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Video: Where is Ches Haynes?

odyssey of an original Soul Singer from Barbados

By Yann V in News Archives
Published 07 Sep 2023

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Video: Where is Ches Haynes? magazine cover

The odyssey of an original Soul Singer from Barbados, the movie...

Ches was born in Barbados, and from that faraway small bunch of islands comes this outstanding piece of Caribbean Soul. Like many of the artists we love, Ches had his fair share of travels and troubles. He dedicated his whole life to music pursuing that ideal of living by the dream we all keep sticking to but just a few have the balls to engage.

After his teenage years spent listenting to the sound of the American Black Music legends of the times, whose frequencies made it to the radio stations in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, he packed up and went to study music in New York City. He was gifted with songwriting, where he always puts soul, jazz and a touch of reggae music. Wirl label (West Indies Record Ltd.) was his recording home with which he released a number of tunes both solo and with his band The Outfits.

He then traveled the world far and wide, spending a couple of years in Canada (another proof of Canada’s music industry solid ties with the sound from the islands), eventually ending up where Funk Investigators’ patrol member Yann Vatiste found him and secured the license for this release.

 

©2023 Lee "Buey Monsieur" Buers @soulbouybuet (thanks mate) ©2023 Tesla Groove / Stream

Snag your copy of "Please Don't Go" on Stream Records here: https://bit.ly/Ches_Haynes_STR009

 



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Roburt

Barbados & Canada have had strong links (both musical & otherwise) since the 50's. 

Barbados has always (well for well over 100 years) been more 'British' than the UK. Many Bajans fought for us in WW2 & others were amongst the 1st of the Windrush folk, but that's by the by.

Canada was (50's / 60's) also very British but also very cold in the winters (which are about 6 months long). So to escape their winters, many 'better off' Canadians bought holiday homes on the island & spent much of the winter there (towns like Holetown have whole areas of small villas that were built for & bought by Canadians). With lots of Canadians spending 8 to 12 weeks on the island each year, it was only natural that romantic relationships would develop. Many new 'couples' wanted to stay together, so would move to Canada, still spending the winter back in the Caribbean. A two way relationship soon developed & Bajans started to move to Canada for education purposes and more. Many Bajan singers relocated to Canada, which took over from Jamaica & the UK as the No.1 place for musically talented folk to relocate to. Many other local singers did head off to Miami / New York or the UK, but many made Canada their home.

Canada always made it easy for Bajans to move there (unlike the UK) & nearly always made them welcome (unlike the UK). Each year the islanders celebrate CROP-OVER & lots of Emigrants return home to see family members. Lots of the singers , musicians also head back home to perform at the many musical events staged in that period.  

In the 80's & 90's lots of the best 'soul' music to come out of Canada was recorded by Bajans or the kids of ex-Bajans. I know lots of those recordings were highlighted at the time in soul mags like Steve G's New Blackbeat. Sadly, most of that music & those artists slipped quickly back into obscurity.   

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