FILE
Beckford performs at a concert in June 2000.

Teino Evans, Staff Reporter

It is probably the biggest fear of any singer. Stanley Beckford was recently diagnosed with throat cancer and now it appears that his singing career is on the ropes.

With a career spanning the 1970s through to the '90s, Beckford is known for his mento-infused reggae. When he started to record mento, he became the only major reggae performer to fully embrace the genre, recording as Stanley and The Turbines and later with The Starlites.

Now, staring cancer in the face, Beckford says he can only count his blessings.

"Well praise the Lord, I'm feeling better than before. I'm still feeling a little pain, but I have some medication taking to try and counteract some of the pain," he said.

He says his family has also been very supportive, especially his wife Thelma.

"I have a wife here, she is more than an angel. During my illness, even before, as I even get a little headache she jump around and ready to tek care of me, so when it come to my family I have no complaints," he said.

His seven children, five girls and two boys, are currently abroad.

Beckford, who says he was a patient in the University Hospital of the West Indies for six weeks, says, "Up to now I really don't know the expense of the hospital. These things have been looked about or paid by other people, but I'm not sure by who."

Appeal for assistance

It was, however, reported in The Gleaner on November 13, during Derrick Morgan's performance at CVM TV Startime an appeal was made for assistance in paying Beckford's half a million-dollar hospital bill.

And Beckford has bigger worries to consider, as he has started a 10-day radiotherapy treatment which should also cost a tidy sum.

Beckford says, however, that overall support from the entertainment fraternity has been minimal

"To be truthful, is only Fab 5, The Astronauts, Derrick Morgan, Toots Hibbert and some more, but those are the major people in the music industry who come and look for me in the hospital and whatsoever they could offer as a contribution they gave me. They are my breadwinners," he said, laughing.

Where his singing career is concerned, Beckford says he feels it is time to give some to the Lord.

"To be truthful, I still hold my thing as a singer, but to continue with it, I don't think so. Otherwise from that, I think I'm going to give to the Lord," he said.

"That don't mean that if I get a show I will not do it," Beckford said.

Beckford says he has no regrets, as he describes himself as a "champion for Jamaica."

Number one songs

"There are so many number one songs that I have done over the years, Soldering, Kisiloo, Brown Gyal, Broom Weed and there were other songs. My festival song, Dreaming Of A New Jamaica, Jamaica Island Of Home, Pollution and others, but otherwise from that, coming up, I have had a lot of number one songs, but I don't remember all a dem sometimes," he said.

Beckford says his only regret to date is the way in which older artistes are treated unfairly.

"I am a recording artiste from down in the '60s an we never use to make no money. I use to get five cents per copy of record an di record use to sell for 75 cents an di producer not going to tell you how much records were sold. And even now we not making no money as old-time artistes. Di only thing we make a couple dollars from is like Stars R Us, Startime and JCDC. We've been robbed and cheated, but when people see Stanley and the Turbines dem seh a big artiste, but we only have di name," he said.

"Promoter only waan gi we one $15,000 or one $20,000 and by di time wi pay taxi fare an dem thing deh wi cyan pay wi bills. I have fi a beg an borrow, mi nuh shame fi tell no man dat. Di nowadays artistes dem a get half a million an one million. I'm not disrespecting no artiste or the music industry, but I'm only talking what is happening, and it shouldn't be so. Is not only me alone as artiste that these things happen to. You have Toots Hibberts, Eric Donaldson, The Astronauts, Derrick Morgan, Keith Poppin who are long-time artistes, and in the same portfolio like me. We don't get our fair share," he said.