Tony Wright and his co-host, J.C. Arzu will tonight mark the 12th anniversary of Belize Musicians Past and Present, a show that airs regularly on Thursday evenings on KREM FM – the Mighty Mandingo.
“This past year we had some special people in studios,” said Tony Wright. He lists among them singer Harry Shaw, who appeared on the program for the first time when he visited Belize for the Lord Rhaburn Award Show. Shaw appeared along with Prof Drummond – another Belizean musical sensation.
Poets also appeared on the show to talk and called in to share their work – among them Erwin X, Black Orchid, and River of Fire, said Wright.
It was on-air, on Belize Musicians Past and Present, that Belizean reggae artist, Dan Man, played the first version of his latest hit song, Gone Too Far, inspired by the murder of Keisha Sutherland and directed at the accused, Louie Ganzie.
Wright says that the show has averaged 48 editions a year over the time of its existence.
“Every now and again, we have somebody we did not get to chat with for a long time,” he added.
A spin-off from the show is Belizean Beat – another show Wright hosts on KREM – which came a year later and is aired on Thursday mornings.
In addition, Belize Musicians Past and Present has given rise to Sound Fest, which Wright organizes annually, and the Association for Belizean Artists First, which was set up to promote the rights of Belizean artists on the whole, and not just singers.
It was after some guests appeared in studios about 6 years ago that the idea came to light, because, according to Tony Wright, he noticed that there was no place designated for Belizean artists on the calendar of events. This is how Sound Fest began, he added.
Wright said that he would continue reaching out to all Belizean artists through the show.
He extends gratitude to both J.C. Arzu and Lisa Love, who did the show along with Wright for 3 years.
“I really enjoyed every single minute of doing the show. It’s been gratifying, especially with people from the villages who tell you how much they enjoy the show,” he said.
He expressed the concern that, “We still don’t have a real foundation for artists to work and make money from their profession. I think we need to still get together – all artists regardless what – we need a solid foundation to make a difference. For some reason, the people who should assist artists are not giving us that much assistance. We need a seminar to discuss exactly where we want to go, to meet with the Minister of Culture, and have a discussion with him.”
Tony Wright concluded by saying that he wants to see improvement for singers, poets, musicians, and all other Belizean artists.
(Guests for the anniversary edition are the songstress Radiance Thompson and Yasser Musa – president of the National Institute of Culture and History.)