Popular Brooklyn pastor Louis Straker, Jr., lead pastor of Reflections Church on Utica Avenue in Brooklyn, on Saturday, Sept. 20, eulogized his cousin, Granville Straker, renowned as the “Godfather of Soca Music.”
The life of Vincentian-born Granville Leonard Straker, pioneering founder of the Brooklyn-based Straker’s Records and champion of calypso and Soca music, was celebrated at St. Teresa of Avila Church Hall, 563 Sterling Pl., Brooklyn.
“It truly is an honor to stand before you today as we celebrate the life of our dearly beloved and Caribbean music icon and legend Granville Leonard Straker,” said Pastor Straker, who also presided over the two-hour-plus-long service, dubbing his eulogy “Straker’s Record.” “Often times, it’s hard to see, particularly when coming from humble beginnings, the greatness that will eventually flow out of you as God often won’t reveal it until the appropriate time.
“If we had the opportunity to ask Granville here today, ‘When you were a little boy, did you know you would one day called ‘The Godfather of Soca Music?’ Did you know that you would one day become the founder and Chief Executive Officer of a Caribbean music empire that worked with, and catapulted the legendary careers of Chalkdust, The Mighty Shadow, The Black Stalin, Calypso Rose, Winston Soso, Poser, Scorcher, Singing Francine, Duke, King Wellington, and Lord Shorty?” asked the son of former St. Vincent and the Grenadines Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Sir Louis Straker, who was also among mourners.
“Did you know your work would impact both the Calypso King of the World — The Mighty Sparrow, and the Soca King of the World — The one and only, Machel Montano?” Pastor Straker added. “Did you know that your work would highlight the ‘Bass Man’ and give life to the ‘Woman on the Bass?’ Did you know you would work with the Quincy Jones of Soca music, Frankie McIntosh, and produce hundreds of records, exposing the world to the rich sounds of our Caribbean music?
“I’m sure the answer would have been a resounding ‘No,’ as sometimes the greatness inside of us is hidden while we are being developed in obscure places,” Pastor Straker continued.
He said Granville Straker came to America in 1959 and continued working as a mechanic before getting more involved in music.
“While the world counts gold and platinum record sales, the God of the universe counts faithful servants. While the world measures popularity and fame, it is God who measures stewardship,” he added. “I need you to understand, The Master didn’t give Granville Straker music so he could become famous. He gave Granville Straker influence so Caribbean music could become known to the world.
“His record shows that cousin Granville helped make Caribbean music known to the world by building a bridge. He connected St. Vincent, Brooklyn, Trinidad, America, the Caribbean, the Diaspora, artists, audiences, studios, record stores, concert halls, you name it!” Pastor Straker continued. “He was constantly building bridges. And my bible reminds me in Isaiah 58:12 that God loves bridge builders.
Flanked by her siblings, Granville Straker’s daughter, Suzanne Straker Greenidge-Hewitt, a physician, said Graville Straker had “seven children, born to four different mothers. Seven very different people. And yet, somehow, daddy gave every single one of us a part of himself.
“He gave us so much more than I think we even realized,” she said. “Some of us received his looks. Some of us received his personality. Some of us got the way he walked into a room. Some of us got his strength, his determination, his stubbornness — and yes, Daddy could be stubborn. And some of us may act a little more like him than we would like to admit.
“Daddy, you gave each of your seven children something different. But you gave all of us the same foundation. You gave us family. You gave us history. You gave us strength. You gave us one another. And now it is our responsibility to carry those gifts forward. Not only in what we say, but in how we live” Suzanne added.
Claude Taitt, a Guyanese-born former broadcaster on the defunct WLIB, a popular radio station in New York that provided Caribbean news and music in the 1980s and ‘90s, praised Straker’s professionalism.
“He was not only a businessman, he was a gentleman,” said Taitt, who trekked from Fort Lauderdale, Fl, where he currently resides.
Derek Ventour, a preeminent Grenadian-born entertainment promoter in Brooklyn, told Caribbean Life afterwards that he will “always remember Straker with deep fondness and appreciation.
“Whenever I spoke to Straker about his beloved wife, Beverly, I affectionately referred to her as ‘The Princess,’” he said. “It was my special way of acknowledging the remarkable woman who stood beside this great man.
“Granville believed in me from the very beginning,” Ventour added. “I will never forget the day I introduced him and Frankie McIntoch to two talented Grenadian calypsonians, Flyin’ Turkey and Harold Pysadee whom he later went on to produce. That moment marked the start of a lasting friendship built on our shared love for Grenadian music and culture.
