\u201cIt truly is an honor to stand before you today as we celebrate the life of our dearly beloved and Caribbean music icon and legend Granville Leonard Straker,\u201d said Pastor Straker, who also presided over the two-hour-plus-long service, dubbing his eulogy \u201cStraker\u2019s Record.\u201d <\/span>\u201cOften times, it\u2019s hard to see, particularly when coming from humble beginnings, the greatness that will eventually flow out of you as God often won\u2019t reveal it until the appropriate time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf we had the opportunity to ask Granville here today, <\/span>\u2018When you were a little boy, did you know you would one day called \u2018The Godfather of Soca Music?\u2019 Did you know that you would one day become the founder and Chief Executive Officer of a Caribbean music empire that worked with, and catapulted the legendary careers of Chalkdust, The Mighty Shadow, The Black Stalin, Calypso Rose, Winston Soso, Poser, Scorcher, Singing Francine, Duke, King Wellington, and Lord Shorty?\u201d asked the son of former St. Vincent and the Grenadines Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Sir Louis Straker, who was also among mourners.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Pastor Louis Straker Jr. and Susan Billinghurst-Hamlett, who assisted in the funeral service.<\/span>Nelson A. King<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \u201cDid you know your work would impact both the Calypso King of the World \u2014 The Mighty Sparrow, and the Soca King of the World \u2014 The one and only, Machel Montano?\u201d Pastor Straker added. \u201cDid you know that your work would highlight the \u2018Bass Man\u2019 and give life to the ‘Woman on the Bass?’ Did you know you would work with the Quincy Jones of Soca music, Frankie McIntosh, and produce hundreds of records, exposing the world to the rich sounds of our Caribbean music?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure the answer would have been a resounding \u2018No,\u2019 as sometimes the greatness inside of us is hidden while we are being developed in obscure places,\u201d Pastor Straker continued.<\/span><\/p>\n He said Granville Straker came to America in 1959 and continued working as a mechanic before getting more involved in music.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhile the world counts gold and platinum record sales, the God of the universe counts faithful servants. While the world measures popularity and fame, it is God who measures stewardship,\u201d he added. \u201cI need you to understand, The Master didn\u2019t give Granville Straker music so he could become famous. He gave Granville Straker influence so Caribbean music could become known to the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Granville Straker’s widow, Beverly Straker.<\/span>Nelson A. King<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \u201cHis record shows that cousin Granville helped make Caribbean music known to the world by building a bridge. He connected St. Vincent, Brooklyn, Trinidad, America, the Caribbean, the Diaspora, artists, audiences, studios, record stores, concert halls, you name it!\u201d Pastor Straker continued. \u201cHe was constantly building bridges. And my bible reminds me in Isaiah 58:12 that God loves bridge builders.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Flanked by her siblings, Granville Straker\u2019s daughter, Suzanne Straker Greenidge-Hewitt, a physician, said Graville Straker had \u201cseven children, born to four different mothers. Seven very different people. And yet, somehow, daddy gave every single one of us a part of himself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe gave us so much more than I think we even realized,\u201d she said. \u201cSome of us received his looks. Some of us received his personality. Some of us got the way he walked into a room. Some of us got his strength, his determination, his stubbornness \u2014 and yes, Daddy could be stubborn. And some of us may act a little more like him than we would like to admit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDaddy, you gave each of your seven children something different. But you gave all of us the same foundation. You gave us family. You gave us history. You gave us strength. You gave us one another. And now it is our responsibility to carry those gifts forward. Not only in what we say, but in how we live\u201d Suzanne added.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Vincentian calypsonian Cyril “Scorcher” Thomas.<\/span>Nelson A. King<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \u00a0Claude Taitt, a Guyanese-born former broadcaster on the defunct WLIB, a popular radio station in New York that provided Caribbean news and music in the 1980s and \u201890s, praised Straker’s professionalism.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe was not only a businessman, he was a gentleman,\u201d said Taitt, who trekked from Fort Lauderdale, Fl, where he currently resides.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Derek Ventour, a preeminent Grenadian-born entertainment promoter in Brooklyn, told Caribbean Life afterwards that he will \u201calways remember Straker with deep fondness and appreciation.<\/p>\n \u201cWhenever I spoke to Straker about his beloved wife, Beverly, I affectionately referred to her as \u2018The Princess,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cIt was my special way of acknowledging the remarkable woman who stood beside this great man.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cGranville believed in me from the very beginning,\u201d Ventour added. \u201cI will never forget the day I introduced him and Frankie McIntoch to two talented Grenadian calypsonians, Flyin\u2019 Turkey and Harold Pysadee whom he later went on to produce. That moment marked the start of a lasting friendship built on our shared love for Grenadian music and culture.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cGranville was a true gentleman, a steadfast supporter of Dee Vee International Productions, and, above all, a friend,\u201d he continued. \u201cHis contribution to Caribbean music and culture will never be forgotten. I will always be grateful for the confidence and trust he placed in me and in \u2018Spiceman\u2019 Bob Frederick for allowing us to be part of his journey.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Vincentian calypsonian and musician Ulric Hamlett plays the saxophone, with a photo of Granville Straker in background.<\/span>Nelson A. King<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n Born on Sept. 12, 1939 to the late Irena Straker and Clement Straker, the family said Granville Straker became \u201cone of the most consequential figures in the production, preservation and international distribution of calypso and Soca music.