Posthumous honour for Denroy Morgan
THe late singer Denroy Morgan, patriarch of the Morgan Heritage clan, will be posthumously honoured at the forthcoming staging of the Caribbean Community Awards, scheduled for February 18 in Lithonia, Georgia, USA.
Several other Jamaicans will also be lauded at the event, according to conceptualiser Wesley Graham.
In an interview with the Jamaica Observer, he explained the objectives of hosting the event.
“We decided to do this with the aim of identifying and acknowledging individuals who have made significant contributions within the Caribbean Diaspora within the Atlanta Caribbean Community. We also wanted to show appreciation and in effect encourage more engagement and commitment to the community and more so, the youth, in terms of development and giving back to the community,” said Graham.
This is the second staging of the awards, which was first held in February last year.
In addition to Morgan, who passed away last year, other recipients include Jamaicanborn business entrepreneurs
Sharon and Gordon Barnwell, and sports personalities Wendell Downswell (football coach) and Carl Brown (former national coach). Haitian philanthropist James Nasser will also receive honours.
The May Pen-born Morgan lived in the United States since the mid-1960s. He rose to superstar status in the 1980s with I’ll Do Anything For You.
In 1984, Morgan became the first reggae artiste signed to RCA Records. That deal led to the release of the reggae album Make My Day,
which was also a hit.
His albums include I’ll Do Anything For You/sweet Tender Love, Muzical Unity,
and Salvation.
The father of 30 children, Morgan became a bishop in the Abrahamic Covenant Family Ministry, an arm of the Ethiopian Orthodox Coptic Church of North and South America and the International Gospel Helpers Church. He was also a member of the
Twelve Tribes of Israel and the American Clergy Leadership Conference, with a Nyahbinghi Vibration and Bobo Shanti tradition.
He died peacefully on March 3, 2022 at his Atlanta home. He was 76.
Singers Anthony Malvo and Morgan’s son, Gramps Morgan, are among the performers slated for the Caribbean Community Awards.
Graham gave an insight into how the awardees are