a regional rhythmic mix that is at once recognisable, hypnotic and adored. He and his band of Dragonaires developed an export brand of Jamaican music called Soca which transported its magic and spirit way beyond the warm and welcoming faces of this country.
Ask any Jamaican who has ever been clobbered by the cold and ice of New York or Toronto, during any of the winters of their discontent, what were their greatest moments of joy every year. Without hesitation, they would tell you that it had to do with the impending arrival of Byron Lee and his band. To many, it was like a magical act of lifting the midday Jamaican sun and transporting it lock, stock and barrel into the heart of the North American winter. It brought not just warmth, but a basis for spiritual growth as well. There could have been no greater winter wonderland for most Jamaicans than the arrival of Byron Lee and his musical magicians.
And pretty soon, he became more than just a darn good band from Jamaica. He became the living portrayal of the Jamaican spirit. He was always anxious to discover new rhythms that he could mould into the sunshine sound. Here at home, his development and exploits of the Jamaican Carnival are legendary. Byron's music is to the Jamaican personality, what a smile is to the human face.
John Pringle, on the other hand, was a bold new matador in the arena of tourism. He brought style, class and daring to its competitive form. Like the manufacturer of a good brand product, he wanted hospitality consumers to be aware of Brand Jamaica. He dramatically changed our logo from a cursive, slanting, almost swaying image to one that still remains today - bold, upright and intimidating. In a sense, Pringle's Jamaica logo has been referred to as "full of itself and boasty." Mission accomplished.
That was precisely the logic behind its creation a kind of in-your-face boldness that cannot be ignored. Thereafter, with trained, uniformed staff, Pringle and his team assaulted the global stages, screens and press, with that new product called Brand Jamaica. In many respects, he did what every new consumer producer does, when entering new brand markets.
Those were the days before computers of course, and so personal calls on travel agents, tour operators and airlines were part of the routine. Imagine therefore, seeing a group of salesmen and women on the snow-driven streets of New York or Toronto, all dressed in white shoes, white pants or skirts, and green blazers. Who are these oddities? They are the agents of Product Jamaica. Boy did it work. Here at home he started the same new magic among Jamaicans who never really saw themselves on their lives, as credible parts of the tourism product especially if they were not physically located on the beach. That is what influenced my regime to establish the Tourism Product Development Company, and the home grown campaign called Discover Jamaica. It has helped to break down many stereotypical barriers.
Pringle and Lee operated well in the same psychologically structured markets with classical renditions of music, mirth and magic. They have laid impeccable foundations on which to build, combine and absorb other offerings in the brand Jamaica mode. In terms of generating product acceptance, researchers will tell you that their combined efforts have done for this country what other consumer brands have paid more and laboured longer to achieve.
I have one last request of Byron: Please consider putting together the most definitive CD of melodies which my era regarded as classic rent-a-tile selections. That is music to dance-to-by holding hands, and without moving feet. I reckon it could be immortal.
The Bottom Line: Experience is an unusual teacher: She gives the tests first and the lessons afterwards.
Desmond Henry is a marketing strategist based in Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth.
