Recipient of the Governor-General's Achievement Awards for the parish of Westmoreland, Mr. Richard 'Richie Stephens' Stephenson, receiving his award from Governor-General Professor Kenneth Hall, at a ceremony at the Holiday Inn Sun Spree Resort in Montego Bay on Thursday, September 21.
Being in the music business for more than a decade, wooing countless fans locally and abroad, 'Richie Stephens' never knew that his contribution to community service would be officially recognised one day.
Born Richard Stephenson, this entertainer extraordinaire thrilled a packed room at the Holiday Inn Sun Spree Resort in Rose Hall, Montego Bay, recently. He is the 2006 recipient of the Governor- General's Achievement Award for Westmoreland.
"This award means a lot to me. It shows that people are recognising the kind of work that I have been doing over the years. It is really a wonderful feeling, as I have been doing this for years but mainly for fulfilment of self just to feel good about myself doing it," Richie Stephens said.
"Where I am coming from it was not easy for me to be where I am now, so I always remember where I am coming from and that is the reason why I am giving back," he said. "It is not an award for music, nor for performance, but for excellent things in other forms. That is one of the reasons I am so proud. I always say to myself that I would like to be remembered not just as a singer, but as someone who has contributed to the development of Jamaica."
Richard Stephenson was born on December 5, 1966, in the inner-city community of Russia, in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland. He is the first of five children born to Carmen Farquharson.
Drop out
His mother fought hard to send him to the Savanna-la-Mar Infant, Primary and Secondary schools. Unfortunately he dropped out at grade nine and then went to live in Spanish Town. Even though he had moved, life was still hard for him. Nevertheless, he continued studying privately.
'Stephens' spent a few years performing in hotels when he was chosen by the Jamaica Tourist Broad (JTB) to be part of a tour, as lead singer, promoting Jamaica across Europe.
Over the years, he has contributed significantly to several civic, social and recreational pro-jects in and around the parish of Westmoreland, including the Savanna-la-Mar Infirmary. Owing to his dedication to the education of children in Jamaican, he also helped to support a number of institutions in the parish.
