Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life, bringing peace, abolishing strife; so said Kahlil Gibran.Why then is one song, written by a now deceased local entertainer, causing a stir in the entertainment industry? Troydon Cruickshank, better known as Blazer Dan, was gunned down outside his home on October 22 this year. His unexpected death has seemingly opened a can of worms, as it relates to the ownership of what is believed to be his final written works. The track in question, Whisperers, was subsequently produced and is now enjoying rotation across the urban market.
Musical mayhem
The song was written about a year ago, according Blazer's manager, Sheyna Weston. Weston claimed Blazer told her the track was handed over to his former manager, Glenroy Watson, for mastering. On a popular Facebook fan page belonging to an urban radio station, Weston, two days after Blazer's death wrote, "Blazer did not write any song for Glenroy Watson. That song was Blazer's own lyrics about his life and what people had to say about him. Glenroy, his former manager, went behind Blazer's back and re-recorded the song using his own vocals. God doesn't sleep, even in death. Blazer's manager for life." The song was indeed re-recorded by promoter and businessman, Glenroy Watson in August of this year, and distributed in September, even while Blazer was still alive.
Watson, in a telephone interview with the T&T Guardian, was noticeably shocked and disturbed by the sudden emergence of the rumour, saying he'd never once heard of Weston's claim. He immediately defended himself, explaining that the track was given to him by Cruickshank. "Blazer sang the song for me a year ago and I told him, 'I want that song.' He asked me, 'yuh feel yuh could sing it. Yuh sure yuh could sing it?'" Watson said. He said he told the artiste he could, and together with Blazer and fellow artiste, Cedonia, he went to the production studio of Madman Johan where Blazer did the guide for the track, for him. Watson said he eventually recorded the track this year at the production studio of Parry Jack in New York.
Friends for years
"My relationship with Blazer goes back many years, to the song, Changes," Watson revealed. He said he met Blazer through fellow entertainer, Benjai, at Caribbean Sound Basin. "He expressed some of his hardships in the industry, saying that the business had left him for dead. He said he wanted to change. We talked and I eventually paid for the track that Richard 'Charsu' Ahong produced." Watson said from that day, their relationship began, and he became Blazer's manager, executively producing much of his music. When Blazer was arrested for his brother's murder in 2005 and was eventually released, Watson said he dissolved his managerial duties, but remained a close friend to the artiste.
Who is Glenroy Watson
"I am not a singer. I never aspired to be an entertainer. Why would I want to steal his song?" he reiterated. Watson also questioned why, even as promotion of the track got under way at radio stations across T&T, Blazer or his manager had not come forward with the argument that the track had been stolen. "The type of person Blazer was, he would never have stood by and allowed anyone to take his music," said the event promoter. Watson, who is the person behind local promotional powerhouse, Home Grown Entertainment, has for many years executively produced tracks by artistes out of T&T. Some of the big names include, Machel Montano, Benjai, Dawg E Slaughter, and even Iwer George. "I don't know what this girl's claim to fame is, but I am seeking legal advice where this situation is concerned," he said, indicating that he will not stand by and allow his character to be tarnished. "At the end of the day I have a demo that Blazer did for me with my name in it. Blazer is dead and gone. May God bless his soul. I will always love him from my heart, but I can't allow this to happen," he vowed.
Sheyna Weston speaks
Weston, meanwhile, said she had posted the comment out of sheer anger at the time, and would apologise to the promoter if it became necessary. She said she was unaware of any agreement between Watson and Blazer about the track, adding that from time to time, she and others in their camp would hear Blazer singing the song and adding lyrics to its verses. "He told us he was going to the studio with the song," she said, adding that when she told Cruickshank that the song had been recorded by Watson and had been released on radio, he seemed shocked. Strangely, both Watson and Weston agreed that the person at the root of the conflict was indeed good to them both. "Blazer had a split personality," said Watson.
But despite this, he added, the artiste loved his friends, and that was possibly the reason for his demise. "Blazer would give anybody, anything, but he had a split personality," he lamented. Weston, too, said when she met Blazer three years ago, she was afraid of him. But when she got to know him she realised he was a genuine person. "A lot of people judged him based on what they thought he'd done. It was only when you met him and spent time with him, you understood who he really was," she said. Now that he is dead, the musical mayhem involving Troydon Blazer Cruickshank is a matter that remains unresolved. In the interim, however, the track enjoying airplay is in essence, a part of Blazer as he was, just before his unfortunate death.