Last Thursday was another milestone in the history of Touch, the local musical band that crafted songs like “Jam Dem,” “Move Yo Front,” “Kangaroo,” “Puss Man,” “Maco,” “Take Away,” and “Butt.”
Not only did the band announce a comeback for Vincy Mas 2023, but Willis Williams, a band member, spoke about those who would make contributions to the band’s success and praised current members for their ability to hold the band together over the years.
Williams, in what I believed was an emotional moment, singled out his brother, Julius (Jules) Williams, describing him as the anchor of the band. “He does everything’, Williams said.
“Brian Alexander, in my mind, is the leader of the band. In many minds, he is the leader of the band, but he will tell you no; the band is self-led. We have a structure that allows a lot of back and forth, and everybody has input. But Brian has played an integral part in holding the band together.
“I have to single out Colin King because he needs some mention and I think he needs some help, and we’ve been trying to do that from time to time, but just to say we haven’t forgotten him.”
“The current members who people know include Ifil Shortte, the man who writes, who pulls everything together; although we may give him a topic, he takes that topic and makes it palatable.” He makes it something that is cultural, something that people can identify with, and that is the strength of Ifil, one of the best writers in the industry in the Caribbean, I would say.
“Godfrey Dublin, the rogue of the band, said it with humility. We like to beat up on him, and he allows us, but he is the rhythm. He is the man who does tremendous guitar work. You’d be surprised to know what comes out of him when he starts playing the guitar. You know, we love him; he’s a great addition”.
“Jules is a great piano player. There are a number of songs that we have recorded in which Jules has stamped his identity or played special parts. Whenever we do those songs, he finds himself on stage to play his part. However, apart from that, Jules is the person who makes sure everything happens. Even when we had other managers, Jules was the international representative, the engineer, and the ‘great collector.”.
Williams, reminiscing on Touch in the 1990s, said the band stood out because it did what no other band would have done.
“Touch did what nobody else did; we incorporated dub into our regular music because, when we went out to the communities, people always wanted to take part in it, and a lot of the young guys, you know, they can’t sing but they could dub.”
“That brings me to Fafa, Francis Sealey. I am not saying he could not sing. He chose to dub, but his dubbing had a very melodic nature, and it fitted in nicely with Touch. We thought he was one of the best things, and I have to admit that one year he won us the ‘road march’ for ‘Kangaroo’. When all seemed a little dull and the whistle took over, Fafa coined the phrase ‘kangaroo,” and that became the song and won us the road march”.
Personally, (I Ernesto Cooke), my recommendation to “Touch” as part of their legacy would be to invest in having a book written on all the facets of creating a great musical band, as future generations so inclined to music would greatly benefit.
