Wayne Armond to perform for charities - Mourns loss of Cat Coore and Sly Dunbar

Doing his part to raise funds for the Lions Club of Kingston's Sight Clinic, as well as to assist in the Hurricane Melissa recovery effort, Wayne Armond will be a special guest performer at this year's staging of 'Musical Delights' on February 8 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel.

Armond, who now resides in Florida, told THE WEEKEND STAR that he was happy to hear from his friend Errol Lee that the club wanted him to grace its stage again.

"I was really glad for the call, because it's always good to come home," he said. Armond, of Chalice band fame, last performed in Jamaica with the band on New Year's Eve 2024. He migrated in 2019 and has been doing both solo work as well as occasionally reuniting with Chalice for special performances. Come February 8, fans will be treated to some classic Chalice hits.

"I just try to give what people expect from me, plus a little surprise near the end. I like to just sing sometimes, as it gives me some freedom and takes me from behind the guitar," he said.

Chalice's legacy, he explained, is historic, as the band has been instrumental in achieving many firsts.

"In the late 70s, early '80s, when the bands formed in Jamaica, it was a fertile ground for music. Unfortunately, I don't think we have any bands again that create. Most of the bands now are backing bands, so Chalice and Third World have a history of being self-contained bands that make hits and travel the world. And significantly for Chalice, I think we were the first to fuse dancehall with orchestra music with the Dancehall Philharmonic. Plus, we were the first reggae band to ever play in Istanbul, Turkey," he said.

Armond said that the recent passing of both Stephen 'Cat' Coore of Third World and iconic drummer Sly Dunbar emphasised just how fleeting life can be.

"I've known Cat since he was 13 years old. I was the one who showed him the first chords on the guitar. He was a prodigy of the cello, but he heard my little school band rehearsing and showed an interest in the guitar, and he just took off. In six months, he was advanced," said Armond.

Acknowledging that there was a rivalry between Chalice and Third World, he said it was all in the name of fun and advancing Jamaican music through the production of timeless songs.

"Cat and I always remained friends. And Sly and I did studio recordings together, and I used to always look forward to working alongside him because he was the best studio drummer ever. Sly was the steadiest and nicest person you ever wanted to find. Humble person. So I am going to miss them greatly."