ENTERTAINMENT
HOUSE
ON ‘FYA’
Fya Empress brings house down. Photo by Nelson A. King
Caribbean L BQ ife, May 17–23, 2019 51
By Nelson A. King
Former St. Vincent and the
Grenadines Calypso Monarch, Fya
Empress brought the house down
Saturday night during the launch of
Vincy Mas in New York.
Fya Empress, whose real name
is Lornette Reid, mesmerized the
crowd at Friends of Crown Heights
Educational Center in Brooklyn, with
several hits from her repertoire.
The 2017 Vincy Calypso Monarch
had patrons jumping and whining to,
among others, her signature “I am
a Vincy;” “Ah Catch It;” “No Money
No Wuk;” “In Excess;” and “Rum
Please.”
Besides being an erstwhile Vincy
Calypso Monarch, Fya Empress was
Ragga Soca Monarch and Road March
Winner, and three-time Tobago Soca
Monarch.
Her performance Saturday night
was preceded by performances by
calypsonians from the Brooklynbased
Dynamite Calypso Tent, the
lone Vincentian calypso tent in New
York.
Ron Pompey, who is celebrating
40 years of calypso, rendered “Ruck
De Party”; “Miss Ting Ting”; “Whine
Maria”; “Banana Police”; “Shake”;
“Sit Down, Sit Down”; “Ah Bussing
It”; and “The Fireman”.
John “D Truth” Dougan, president
of the Dynamite Calypso Tent,
sang “So Glad I Waited”; Hibiscus,
who trekked from Philadelphia, sang
“Things Not So Bad Afterall”; Hilford
Hurst was concerned about “Text
Maniac” and urged patrons to “Let’s
Do It”; Wise Guy told the crowd,
“We’re Going to Have Some Fun”;
Leon criticized “Dem Internet Cra-
Continued on Page 52
Award-winning playwright Oliver
Samuels.
By Vinette K. Pryce
Herman Hall, the publisher of Everybodys
Magazine claims that later this
month “all roads will lead to 56 East Ave.”
where Caribbean humor is guaranteed.
In addition to that promise he said it
is a destination easily accessible in three
New York boroughs — Brooklyn, Queens
and the Bronx — as well as New Jersey.
Not to worry, no GPS needed, the
address is the title of the latest import
from the Caribbean.
Written by Oliver Samuels and Den-
Continued on Page 52
By Tangerine Clarke
The legendary, Patti LaBelle, known
for electrifying performances, will kick
off BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn Festival,
on Tuesday, June 4, at 8 pm.
The superstar, actress, and entrepreneur,
who began her career in the early
60s as lead singer and front woman of
the vocal group, Patti LaBelle and the
Bluebelles, and called the Godmother
of Soul, is expected to rev-up the audience
with mega hits such as “On My
Own,” “Forever Young,” “Lady Marmalade,”
“When You Talk About Love,” and
“New Attitude,” among others, when
she takes to the stage of the Prospect
Park Bandshell, 9th Street & Prospect
Park West, Brooklyn, for a free concert.
The BRIC festival, that will honor
outgoing BRIC Board Chair, Hilary
Continued on Page 52
FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT, GO TO CARIBBEANLIFENEWS.COM/ENTERTAINMENT
Roads lead to
‘56 East Ave.’
Patti La Belle
headlines festival
concert, June 4
ngs Calypsonian brings patrons to their feet
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