Tobago
Corey Connelly
The late Sherwin Cunningham, 55, received a major cultural send-off Thursday, reflecting the singer-songwriter and calypsonian’s deep love of music and the performing arts.
The former manager of the D’ Masters kaiso tent in Tobago died last week Tuesday after a sudden illness.
Dozens of people gathered at the Elizabeth Dennis Baird Recreation Ground at Mason Hall to pay their last respects to a man who dedicated his life to the development and promotion of Tobago’s culture and the talents of its future artists.
Cunningham’s far-reaching influence was evident among the mourners, as politicians and religious leaders sat side by side with well-known cultural activists and artists whom he had mentored over the years.
Vocalist Sharon Phillips, from Mason Hall, sang a stirring rendition of the R&B song It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday, popularized by Boys II Men.
She prefaced her performance by saying that Cunningham was the brother she never had.
An emotional Phillips said she was in the studio recording one of Cunningham’s songs when she got the news of his death.
She added that they were working on several projects, which he felt would put Tobago on the international stage. Phillips told mourners that all projects started by Cunningham will be completed.
She said his sudden death is proof that time is not promised to anyone.
