Minister Grange pays tribute to musicologist Garth White

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange has expressed her sorrow at the passing of the musicologist and author Garth White.

Grange said White was “like an encyclopaedia that I could always consult on matters related to Jamaican music ... he was so knowledgeable”.

“I am really sad by this news. The nation has lost an outstanding son whose knowledge and passion for our music was unparalleled. I really will miss him,” said Grange.

White served as researcher at the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica/Jamaica Memory Bank, part of the Institute of Jamaica, which is an agency of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport. He also served on the Reggae Gold Awards Committee, which selected the first 50 Reggae Gold awardees.

In recognition of his writings on Jamaican music, he was awarded the Reggae Gold Media Award.

His publications include The Development of Jamaican Popular Music with Special Reference to the Music of Bob Marley: A Bibliography’ (1982) and Traditional Musical Practice in Jamaica and Its Influences on the Birth of Modern Jamaican Popular Music (1982).

White passed away last Wednesday. He was 77.