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It said Straker\u2019s entrepreneurial involvement in Caribbean music began before the creation of his record label.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Beginning in Brooklyn in the 1960s and expanding during the 1970s, the family said Straker established record retail outlets serving the growing Caribbean community, including his landmark Straker\u2019s Records at 242 Utica Avenue in Brooklyn and on Nostrand Avenue, also in Brooklyn, with additional retail presence in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThese outlets, together with his production and distribution network, helped connect Caribbean artists, recordings and audiences across the region and throughout the Diaspora,\u201d the family said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Vincentian musical maestro Dr. Frankie McIntosh plays the keyboard.<\/span>Nelson A. King<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n It said that, in 1971, Straker founded Straker\u2019s Records in Brooklyn, \u201ccreating a platform for Caribbean artists at a pivotal moment in the growth of New York\u2019s West Indian community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat began as an entrepreneurial venture developed into one of the most important catalogs in Caribbean popular music,\u201d it said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Over about three decades, the family said Straker\u2019s record label released an estimated 600 to 700 albums, more than 1,000 12-inch records and several thousand singles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The family said the roster included generations of celebrated artists such as Calypso Rose, The Mighty Shadow, Black Stalin, Chalkdust, Lord Nelson, Lord Melody, Mighty Duke, Explainer, Winston Soso, Singing Francine and Machel Montano.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The family said two recordings illustrate the enduring importance of the Straker\u2019s catalog: The Mighty Shadow\u2019s \u201cBassman,\u201d released by Straker\u2019s Records in the 1970s and now regarded as one of Shadow\u2019s signature recordings; and Black Stalin\u2019s \u201cAh Feel to Party\u201d, \u201cwhich later gave its name to the acclaimed retrospective collection The Best of Straker\u2019s: Ah Feel to Party.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The family said Straker\u2019s impact was recognized throughout the Caribbean music community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Family members on stage after the funeral service.<\/span>Nelson A. King<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n It said among his honors was the Martin\u2019s International\/Inter-Culture Award of Honor, presented at the 2009 International Reggae & World Music Awards.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The family said that, in 2014, Straker was also honored in Brooklyn for \u201cExcellence in Worldwide Music Production over the Years.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It said it was a \u201crecognition that reflected decades of work on behalf of Caribbean artists and culture.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The family said Straker was much more than a record-label owner, stating that he served at various times as a producer, promoter, talent scout, distributor, businessman and cultural visionary, traveling throughout the Caribbean in search of emerging talent and giving artists access to professional recording and international distribution.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHis Brooklyn businesses became gathering places for Caribbean immigrants seeking the music and culture of home,\u201d the family said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Straer and his wife of 24 years, Beverly Straker.<\/span>Nelson A. King<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n It said that, at its height, Straker\u2019s operation included multiple Brooklyn record stores, while Straker\u2019s Records & Stereo became \u201csynonymous with Caribbean music retail in New York.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The family said \u201ca defining creative partnership began in 1978,\u201d when fellow Vincentian musician and arranger Frankie McIntosh, who was among mourners, playing the piano, joined Straker\u2019s Records as musical director.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The family said McIntosh, a pre-eminent Caribbean calypso and Soca arranger, led the studio band The Equitables, arranged music for scores of Straker artists and oversaw hundreds of recording sessions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The family said Straker was predeceased by his first wife, Jean \u201cPatsy\u201d Straker Jackson, \u201cwho played a foundational role in the early development of Straker\u2019s Records.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Straker is also survived by his wife of 24 years, Beverly Straker, \u201cwho stood faithfully by his side, offering steadfast love, companionship and support throughout the later chapters of his extraordinary life and career.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In addition, Straker is survived by his children and their spouses: Leroy Straker; Shirley Straker Stafford and her husband, Deward Stafford; Suzanne Straker Greenidge-Hewitt, M.D., and her husband, Marstus Hewitt; Granville Straker, Jr.; Lavern Straker; Clement Straker and his wife, Lori Straker; and Allan Straker.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The family said Straker is also survived by his grandchildren Nicholas; Ashley; Shannon; Sherrell; Leroy, Jr.; Lamont; Lauren; Kellie; Hayden; Michael; Romel; Tammie; Dasia; Makaelah; and Jaelee; and \u201cmany other extended family, musicians, artists, colleagues and an international Caribbean community whose lives and culture were touched by his work.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Popular Brooklyn pastor Louis Straker, Jr.,\u00a0lead pastor of Reflections Church on Utica Avenue in Brooklyn, on Saturday, Sept. 20, eulogized his cousin, Granville Straker, renowned as the \u201cGodfather of Soca Music.\u201d The life of Vincentian-born Granville Leonard Straker, pioneering founder of the Brooklyn-based Straker\u2019s Records and champion of calypso and Soca music, was celebrated at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latest-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6009"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6009\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Pastor](\"https:\/\/www.caribbeanlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_1918.jpg?quality=51&w=700\" "\\"\\"")
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