Miss Lou was a Jamaican singer, folklorist and activist for Jamaican dialect. Miss Lou’s infectious and charming delivery of Jamaican folk songs captured the imaginations of Jamaicans of all generations and led her to be a much loved part of Britain’s theatre and radio circuit.
Louise Bennett was born in Kingston,Jamaica in 1919, she laughingly stated that she was ‘born under the clock’ . In her schooldays it did not sit well with Miss Lou that in school she was only being taught well spoken English folk songs rather than songs & stories using the Jamaican dialect known as patois.
Walking on the streets of Kingston & Spanish Town, where she grew up a young Louise would hear street tales sung in patois and it became her passion to change the Jamaican curriculum. Her contribution to Jamaica’s literacy campaign was significant, and then by her mid 20s she applied to RADA, the prestigious theatre school in London and became the first black student to study there.
3 months in to being enrolled at RADA, British audiences were introduced to this truly unique talent as she was given her own BBC radio show Caribbean Carnival. She was awarded an MBE in 1960.
It has to be said that Miss Lou was Jamaica’s first real international star. Her comic delivery of telling Caribbean tales and her sensational delivery of interpreting classic folk songs such as Linstead Market, Yellow Bird and Long time Gal in a mesmerising comic sing song fashion had a remarkable impact on Jamaican singers and poets that had grown up learning her poetry in schools and hearing her on record and on the radio.
Miss Lou was a main stay on Jamaican radio, with the Lou and Ronnie show and Miss Lou’s views. What a raconteur, sharing the trials, tribulations and good times of the Jamaican people in a dialect that was not bowing to the Eurocentric view of language. She instilled a pride in Caribbean artists that gave them an understanding that patois was a language in its own right.
Edward II’s re-version of Miss Lou’s classic songs continues a tradition that Miss Lou spent her life campaigning for. A pride in Jamaican heritage, and moving the Jamaican art form onwards. Edward II do this here with boutique collection of songs.
Long Time Gal featured in this collection was often the opener for Miss Lou’s live shows where she would encourage the audience to sing along with her and take pride and understanding in the sentiment of the song. Miss Lou greatest gift was to recite breathaking snapshots of Jamaica’s social complexity and Edward’s inclusion of the song Cordelia Brown telling the story of young bi-racial girl with red hair informs us of the versatilty of Miss Lou’s works