Several years ago I played at the funeral of a St Lucian friend who had died after a tough two-year battle with cancer. His name was Bobby Clarke and our friendship began in the early 1970s when Tradewinds were playing all over the Caribbean and came to make the first of many appearances in St Lucia.
During my time in music, I have met, literally, hundreds of people, but only a few have become special. Bobby Clarke was one of those. In the 35 years after we met, I don’t think any two-month period passed without our talking to each other or visiting each other. I had even played with Tradewinds, as friends, at Bobby’s wedding in St Lucia. The bond between us never weakened. We told each other everything. We had become brothers.
