Love and Happiness
Era with Don Silverfox
By William Doyle-Marshall
Remember the days of the two tone shoes and
the Blue Gardenia dances? That’s when young ladies frowned on any young man who
failed to meet the dressing standards?
If you don’t, then you are too young. Those were the hey days in
Trinidad and Tobago and indeed the Caribbean when you had to know your dance
steps. If you stepped on a girl’s feet once that’s the end of your dancing
chances. Even worse, you did not even think of saying “hello” to her or her
friends. You would be banished in that circle.
Well,
a group of Canadians with Trinidad and Tobago connections are reintroducing
that experience to real dance lovers as an end of summer venture. “I feel
pretty confident in that I think we are going to be unique with what we are
doing because you don’t get a concert, dinner and dance; you are not going to
get the kind of music we are providing for dancing at all, says Trinidadian
impresario and headline performer of that era, Don (Ali) Silverfox. Based
on a really fantastic reception he received from a Queen’s Hall and Port of
Spain Central Bank auditorium audiences, Silverfox has decided to undertake
this Canadian venture. “I was told that nobody in Trinidad was doing what I did
and I am saying the same thing is happening up here. I don’t know anybody who
does what I do. The era of what I do up here, I don’t know anybody who does
it,” Silverfox concurs.
The September 17th Nostalgia III is a
formal evening of Concert, Dinner and Dance at the Thornhill Community Centre
between 6:00pm and 1:00 a.m. The show will include performances
in Spanish, Italian and English -- to illustrate the performer’s expertise and
a little difference compared to regular pops and ballads entertainers. In
addition, songs are being chosen to encourage audience participation. Don
promises his repertoire for that night will evolve around compositions with
which members of the audience will be familiar.
Sel Duncan’s “Concert Hall Medley”: is lined
up to begin dancing feet slowly moving on the dance floor on that special
night. Tan Tan by Fitz Vaughn Bryan, Stormy Weather by the Dutchy Brothers and
Clarence Curvan’s “Delicado” are among favourites that will be dusted off and
spun for the crowd’s delight.
Caribbeanites
starving for the type of musical offerings synonymous with tender, loving
moments will be in for a special treat on September 17 at the Thornhill
Community Center. It will be a case of rekindling flames they may have thrown
out with the dreams. Don Silverfox is dusting off his musical tracks and
preparing his vocal chords to entertain music lovers. The Producers of
Nostalgia III are promising Golden Pops and Ballads by Don – a nominee for the
Canadian GMA Covenant Award. It will certainly be an opportunity to dance to
some favourite bands of the era like Stanley Black, Los Indios Tabajares,
Clarence Curvan, Dutchy Brothers, Perez Prado and more.
Don first hit the stage at age six and ten
years later he had already performed
live concerts, on radio to an audience at one point estimated at 10,000. By 17
he was introduced to live television and appeared at popular night clubs
throughout the City of Port of Spain. Performing on stage with the Light
Operatic Society provided Don a vehicle to appear in the internationally
renowned Pirates of Penzance, Chu Chin Chou and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.
Nostalgia III is a continuation of Don Silverfox’ youthful ambition to command
centre stage with an appreciative audience.