Arrow was to Montserrat what Bob Marley was to Jamaica and took soca music worldwide
Montserrat said goodbye to its favourite son yesterday. Half the island’s 5,000 population packed into the Cultural Centre to give thanks for the life of Alphonsus ‘Arrow’ Cassell in a service which although sombre – had real moments of warm humour.
The Cultural Centre nestles in the hills near the island’s airport – it is overlooked by Arrow’s Man Shop on one side and is next to a cricket pitch on the other, both representing two of the Soca King’s passions; commerce and cricket (he loved the game in general, and Brian Lara in particular).
His others music, his family of course and his country were all reflected in the two hour service which, appropriately enough took place in temperatures that were Hot, Hot, Hot.
His arrow-shaped, red-decked coffin fittingly took centre stage, flanked by black curtains featuring golden arrows pointing to the sky. The venue was the Sir George Martin Auditorium, and this worked too as the legendary Beatles producer (and Montserrat resident) was an early champion of the then fledgling Calypso talent that Arrow was.
The mourners wore mainly black but many wore red too and those that couldn’t fit in were accommodated outside in sweltering tents with televisions showing the service. Some of the tributes were in song but others like long-time friend Enid Laukam from Trinidad gave a real glimpse of the early years of Arrow’s career.
Some of the flowers sent by well-wishers
Enid talked about how Arrow came to play at the Trinidad carnival and wasn’t well-liked by the other Calysponisns. She said it was because they feared his talent, “and his songs were catchy and jumpy and he was a hit with the ladies”.
At the end, she told the audience: “Montserrat. Montserratians; Arrow loved you”.
At the other end of Arrow’s life, AJ one of his sons – brought laughter when he described a conversation he had with his father as he lay seriously ill with cerebral cancer: AJ asked him if he was feeling strong: Arrow replied, “Like I could lift a car. This is not a strength-related illness son!”
And his business colleague John Wyke finished his tribute by suggesting that Arrow would be “teaching Soca to the angels”.
Afterwards, the funeral procession left for Arrow’s home in Lime Kiln. A beautiful villa with views that someone said , with black humour, were “to die for”. Around 200 sang hymns as the arrow-shaped casket was lowered into the ground in his garden.
There’s talk now of making that villa an Arrow museum and there are plans for a National Arrow Day but there’s no danger of his being forgotten. As one relative wrote in the order of service:
“He had a heart of gold, a voice of silver and a spirit bigger than either his physical stature or his country”.
Alphonsus ‘Arrow’ Cassell won worldwide fame for his 1982 soca hit, Hot, Hot, Hot. He was awarded an MBE for his services to Caribbean music in 2000.
