DADDY TRACEY!
90S BELIZEAN PUNTA ROCK SUPERSTAR!
In the 90s were also some explosive years for Belizean music. Making my contribution to support Belizean arts, music and culture brought me into the distribution of Belizean music produced in the Belizean diaspora of Los Angeles, California through my business Belam Communications and label Kalifa Records. It was the times of cassettes, vinyl dub plates and CDs and Belizean artists like the legendary Daddy Tracey were making some big hits with his two popular musical albums that was taking Belize by storm and blowing away everything in its path.
Establishing my business venture on Vermont Avenue in L.A., Daddy Tracey and the noteworthy Belizean personality Pele Ellis walked through my office doors one evening carrying boxes of cassettes of the new Tracey music for my distribution in Belize. It was his first hard hitting album that contained the hit tracks Gumption, Dugu De, Jungle and Danki Whip. And it was a pleasure for me to distribute the music of the most popular Belizean artist of the time. All of the songs were hitting Belize by storm, blowing away Chico Ramos’s “Married Tu Ah” and Andy Palacio’s “Punta Medley’!
Though Tracey was not of Garifuna heritage like his Garifuna musical peers whose ancestors originated the musical genre of Punta Rock, his Kriole heritage made him stood out as an interesting Belizean musical artist rocking Punta Rock hit tunes and topping the Belizean music charts that were dominated by Punta Rock. Tracey came straight out of Griga as a born and raised Belizean from the southern Stann Creek District. He was born with a talent to entertain and understood how to make music in Belize’s most popular musical art form today.
Accompanying him was the legendary Belizean footballer Pele Ellis who brought him to yours truly and was also a Belizean who also came straight out of the Dangriga South. Pele was one of Belize’s most entertaining master of ceremonies who had a powerful voice for it that was second to none and who passionately graced the Belizean airwaves on the popular Belizean radio show on KPFK 90.7FM called Belize-Caribbean Pulse. He was the voice that graced the popular Belizean musical venues at music festivals like the popular Belize Caye Fest and the September Belizean celebrations. Tracey could not have had a better person as his promoter and public relations man than the legendary Ellis.
But Daddy Tracey carried his own large fan base as his first hit album of four popular songs became hits after hits and his demand to perform them was crazily high, taking the Belizean Punta Rock superstar to Belize, up South, down South, up North and down West and East of Belize. He was the new thing and Belizean ladies bash in his tunes at popular Belizean dancehalls, clubs and entertainment venues across Belize and across the Belizean diaspora in the United States. It appeared that Tracey could not crank out enough of that album of hit songs because Venus Records on Albert Street at the time was always sold out of his music. If Belize had a musical rating system, Daddy Tracey’s hit album would have gone platinum. Historically, it was the biggest selling Belizean musical project of Belize of the 90s.
Then what was overlooked was the musical producers and writers who were writing these tracks with Daddy Tracey who started his musical career as a Belizean dancehall DJ. The musical producer for the hit tracks was the legendary Belizean musician and artist Clinton “Junie” Crawford. The brilliant Belizean musical songwriter Eugene Thompson and Daddy Tracey collaborated on writing the hit tracks with Thompson writing two of them. Thompson who is the brother of the legendary Belizean Punta Rock producer Harry “Chagu” Thompson of the legendary Punta Rock band of the 80s Sounds Incorporated rose to become a brilliant Belizean songwriter and the Thompson Brothers of the South of Belize had their names printed all over the popular Belizean music scene. Chagu was the prolific keyboard player and musical arranger for both the legendaries Punta Rock artists Chico Ramos and Mime.
Daddy Tracey blew up big on the Belizean music scene in the 90s and later came out with his second album with hit tunes, No Money No De and Lego. But the first Tracey album was better than the second while the legendary Belizean musical artist continue to top the Belizean musical charts and became one of Belize’s most popular recording and performing artist of all time. Straight out of the hood of South Central Los Angeles where he lived and played music as a DJ, the humble personality of this Belizean musical superstar continue to standout even today and is still a go after Belizean musical performer and artist at Belizean popular dance events, club scenes and Belizean music festivals in LA. To top it off, Daddy Tracey has become over the years an outstanding youth interventionist working with trouble black and brown youth in South Central Los Angeles and giving back to his community in a very constructive way.
Respect Daddy Tracey!
Daddy Tracey Hit Tracks:
https://on.soundcloud.com/kERJZCG7pbennRVbAJ
https://on.soundcloud.com/xxL1kwRHQs7MMeqhmF
https://on.soundcloud.com/uZJgfbmAO5MIpUdu8N
https://on.soundcloud.com/3aIaMVFULNj07MrTLq
(Photos through the courtesy of Daddy Tracey
BELIZEAN MUSIC LEGENDS!
by Bilal Morris
