Keep on grooving my Mighty Arrow!
By Mutryce A. Williams
“Mister Groove Master, Master Blaster, say you want groove some more, groove some more, come on move some more…do you want to have nice time? (horns) all night!” Grooving across the floor, brush in hand, leaning forward and belting out to my sons who were both giggling with delight, peering up at me from the crib, and who for sure were thinking that their mother is a total lunatic as they are too young to vocalize it, “Aidan, Ethan groove, let your body move, Aidan, Ethan groove, let your body move, keep on grooving, shubbi-di-bye-bye-bi-di-bye, bye.” As I was about to “back, back,” I heard the phone ring. On the other end, I thought I heard, “Arrow died!” I think I replied, “Which Arrow?” The response was, “Your Arrow! I thought you would have heard by now, nobody call you and tell you, sorry to be the one to break it to you.” I went silent, totally dazed, I found my way over to the chair, held my head then asked again, ‘just to make sure you know’. “You don’t mean Arrow…as in Soca Arrow…as in Montserrat Arrow… as in my true, true, real, boyfriend Arrow…as in my, my, my Arrow…You don’t mean Feeling Hot! Hot! Hot! Arrow…You for sure can’t mean the Master Blaster…the Groove Master himself Mr. Alphonse Celestine Edmund Cassell MBE…but they playing all of his songs on the radio now…What is this you really telling me man? How you could hit a girl like that! Me arm, the man just say it on the radio… a wonder if is true, true or a lie he a tell…you really want to tell me that my Arrow…the legendary Arrow…the Soca pioneer Arrow has left me and gone to groove in the great beyond…”
I was devastated and I feel a great sense of loss, a palpable loss because if you know me, you would know that I have several boyfriends and husbands and ALL of them are calypsonians. The Mighty Arrow came in second to Dr. Bird-the Mighty Sparrow, so to tell me that my Arrow, my ‘Soca Rhumba,’ my ‘Longtime’, my ‘Raise You Hand If You Want to Jam Arrow,’ and my ‘O, La Soca Arrow’ was no more, was just unfathomable. Growing up, my Lucian ‘sistren’ Dr. Fidelia “Filli” Williams and I used to fight over who love Sparrow, Arrow, Sugar Aloes, Gypsy, King Obsie, Byron Lee, Ellie Matt, Swallow, Baron and Rudder more. We would only have to hear the first note to a song, the smile came and without a doubt, we would parrot off the words. We had plenty “jam sessions” in her living room, and at every single jam session, the Master Blaster Arrow was there. For us a session wasn’t a session, a party wasn’t a party, and a fete wasn’t a fete if the DJ didn’t play at least one Arrow song. We would suck our teeth in disappointment and say, “Eh, eh that DJ aint no DJ, he don’t know music man.” We loved Arrow for a lot of reasons and one was that you didn’t need a partner to dance an Arrow song. Partner or not, when you on the dance floor and an Arrow song come on you were guaranteed a “Nice Time.” Sometimes you might have been even jamming with a partner and when the DJ put on Arrow you pull away to vexation of this person, and start to jam by yourself…that’s what Arrow did to you. It would be remiss of me if I did not note that Arrow’s music was intended for a decent jam, a “Nice Time” as he put it. He didn’t sanction any lewdness or slackness and it is for this reason I love his music.
Every so often you hear people say, “I grow up on so and so music.” Well, I grew up on Arrow music. I cannot recall life without Arrow. I was about five or so when his song “Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot” came out and I was jamming to it then and I still jam to it now, now that’s real music, classic music, Arrow music. No matter where you are or how cute you want to play when that song or as a matter of fact when any Arrow song come on, you have to shake you leg, you end up grooving, you end up raising your hand. You surprise yourself and all, because you want to know if it is you that mashing up the floor and going on so. My grandmother wasn’t a dancer but the few times I did see her dance it was to my boyfriend Arrow. She knew the words to Arrow’s song and came back from London recalling how Arrow was a big hit in the fetes and circles there; stating that the slang there at the time when anyone asked how you were feeling, the reply would be, “Hot…Hot…Hot.”
Arrow was legendary. He gave this world so much. He touched humanity at its core. He really did. Oftentimes we think that one has to win the Nobel Peace Prize or find the cure for a disease in order to touch humanity. This is not the case. Look at what Arrow did! He put a smile on people’s face and a “jook” in their waist in tasteful fashion. He guaranteed all a “Nice Time.” Look at how he put Montserrat and the Caribbean region on the map. His song, “Feeling, Hot… Hot… Hot…” is one of the most recognized songs in the world. When I have to think of what this man did, this Montserrat man, this Caribbean man, my heart wells up and my eyes flood with tears. This is no simple feat. As Robert Nesta Marley is to Reggae, so is Arrow to Soca. I was so happy when Trini Soca artist Shurwayne Winchester paid homage to Arrow and recognized him as the pioneer who opened the door for artists such as himself. This was well deserved.
My ‘pardner’ Kenny Morgan, a Montserratian, reminded me that all of this ‘Raise you hand, wave your flag business’ began with Arrow’s ‘Raise your hand,’ song. I had to tell him, “Kenny, you have a point there man, when you have to think of it, is true you know.” Arrow was a real pioneer. I think the first question I asked Kenny and as a matter of fact every Montserratian that I have ever met was, “so, do you know Arrow?” And to this day one of the most thoughtful gifts that I have ever received was a Montserrat doll that was autographed, “To Mutryce, with love from Arrow!” And of course, I had to ensure that he knew that he was signing this doll for his one and only number one fan and ‘girlfriend.’
On hearing the news of Arrow’s death, I was out of sorts for days. My sister had to remind me, “Girl, sorry to disappoint you but he wasn’t just your Arrow. He wasn’t just Montserrat’s Arrow. He was the world’s Arrow! He did what he came to do and he did it well.” Our region has seen many greats and for such a small archipelago we have given so much to the world. Look at what Arrow, did. The man did what he came to do and he did it well. Some may view him as just a talented calypsonian but Arrow was much more than that.
In 2006, I had the great fortune of interviewing the man himself and before I did, I had to let the entire world know that I was going to meet my “Longtime” boyfriend Arrow. I can tell you a whole lot of “dollsing” up took place and I had to tell the Mister “not to feel a how” because, as he knew I was going to meet My Arrow. The interview was a very memorable one. Arrow was not what I expected and to be quite honest I can’t for certain say what I expected. He greeted me as if he was greeting an old friend. He made me feel comfortable. After a while it did not seem as if I was conducting an interview because we discussed everything. He was an impressionable gentleman, eloquent, well-mannered, polished and gracious. He was humble. It was no act. He was a real, real person. I left the interview, no longer the star struck fan but someone who had a great respect for a little man, from a little island who had accomplished great things but yet somehow seemed unfazed by it all.
I think we owe it to humanity to give the best of ourselves, to leave a positive etch on the minds and hearts of mankind. Arrow has done this. He was not a mere man with talent. He was a pioneer, our pioneer. He has gone to great beyond, but he has left us with a plethora of memories, horns and melodies that would keep us grooving for decades to come. Arrow, My Arrow! Classic Arrow! Monsterrat Arrow! Caribbean Arrow! Hot! Hot! Hot! Arrow! The Master Blaster, Mister Groovemaster! Mr. Alphonse Celestine Edmund Cassell MBE! The World’s Arrow! REST IN PEACE AND FAREWELL!
