Dave Martins, who led the Tradewinds band and whose music Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali described as ‘the heartbeat of our region,’ has died.
Local media reports said the Guyana-born singer and composer was 90.
“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,” President Ali wrote in a Facebook tribute on Sunday.
The Guyana President said 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,” Ali noted.
He recalled the Martins song ‘Not A Blade Of Grass’, calling it a timeless anthem and a powerful statement to Guyana’s collective resistance against threats to its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
‘Not A Blade of Grass,’ composed in the 1980s, had mobilised Guyanese against Venezuela’s persistent claim to the Essequibo Region.
With the revival of Venezuela’s claim to Guyana’s resource-rich Essequibo region, the song has continued to be an unofficial national anthem for some Guyanese.
Martins’ other songs are “Honeymooning Couple,” “Cricket in the Jungle,” “Civilisation,” “It’s Traditional,” and “Copycats.”
In 2022, the University of Guyana conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters.
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