Posts in category Life & Style

Rudy Mills’1968 hit John Jones became an anthem for skinheads and other counter groups in Europe Egbert Gaye Before 2019, the last time Montrealer Radee Beyah performed on stage he was in his early 20s and a rising star in Rock Steady music in his native Jamaica, with a string of hits to his name. Back then, he was known as Rudy Mills and burning music charts across the Caribbean with mega-hits such as A Long Story and John Jones, anthems for rock-steady lovers in the Caribbean and ska loving skinheads in the UK and across Europe, respectively. Fast forward …

Longevity in any business means that one must always adapt and change with the times as the market dictates. From the beginning, that is what Lady G was all about. Born and raised in Spanish Town, Jamaica, she hit the scene early and hasn’t missed a beat since. It has been over 30 years since she recorded her first hit “Nuff Respect” and still Lady G is just as relevant today as she was back then. With dozens of hits and graced stages all over the world, her positive vibes (and lyrics) and class represent well. In late 2018 she …

Contact Staff Andrea and Dave Gordon You know what they say about a family that cooks together… apart from staying together they make great food. So it is with Andrea and Dave Gordon and their little catering service that they operate out of their home in LaSalle. A business, driven solely by the love, others like family, friends and supporters have for their cooking. Obviously aware of the perils of self-aggrandizement, Andrea can’t help but accept just how good the food that comes out of their kitchen is. “To be honest, I don’t think that there’s anyone in Montreal who …

First Black player in the National Hockey League Contact Staff At 83-years-old Willie O’Ree still commands attention. Articulate and poised, the man who became the first Black player in the National Hockey League 60 years ago remains a powerful ambassador for the game and an inspiration for the generation of stars following in the tracks of his skates. O’Ree, who at 22 years of age made his debut on January 18, 1958 as a winger with the Boston Bruins in a game against the Montreal Canadiens. The Bruins won. A few nights later he played in the return game in …

Former standout athlete and educator to receive Montreal Cares Lifetime Award By Maria Anastasia Weekes Sometime this past March, Denburk Reid and his Montreal Community Cares Foundation team unanimously voted for Ivan Livingstone to receive the Montreal Community Cares Lifetime Achievement Award. And he will be honored on May 11, at an award ceremony at Loyola High School, 2477 West Broadway. The annual event is an elegant fundraiser themed ‘It Takes A Village’, which celebrates role models and community do-gooders. And it will be an opportunity for Montreal to learn more about Ivan Livingstone, a man born in 1929 in …

Egbert Gaye With the much-anticipated release of her latest single, Hotel Key, from her debut EP, Best Life, Montrealer Ana Stasia continues her upward trajectory on the R&B/Pop music scene. The excitement around her continues to build because of the commotion her previous single, Shade, created being shortlisted in several of the major categories in the 61st Annual Grammy Awards ballot. The single is competing for Best R&B Performance, Best R&B Song and Record of the Year, while the EP, Best Life, is competing for Best R&B Album. The multi-talented singer/songwriter who honed her musical skills at The University of …

BTW’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award 2019 goes to a cultural livewire Egbert Gaye The quotes on her website say it all. “It has taken Fabienne Colas five years to do here (in Quebec) what it would sometimes take most Haitians 30 years to accomplish.” — Dany Laferrière Those sentiments were compounded by bestselling author and entrepreneur, Stedman Graham who stated that: “Fabienne (Colas) is blessed with so many TALENTS and helpful to so many people. The world needs that energy and determination.” Today, 15 years since she planted her stake in Quebec, Fabienne, the young and enterprising go-getter …

Novel Thomas In Montreal’s Black community the name Nancy Mackenzie has been spoken of for generations. Those who have met and come to know her speak positively and proudly of the person; others have never met her, but readily admit to hearing of her Black and extra-community initiatives. It comes as no surprise then, that after her many years of grassroots work Nancy Mackenzie’s name is among the list of recipients at Black Theatre Workshop’s 2019 Vision Celebration Gala. She will be honoured with the Dr. Clarence Bayne Community Service Award. Always soft-spoken and humble, Ms. Mackenzie admits to being …

Musician, teacher and expert pannist Egbert Gaye It’s not by chance that Fatima Wilson stands as the leading woman of steelpan music in Quebec. Thirty-one years ago, she came into the world, surrounded by the sound of the instrument, and as the child of iconic ‘pan-man’ Salah Wilson, she and her five siblings were immersed in it for all their lives. Today, with her father now based in Toronto, not only is Fatima one of the leading proponents of the steelband in the city, she is also a highly capable musical arranger, teacher, and of late an in-demand soloist. She …

Sometimes accidents happen in the ring but they take the bad with the good Egbert Gaye Boxers in Montreal are united in their support for Adonis Stevenson, who up to press time remained in an induced coma after being knocked out by Ukraine’s Oleksandr Gvozdyk in their light-heavyweight title fight at the Videotron Arena in Quebec City, on Saturday, December 1. The 41-year-old Montreal-based fighter who snatched the title from Chad Dawson in 2013 was well ahead on the score cards of two of the judges and tied on the third when the Ukrainian boxer over-powered him with several unanswered …