Next month marks 20 years since the death of roots singer Garnet Silk. Today, the Observer reflects on the incident that claimed the lives of himself and his mother. It leads into a 20-part series, 20 Days of Silk, starting November 14.
HATFIELD Ward Park in Manchester is like many rural districts in Jamaica — several corner shops, construction sites and lush vegetation.
Manchester is known for producing some of reggae’s finest acts. Among them are Tony Rebel, General Degree, Ce’cile, Ernie Ranglin and Luciano.
But Hatfield Ward Park is best known as the birthplace for one of reggae music’s brightest stars whose light was extinguished far too early.
It produced a singer called Garnet Silk, who died there on December 9, 1994, along with his mother Etiga Gray. The fiery incident happened at 4:00 am, robbing contemporary reggae of its most promising figure who had enjoyed a remarkable rise in just two years.
The Rastafari singer was part of a roots revival that wrested the Jamaican dancehall from artists spewing suggestive and crime-driven lyrics, inspiring a wave of Afro-consciousness last seen in the 1970s.
Recording for a number of producers, Silk had numerous hit songs such as Zion in a Vision, Mama Africa, It’s Growing, Nothing Can Divide Us, Lion Heart, Fill Us Up With Your Mercy and Love is the Answer.
Just three nights before his death, Silk performed at the Mirage nightclub in upper St Andrew. From all reports, he did an outstanding set.
News of his death shocked Jamaicans and the international reggae community. His songs were played on radio stations throughout the world.
Almost 20 years later, the sleepy community where the tragic incident took place still mourns. On Wednesday when Splash visited, Silk’s nephews Joseph Bent and Kedar Palmer, along with a few friends, applied their mechanic skills to a car in the yard.
To the left of the house is a concrete monument dedicated to their uncle. Inside are trophies that belonged to the singer along with birthday cards and gifts.
The one-bedroom dwelling at the back of the yard is a chilling reminder of the tragedy that took place early December 9, 1994. A charred board in its doorway tells the horror of what happened that morning.
There are different stories as to why Garnet Silk visited his hometown on December 9, 1994. One is that he went there to check on the progress of the home he was building for his mother; another is that he went there to seek out thieves who were stealing building material from the site.
Whatever it was, it is little comfort for his family who still have a strong presence in Hatfield Ward Park.
“I don’t know when I will ever get over this. Garnet was not only my brother but he was the only dad I knew,” his younger sister, Paula Cassanova, told Splash. “My mother was a beautiful God- fearing woman and neither of them deserved such deaths.”
The sixth of his mother’s nine children, Cassanova said Silk (born Garnet Smith) was a father figure to even his older siblings. Hatfield Ward Park benefited from his benevolence, a kindness community member and friend Simeon Swaby recalled.
“He was always a trying youth and wi saw the potential in him from a very early age. Wi use to call him likkle Bimbo and he used to ‘chat’ on every sound system that came in the area,” Swaby said.
According to Swaby, after Silk got his big breakthrough in 1992, everyone in the community was ensured a ‘bread money’. The day he died, Swaby was contacted by the singer’s mother.
“The Friday evening his mother called me about three times to pick up some cash that Garnet had left for me but I didn’t get a chance to visit the house. I was at home and heard a loud explosion and then I realise that Bimbo’s house was on fire,” he said.
The recollection is even more disturbing when Silk’s younger brother, Paul Cassanova, picks up the story. The 40-year-old and his brother Paul Scott rushed to the house in an attempt to rescue their relatives and narrowly escaped death.
“I was sleeping and I am not sure what or who woke me. I just found myself outside my house and my skin was burning and peeling off. The next thing I knew, I was running through the track that led to my sister’s house. The entire ordeal was just horrible,” he said.
Cassanova and Scott suffered severe burns to their bodies.
“Our condition was so bad that the doctors were unsure if we were going to survive. My brother’s head was badly burned and swollen. During that time our family kept it a secret from us that our mother and brother had died; newspapers and television were kept far from us,” he stated.
Though police confirmed that Etega Gray and Garnet Silk’s deaths stemmed from an accident, their relatives and some in Hatfield Ward Park insist it was a result of foul play.
“The same people he fed is the same people who brought him to his demise. They were the same people who were stealing the materials for the house and threatening my family,” she said.
At the time of his death, Silk was working on an album for Atlantic Records. It was released seven years later as the Definitive Collection.
Several of his relatives have followed his footsteps into music. His brother Aaron Silk and nephew Anthony Cruz are both singers; his son Garnet Silk Jnr has also launched a career as a singer.
