Royal Victoria Hotel - Nassau Bahamas
by Winston D Munnings
Title
Royal Victoria Hotel - Nassau Bahamas
Artist
Winston D Munnings
Medium
Photograph - Digital Photography
Description
This cornerstone in the capital city if Nassau is all that’s left at the site of the first luxury hotel in the Bahamas. The Royal Victoria hotel, haunt of U. S. Confederate spies, royalty, smugglers of all sorts, and ladies and gentlemen was built in 1861 and closed 1971. The hotel was named in honor of Queen Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) Monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death.
For much of his career, Bahamian born (Blake Alphonso Higgs) better known as Blind Blake, because he was blind) was based at the Royal Victoria Hotel. Included in his wide repertoire was “Love, Love Alone,” a song (by Trinidadian calypsonian Caresser) about the abdication of Edward VIII. Blind Blake’s version of this calypso is said to have been enjoyed by the former king himself, who, as the Duke of Windsor, served as Governor of the Bahamas during World War II.
Blind Blake played the banjo and sang, releasing 4 albums during his tenure at the Royal Victoria Hotel, one with singer Lou Adams, and several other lesser albums towards the end of his career. His first 4 albums were released on Floridian label Art, including a 10" with Lou Adams. Although never famous in his own right, sadly, his music has been covered by the likes of Dave Van Ronk (Yes, Yes,Yes) Pete Seeger (Foolish frog), Lord Mouse and the Kalypso Katz (Tomatoes), and the Percentie Brothers, (Goombay Drums). His style was a mix of dixieland jazz, calypso/goombay, and American folk, probably because of the close proximity the Bahamas has to the USA.
For Several decades, Blind Blake was arguably the most important figure in the Bahamian tourist entertainment industry. One of his most famous songs, the medley “Little Nassau/Peas and Rice,” written during the US prohibition era, is about the easy access to alcoholic beverages in Nassau, then complaining of the local’s frustration with a diet of peas and rice.
Uploaded
June 10th, 2014
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