Farewell, Ernie

I was very sad to hear the news this morning of the passing of Reggae great Ernie Smith. A great entertainer, he had, for a Jamaican reggae singer, an unusual rich baritone voice, with which he rendered both his own compositions and those of his friend Pluto Shervington.

We were privileged to see Ernie three times, at the Barbados Reggae Festival in 2010, 2012 and 2018, and I have photographic evidence.

Ernie Smith also gave me my favourite music trivia question: “Which song started life as a country song, sung by a Jamaican, and is most famous as a reggae song sung by a Texan?”

Answers on a postcard…