By Michael Mondezie
“Who would think a boy from the orphanage could get doctorate and ting!”
A wide smile followed that musing by Roy “Pappy” Cape during my visit to his Oropune Gardens home in February, 2021.
The memory of the encounter rushed back following news of the 82-year-old saxophonist’s death on Thursday.
Pappy, a prostate cancer survivor, had just received favourable news from his latest bloodwork at the St James Medical Complex and was eager to show off.
“Ah looking good eh? Watch, ah doh even need the stick to walk around the house,” he boasted.
Roy Cape’s musical career spanned nearly six decades. In 2004, he was the recipient of the Hummingbird Medal Gold. In 2011, he received an honorary doctorate from The University of the West Indies (The UWI).
The accomplished saxophonist, arranger, composer and recording artiste also launched his first publication, Roy Cape: A Life on The Calypso and Soca Bandstand, in 2014
Yet, Cape’s real success, his true pride and joy, was the boys and girls that graduated from his self-titled music school in Sangre Grande and Diego Martin. In fact, during his very last call a few weeks ago he asked for help in getting funding for the school.
“Yuh have to come and check meh, boy; we need help again. Yuh go have to write a story,” Pappy said.
Pappy never missed a chance to boast about his students.
“It have a lil girl in Grande, if yuh hear she, yuh swear is Kenny G yuh hearing. And she beating pan like a boss too. Pure talent,” he said during a sit down for a Father’s Day feature in 2022, that was supposed to be about his life.
Last July, after presenting music literacy certificates to 36 graduating students of the Roy Cape Foundation Music School in Diego Martin, Cape made a plea for the Ministry of Education to officially include music education in the school curricula.
“Hear nah, when ah man start to play a saxophone or trombone it gives him a different feeling. When ah man or woman could watch a piece of paper and read music it turns their life around. Music could help save some of our young people from being carried away,” Pappy pleaded.
A love for his fellow man
Cape grew up in the Belmont Orphanage, now St Dominic’s Children Home, on Belmont Circular Road. Following the death of his grandmother, he chose to stay in T&T instead of moving to Grenada to live with his grandmother.
Perhaps the feeling of being all alone in the world inspired him to take so many budding talents under his wing.
Soca star Destra Garcia was one of those mentees who found her feet — and later her wings — under Pappy’s guidance.
“I’m heartbroken,” a sobbing Destra said over WhatsApp. “I feel like I lost my daddy. He was my family. Pappy was my father in the business, and remained a close friend, confidante and mentor to both Brian (partner and manager) and I through the years.”
Pappy proudly recounted how Destra and Brian took him to dinner on his birthday in 2022. Another of his former charges, Olatunji Yearwood, who gave him the nickname “Pappy Doonks”, said Cape often talked fondly of soca stars who visited him frequently.
“He say: ‘Ola when yuh passing boy, yuh know Patrice check meh de other day’,” Ola laughed.
“I have so much memories with Pappy. He is my second earthly father after my (late) father (cultural promoter) Edwin Yearwood.”
Pappy would often tell Ola stories of his escapades with his father affectionately called “Swanky Pops”. When Ola was fired from the frontline of soca band Traffik, Pappy invited him to join D’ All Starz – without an audition.
“Pappy used to come and check me to hold ah vibe, take a lil bun, play keyboards, thas how we was. He told me about a time when my father was managing (the late) Black Stalin (Leroy Calliste) they went to collect a payment for a performance from a big gangsta and the man pull gun and all ah dem had to run,” Ola laughed.
He did it his way
During a conversation in June 2022 Cape said that with a lack of male role models in his life, he learned to rely on his own intuition growing up.
“God create every one of us and give us wisdom; is up to us how we use it. Whether to be wise or dotish, is up to you. Is all about love and kindness. Life is just living and being able to evaluate right from wrong,” he said.
Reflecting on the passing of his “soca son”, Blaxx (Dexter Stewart), less than two months earlier, Cape said it was “a huge personal loss”. The D’ All Starz lead singer died of Covid-19 on April 28, 2022.
“It brought water to my eye, but when I went Despers panyard (for Blaxx’s wake) it was the most appreciation and love I’ve ever seen an artiste get here. Only thing is he left before he could see it. If he saw that he would feel like he in heaven already,” Pappy said.
Ola said that Pappy will be missed as an example of the best practices in musicianship.
“My heart really broken. Even though I know he live long this is a big loss for the fraternity, so condolences to all those who he helped because I know dey feeling it. I go real miss Pappy Doonks boy,” Ola said.
Destra, meanwhile, says she will cherish their memories together for the rest of her life.
“I will forever remember him as a father and chief defender of me and my talent and career, his unconditional love for me is what makes me both weak and comforted at this time. I’m going to miss him more than you can ever comprehend,” she cried.
For all those calling him “legend” and “icon”, they should first read what Cape had to say about those titles during our 2022 sit-down.
“It eh have no reason for that. I is just a man who like to play music. God make me and give me a heart to play music. Long before me, music instruments was there and long after I go music instruments would still be there. What I’ve done is had a good band and I had good musicians with me who love what they do and we always tried to do everything at a supreme level.
“But, people have the right to analyse, especially when they have had communication with you and see the kind of being you are and make a judgement about your character and talent. So, whatever they say about me or think, I respect because it is their opinion, but it eh have no reason for that.”
