'Open your Eyes' vies for calypso prize
Stabroek News
February 13, 2004
"Everyone must open their eyes and see what is going on, and they must make the necessary corrections." That is what calypsonian `Omai' Gregory Morgan is advocating with his tune unsurprisingly called `Open Your Eyes'.
Gregory, whose last name is Morgan, also enjoys singing culture music and preparing "tunes that will bring people to consciousness and will help them to adjust to changes". In a brief interview with Stabroek News, Morgan said he was overjoyed with his performance at the quarterfinals of the calypso competition, held last Saturday at the Rose Hall Community Centre. He will be representing Region Five at the Calypso competition semi-finals, set for tonight at the National Park.
He has been in the calypso arena for over six years under the stage name 'MMA Gregory'. Asked why the name change, he said he was once employed at the Mahaica and Mahaicony Agricultural Unit Project (MMA) as a heavy-duty operator. He said the company sponsored him whenever he was involved in a calypso competition but now he is performing the same duties at Omai Gold Mine and they are lending the same support. Constant requests from co-workers and other fans persuaded him to make a comeback with 'Open Your Eyes' which will also be talking about the crime situation and everyday life. He thought his being chosen in the semi-finals this year was not only because of his superb performance but also because of the band. "The band was given the task of working with 25 Calypsonians and they still managed to pull through having little or no faults." The aspiring calypso monarch is also planning to help Calypsonian hopefuls in Berbice and he is willing to work with poets and story writers. The father of five once did recordings in Barbados with his last being 'Poor man Pickney' and 'African Tempo'. He has three other calypso tunes lined up but is afraid to make an album because of the unimplemented copyright law. The songs are 'Girl Who Yuh Think Yuh Fooling', 'Girl take a Good Look At Yourself' and 'Stop Violence Against Women'. Morgan is also hoping to organise calypso shows in Berbice. According to him "If all things go well I will take the ten finalists to Berbice. There is also a lot of talent in Berbice and I will love to help individuals showcase their talents."