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Sunday, May 21, 2017

SONGS BY ERSKINE KNOWLES!


My husband Erskine is a great guitarist and vocalist (I think I’m permitted to say that!). He started playing guitar at the age of fifteen, but played the kettle drum before that (once he was in a wedding procession on Long Island as a small boy, playing the drums!). He also learned to play the accordion.

When we met in 1965 he was playing in a band called “The Invaders” in the old Lisbon Club on Bay Street, downtown Nassau. See my blog post Bahamian Music is Blowing in the Wind.

Since then he’s jammed with a lot of musicians over the years in The Bahamas and England. He’s played with Jay Mitchell’s band in the British Colonial Hotel, Nassau; “Little Joe Cartwright” in Count Basie Square, Freeport, Grand Bahama; Count Bernadino and his daughter Nita Ellis at Westwinds II, Nassau; musicians in a pub in Exmouth, England; pubs around Exeter, England (with me singing along with him); entertained on the SS Oronsay on the way to England; formed a two man band with our son Gavin called “Roadblock” while we were living in Long Island (with other musicians coming down to join them at gigs around the island); the former Holiday Inn, Paradise Island, with Buddy Rae; and at the former “Buzz” night club and Crazy Johnny’s on East Bay Street, Nassau, with such musicians as the late Berkley Van Byrd.

Here's a short video of Erskine singing and playing Roy Orbison's song "Pretty Woman" at “Crazy Johnny’s”, Nassau, Bahamas (formerly “The Buzz”) in 2009 - "Pretty Woman".

Now he’s writing his own songs. You can hear some of them on soundcloud.com at the following links:

YOUNG HEARTS
Lyrics, music, guitar and vocals by Erskine Knowles
(Based on true events when Erskine first met me!)
© 2015 Erskine Knowles

THE WRITER’S PRAYER
Lyrics by Fay Knowles
Music, guitar and vocals by Erskine Knowles
© 2014 Erskine Knowles

BORN AGAIN
Lyrics, music, guitar and vocals by Erskine Knowles
(Inspired by spiritual events and dreams!)
© 2015 Erskine Knowles

It’s a great joy being married to a musician!

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