Book Review: TheLifeandWorks ofBill(Bhagee)Rogersandthe...

Rogers was so meticulous in copyrighting his material that he copyrighted not only his lyrics, but Shanto music itself, so that no other composer could produce a Shanto without violating Rogers’ copyright. Robertson cites Frank Pilgrim as the source of that disclosure.

Secondly, while Hinds mentions “early experiences with plagiarism”, these infringements could not have taken place before the 1950s, and by that time Rogers’ career was no longer “early”. This can very well mean Rogers was in the habit of saving and filing everything he did since the 1930s. Robertson also tells the story of negotiations led by himself and Deputy University of Guyana Librarian Joel Benjamin for the university to purchase Bill Rogers’ papers. Robertson marvelled at the scrupulous, careful and thorough filing done by the Shantonian. The negotiations fell through.

Shanto itself, has been identified as one of Rogers’ greatest contributions to Guyanese culture. Hinds quotes critic Gordon Rohlehr who identifies Shanto and its great value in Caribbean music, comparing it with the calypso form. It is a folk form like the calypso, but has its own identity, including form and rhythm, which causes it to have extremely long lines, twice as long as any calypso. Apart from quoting

Rohlehr, Hinds gives a definition of the Shanto, but credits Bill Rogers with its creation. “In 1949 Bill Rogers thought that ‘shanto’ would be a good local name. It was based on the older term ‘shanties’ which was used to describe songs on local topics and local folk songs. So the term Shanto was born…”

Bill Rogers: The Life and Works of Bill (Bhagee) Rogers and the Origin of Santo Music in Guyana includes several original photographs from the impresario’s file. These are priceless. The book manages to cover all areas of the performer’s life, including his trips to the USA and the UK. He was a pioneer in the recording of songs in big studios overseas and was the first Guyanese to do so. It details the songs recorded but is not very helpful with the dates of these songs. The book as a whole, needed more close editing than it was afforded.

But it is glossy with an attractive appearance. It offers valuable archival material and is of interest to researchers and those eager to learn about one of Guyana’s cultural legends. All those who remember Augustus ‘Bill Rogers’ Hinds for his Shanto songs, will now get to know him much better, and learn of the contributions he made to Guyana’s popular culture during the great era of the vaudeville in the Caribbean. This will be new knowledge for most readers.