Star-studded 40 shades of Gayle

Last Saturday's 40 Shades of Gayle party for superstar batsman and self-proclaimed Universe Boss Chris Gayle at his upscale residence in Chancery Hall, St Andrew, was an over-the-top affair that demanded a mid-session wardrobe change from the birthday boy who was definitely King of the Hill.

However, despite the adulation from his entourage and from the selectors who used every opportunity to "big up Chris Gayle on him 'strong'" and also to remind the partygoers that "'if yuh love Chris Gayle seh rich!" Gayle, far from being braggadocious, was full of gratitude.

He took time to thank all those who were present, and his supporters came from as far as the United Kingdom, Dubai, India, Canada and of course Jamaica. His family, too, came in for special mention. His little daughter Kris-Allyna had her moments when she casually strolled around, always within sight of her caregiver, while his father, Dudley, was the man of the hour as much as Gayle himself.

In a special shout-out to the 92-year-old, who gave his son a good run for his money dress-wise, Gayle proclaimed his love.

"It means a lot to me to see you here dancing. My dad is 92 years old. I want to say, Dad, I love you so much. You are a real one. I cherish you," Gayle said.

At that point the selector hilariously pulled for the Prince Buster tune Hard Man fi Dead, with the opening line.. "You pick him up, you lick him down, him bounce right back/What a hard man fe dead..."

In thanking his fans, Gayle turned on the charm.

"The people who travelled many, many miles to be here to celebrate with the Universe Boss ... that means so much to me. I appreciate it. We have many people from the UK ... we have special friend, Wayne, and Joe from the UK.. Rob ... we are going to need a wrecking ball to get him out of here. Treasure Beach is in the house ...Asafa Powell... Michael Frater ..." Gayle continued as he called out the names of his celebrity pals.

It was from before 10 p.m. on Saturday that guests streamed into the all-inclusive once-a-year bash, dressed in their finery -- many of them sticking to an all-black theme. The reggae and dancehall fraternity was well represented with the likes of Heavy D, Isaiah Laing, Cat Coore, Romeich Major, Sean 'Contractor' Edwards, Sharon Burke, June Isaacs, Tanto Blacks, the BBC 1 Xtra Crew, while in one section it was as if Punjab meets Kingston at Chancery Hall.

With selectors Johnny Kool and Kurt Riley at the controls, the music was fast and fresh, and saw Gayle enjoying many moments on the dancefloor. Dancehall deejay Masicka, who was the special guest, gave a too-short performance which was extremely well received.