“Granville was a true gentleman, a steadfast supporter of Dee Vee International Productions, and, above all, a friend,” he continued. “His contribution to Caribbean music and culture will never be forgotten. I will always be grateful for the confidence and trust he placed in me and in ‘Spiceman’ Bob Frederick for allowing us to be part of his journey.”
Born on Sept. 12, 1939 to the late Irena Straker and Clement Straker, the family said Granville Straker became “one of the most consequential figures in the production, preservation and international distribution of calypso and Soca music.”
It said Straker’s entrepreneurial involvement in Caribbean music began before the creation of his record label.
Beginning in Brooklyn in the 1960s and expanding during the 1970s, the family said Straker established record retail outlets serving the growing Caribbean community, including his landmark Straker’s Records at 242 Utica Avenue in Brooklyn and on Nostrand Avenue, also in Brooklyn, with additional retail presence in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.
“These outlets, together with his production and distribution network, helped connect Caribbean artists, recordings and audiences across the region and throughout the Diaspora,” the family said.
It said that, in 1971, Straker founded Straker’s Records in Brooklyn, “creating a platform for Caribbean artists at a pivotal moment in the growth of New York’s West Indian community.
“What began as an entrepreneurial venture developed into one of the most important catalogs in Caribbean popular music,” it said.
Over about three decades, the family said Straker’s record label released an estimated 600 to 700 albums, more than 1,000 12-inch records and several thousand singles.
The family said the roster included generations of celebrated artists such as Calypso Rose, The Mighty Shadow, Black Stalin, Chalkdust, Lord Nelson, Lord Melody, Mighty Duke, Explainer, Winston Soso, Singing Francine and Machel Montano.
The family said two recordings illustrate the enduring importance of the Straker’s catalog: The Mighty Shadow’s “Bassman,” released by Straker’s Records in the 1970s and now regarded as one of Shadow’s signature recordings; and Black Stalin’s “Ah Feel to Party”, “which later gave its name to the acclaimed retrospective collection The Best of Straker’s: Ah Feel to Party.”
The family said Straker’s impact was recognized throughout the Caribbean music community.
It said among his honors was the Martin’s International/Inter-Culture Award of Honor, presented at the 2009 International Reggae & World Music Awards.
The family said that, in 2014, Straker was also honored in Brooklyn for “Excellence in Worldwide Music Production over the Years.”
It said it was a “recognition that reflected decades of work on behalf of Caribbean artists and culture.”
The family said Straker was much more than a record-label owner, stating that he served at various times as a producer, promoter, talent scout, distributor, businessman and cultural visionary, traveling throughout the Caribbean in search of emerging talent and giving artists access to professional recording and international distribution.
“His Brooklyn businesses became gathering places for Caribbean immigrants seeking the music and culture of home,” the family said.
It said that, at its height, Straker’s operation included multiple Brooklyn record stores, while Straker’s Records & Stereo became “synonymous with Caribbean music retail in New York.”
The family said “a defining creative partnership began in 1978,” when fellow Vincentian musician and arranger Frankie McIntosh, who was among mourners, playing the piano, joined Straker’s Records as musical director.
The family said McIntosh, a pre-eminent Caribbean calypso and Soca arranger, led the studio band The Equitables, arranged music for scores of Straker artists and oversaw hundreds of recording sessions.
The family said Straker was predeceased by his first wife, Jean “Patsy” Straker Jackson, “who played a foundational role in the early development of Straker’s Records.”
Straker is also survived by his wife of 24 years, Beverly Straker, “who stood faithfully by his side, offering steadfast love, companionship and support throughout the later chapters of his extraordinary life and career.”
In addition, Straker is survived by his children and their spouses: Leroy Straker; Shirley Straker Stafford and her husband, Deward Stafford; Suzanne Straker Greenidge-Hewitt, M.D., and her husband, Marstus Hewitt; Granville Straker, Jr.; Lavern Straker; Clement Straker and his wife, Lori Straker; and Allan Straker.
The family said Straker is also survived by his grandchildren Nicholas; Ashley; Shannon; Sherrell; Leroy, Jr.; Lamont; Lauren; Kellie; Hayden; Michael; Romel; Tammie; Dasia; Makaelah; and Jaelee; and “many other extended family, musicians, artists, colleagues and an international Caribbean community whose lives and culture were touched by his work.