Revisiting Mahalia’s TT moments

This is not the first time that Trinidad and Tobago has interconnected with the amazing life and career of Mahalia Jackson. Here are three Mahalia Jackson/Trinidad moments.

Mahalia Jackson accompanied by Fitzroy Coleman

Like Jackson, guitarist Fitzroy Coleman was a natural talent. Coleman’s style incorporated the invention of unique chord constructions and progressions applied to popular music of the day.

Having taught himself to play the guitar, Coleman was considered to be among the top jazz guitarists of the day across Britain, Europe and the United States. He played regularly on the BBC and at one point also accompanied gospel queen of the world, Jackson.

Coleman and Jackson’s performance is featured in the 1964 video, Mahalia Jackson Sings BBC, Jazz on the Screen: a Jazz and Blues Filmography by David Meeker, housed in the US Library of Congress.

The concert was recorded in London in May 1964 featured Mahalia Jackson on vocals; accompanied by Mildred Falls on piano; TT’s own Fitzroy Coleman on guitar, Edward C Robinson on organ; Rupert Nurse on acoustic double bass.

Coleman was awarded the TT Humming Bird Medal Silver (for Culture) in 1999.

Mahalia Jackson and TT hairstylist Icon Clem Lue Yat

While Mahalia Jackson might be the queen of gospel, Trinidad’s own Clem Lue Yat is the vintage king of hair. Lue Yat started hairstyling when he was 13 years old. In the 1970s, the queen of gospel and the king of hair finally met.

“I had just moved to my Queen’s Park East location and that was when this picture with Mahalia Jackson was taken outside my salon.

“Mahalia came to perform and one of my clients asked me to work with her,” said Lue Yat in an interview with JCS Entertainment at the gala performance of the musical on May 15.

“When I met her, she had a wig on her head that did not suit her. When she came to my salon and saw all these amazing hairstyles, she said, ‘Oh my gosh, I would love to have one of these hairstyles!’ and I was saying to her, you need a fall - one of those bigger hair pieces. When I styled her hair, she was so amazed at the type of hairstyle and she was so elegant with her hair pulled back.”

“I did her hair a couple times for a few concerts, she was here for about a week, performing at Queen’s Hall, that was the only thing we had in those days,” he laughed.

Lue Yat recalled not only grooming Jackson’s hair, but spending time with her at the Hilton Hotel while she was dressing and preparing for the upcoming concerts. He found meeting and chatting with Mahalia a wonderful experience.

Clem Lue Yat has achieved 50 years of dedicated service in the hairdressing industry from 1963-2013.

Protest interrupts Mahalia Jackson Trinidad and Tobago concert

When the gospel queen herself visited TT in the 1970s, she also performed at the Grand Stand at the Queen’s Park Savannah.