The passing of an iconic Guyanese singer sparks patriotic feelings, as border dispute with Venezuela drags on

Dave Martins’ music ‘was the heartbeat of our region’

Originally published on Global Voices

Beloved Guyanese singer, composer and guitarist Dave Martins passed away on the evening of Sunday, August 18, at the age of 90. He had been battling cognitive decline in recent years, although the cause of death was not disclosed.

Martins was a “country boy,” born and raised in the village of Hague in Region Three (Essequibo Islands–West Demerara) to Joseph and Zepherina Martins. When he was 10 years old, his parents moved to Vreed-en-Hoop. After attending primary school there, he went to St. Stanislaus College in the capital, Georgetown. His mother was musical, while his father farmed in the Pomeroon River in Region Two (Pomeroon–Supenaam). The stories he heard while on the road with his father and Trinidadian calypso were early influences on his singing and songwriting. He told the Guyana Chronicle in April last year that calypso at the time had “drama, suspense, comedy, bravery, and power in the music.” He said he listened to calypso music from recordings, and this is the music he wanted to do, “but with my twist.”

His family migrated to Canada, where he formed his first band, the Debonairs, responding to an ad for a Caribbean band. In 1966, he formed a new band, The Tradewinds, which had members from the Cayman Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, and Barbados. One of the band’s earliest songs, “Honeymoon Couple,” became a big hit in the Caribbean for its witty and naughty lyrics. Martins wrote over 100 songs for the band, which often included humor and elements of regional pride. Martins eventually owned and operated a club named “We Place” in downtown Toronto. Meanwhile, the band toured the Caribbean extensively. In the space of 30 years (1966–1996), The Tradewinds produced 17 albums.

In 2022, the University of Guyana conferred upon Martins the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters, and he served there as Artist in Residence. Martins later lived in the Cayman Islands. With a feel for the theatre, he performed as a comedian, complementing his act with his songs and guitar playing. He wrote one play, a musical entitled “Raise Up,” which was produced in Guyana, and he was also a columnist for the Stabroek News newspaper. He was described as “enjoying the simplicity of life” at age 90.

Martins’ widow, Annette Arjoon-Martins, shared in a Facebook post:

“Eternally grateful to have shared fifteen years of unconditional love, support and especially shared passions for everything Guyanese with my soulmate.”

His son, Tony Martins, shared aspects of his father's story.

There have been many tributes from public figures and institutions on Martins’ passing. On his Facebook page, the President of Guyana Dr. Mohammed Irfaan Ali, paid tribute to Martins:

I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of a true Caribbean icon, Dave Martins, whose music was the heartbeat of our region. As the leader of the Tradewinds band, Dave captured the essence of the Caribbean spirit and its identity, blending upbeat rhythms with biting satire that spoke to our hearts and minds. His music not only invited us to laugh at ourselves but also encouraged us to stand tall and be proud of our Guyanese and Caribbean heritage…

Dave Martins was more than just a musician; he was a true Caribbean person whose influence extended beyond borders, touching the lives of countless individuals across the region. His loss is deeply felt, not only in Guyana but throughout the entire Caribbean and in our diaspora.
Whenever his music plays, no matter where you are, it stirs a deep sense of pride in being a Caribbean person. The rhythms and melodies carry the essence of our shared heritage, reminding us of who we are and where we come from. Dave Martins’ music connects us to our roots and fills us with a profound love for our Caribbean identity.

President Ali also shared a video of Martins on Facebook, presented by Guyana Newsroom.

Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton observed:

“It’s a great loss to Guyana. He is one of our cultural icons and one of the men who took a lot of Guyanese culture and put it into music and wherever you went in the world, you could have related to it and be proud of it. It is my only hope that we can have more of him.

A Guyanese journalist commented on Twitter/X on what Martins’ music and messages meant to her:

As a reporter in search of a way to capture the ironies of Guyanese entanglement with oil, and its history of resisting “outside faces from foreign places,” I found what I needed in calypsonian and wordsmith Dave Martins’ “Not a Blade of Grass.” RIP. https://t.co/cqkexEFppx

— Gaiutra Bahadur (@gbahadur) August 19, 2024

Martins’ song, “Not a Blade of Grass,” was described as Guyana’s “unofficial national anthem” by Nigel Hughes, the recently elected leader of the liberal political party Alliance for Change. Recorded in the 1970s, it is a gentle but defiantly patriotic song that includes in its lyrics:

We are a peaceful people
Struggling the struggle
And we don’t ask for trouble
Just ask around!

But when outside faces
From foreign places
Talk about taking over
We end back in town

The chorus concludes:

No we ain’t giving up no mountain
And we ain’t giving up no tree …
Not one blade of grass!

In a 2014 letter to the Stabroek News, Martins himself noted that the song was not only a response to Venezuela’s ambitions regarding the disputed Essequibo region — which are ongoing to this day — but simply an expression of love for his country:

It may have been triggered by a border controversy, but Not a Blade of Grass is simply a case of Guyanese people expressing fervently and passionately their love for Guyana and for things Guyanese. It does not mention “border” or “armies” or “violence”. The word “Venezuela” is nowhere in the song, nor is the word “collision” or “dispute.” Indeed, someone can come to that song for the first time with no knowledge of the Guyana/Venezuela situation and still embrace the song totally, even without being knowledgeable about some of the ethnic terms it contains — jamoon; kreketeh; guinep, etc.

In this humorous account, Martins further told the story of how he wrote the song, which was approved of by then President Forbes Burnham, and sparked a lively crowd response wherever he played it with his band.

An updated version of the song was recorded in 2016 by Guyanese singer Juke Ross and produced by Jamaican dancehall singer and producer Serani. Perhaps this was a reflection of the relevance of the long-standing border dispute with Venezuela, which dates as far back as 1841 when the country was a British colony (British Guiana).

Since 2015, when oil was discovered off the coast of the disputed region of Essequibo, Venezuela has reasserted its claims to the region, which makes up roughly two-thirds of Guyana's total land space. A referendum in December 2023 supported Venezuela's ownership of the territory. Despite a meeting in the same month on the island of St. Vincent, the resulting Declaration of Argyle between the two countries, agreeing to a peaceful resolution and ongoing dialogue, has not so far succeeded in resolving tensions between Guyana and Venezuela.

Meanwhile, Dave Martins’ song lives on. The singer's passing has sparked not only a sense of nostalgia for the past but also resonates with the Guyanese people as they reflect on an uncertain future — especially as Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appears to have regained power following a controversial July 28 general election.

Written by Emma Lewis