Music is Timeless; Canada Day Reggae Celebration

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“It is not what you can do for Canada, but what Canada can do for you!” Planet Earth Productions

At 75 years old, Reverend Evangelist Dr. Reuben Smith, moved the crowd with dance steps reserved for men half his age. He had been asked to be a part of a Royal Formal Dinner and Dance held at the Jamaican Canadian Association on Sunday June 30^th, 2019, put on by Planet Earth Productions. In an electrifying performance, Dr. Reuben Smith showed the crowd that age is only a number, and when you have an opportunity to do what you love, you do so with everything you have.

When the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper team arrived at the event, it was running a bit late, but Dr. Smith sat there, cool as a cucumber waiting for his chance to perform some of his gospel reggae hits. With the room still waiting for what was looking to be a great night of entertainment with acts including: Inspector Lenny, Latoya Mullings, Polly Pumpie, and the Arsenals Reggae Ska Band, we had an opportunity to sit down with Dr. Smith to discuss his love for music and his history here in Canada.

Dr. Smith made Canada his home in 1969, and was actually one of the first black men to ever live in Stouffville, Ontario. Performing on Canada Day was an honour for him because he has seen the changes in Canada since his first, very cold days here. I asked Dr. Smith if performing made him nervous, “I don’t really get nervous anymore. I have been doing this for so long, and I practice so that when the time comes I am not nervous. I just enjoy going out on stage and giving the audience my best.”  His best was exactly what the audience got; Dr. Smith started the night off with an energetic and lively performance, which set the mood for what was to come.

Dr. Smith was followed by another electrifying and quite humourous performance by The Arsenals 100% Kick-Ass Ska Band. The bandleader Dizzy Minott worked the room with his trombone, surprising the audience with his antics. The Arsenals is a Toronto band formed in 1994 by Crash Morgan and his brother James Morgan. After Crash Morgan’s untimely passing, Dizzy Minott (who happens to be the cousin of late Sugar Minott) was asked to keep the band going in honour of Crash’s memory.

On Sunday June 30^th, Dizzy proved that music is timeless; the band actually plays the history of Jamaican music, which is not only entertaining but also educational. From authentic Studio One Ska and Rocksteady, to classic Reggae, the audience was treated to forgotten gems like: “My Boy Lollipop,” “Simma Down,” “Take it Easy,” and “Carolina,” as well as modern songs played to the ska beat (a term called Ska-ter-izing) like “I’m Still in Love,” and Dawn Penn’s classic, “No, No, No!”