MUSIC ICON IRVING BURGIE was moved to tears yesterday as his “island in the sun” honoured him with the launch of a new documentary on his life and times.
The 45-minute special, entitled Irving Burgie – The Legacy, was launched at Hilton Barbados and was produced by the Caribbean Broadcasting Union and Narrow Gate Productions, featuring commendations from Maya Angelou, Sir Frederick Smith, American journalist Cheryl Wills and veteran Barbadian musician Oliver Lord Radio Broomes, among others.
Burgie, in thanking those behind the film project, said the finest moment in his work of studying the cultural side of the Caribbean for over half a century was his song Island In The Sun, which he recited before an audience that included Prime Minister Freundel Stuart and Minister of Education Ronald Jones.
It was in the last two lines of the song that Burgie, overwhelmed with emotion after warning the audience that he was a “softie” when speaking and therefore preferred to write his feelings, halted and was assisted by some present in finishing the verse.
