| Blake Alphonso Higgs | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Blake Alphonso Higgs |
| Also known as | Blind Blake |
| Born | 1915 |
| Origin | Matthew Town, Inagua, Bahamas |
| Died | 1986 |
| Genres | Goombay, calypso |
| Instruments | Vocals, banjo |
Blake Alphonso Higgs (1915, Matthew Town, Inagua, Bahamas – 1986), better known as "Blind Blake", was the best-known performer of goombay/calypso in the Bahamas from the 1930s to the 1960s. (Not to be confused with the blues singer/guitarist of the same nickname.)
For much of his career, Blind Blake was based at the Royal Victoria Hotel in Nassau. Included in his wide repertoire was "Love, Love Alone," a song (by Trinidadian calypsonian Caresser) about the abdication of Edward VIII. Blind Blake's version of this calypso is said to have been enjoyed by the former king himself, who, as the Duke of Windsor, served as Governor of the Bahamas during World War II.
Higgs played banjo and sang, releasing 4 albums during his tenure at the Royal Victoria Hotel, one with singer Lou Adams, and several other lesser albums towards the end of his career. His first 4 albums were released on Floridian label Art, including a 10" with Lou Adams. Although never famous in his own right, sadly, his music has been covered by the likes of Dave Van Ronk (Yes, Yes,Yes) Pete Seeger (Foolish frog), Lord Mouse and the Kalypso Katz (Tomatoes), and the Percentie Brothers, (Goombay Drums). His style was a mix of dixieland jazz, calypso/goombay, and American folk, probably because of the close proximity the Bahamas has to the USA. For Several decades, he was arguably the most important figure in the Bahamian tourist entertainment industry. One of his most famous songs, the medley "Little Nassau/Peas and Rice," written during the US prohibition era, is about the easy access to alcoholic beverages in Nassau, then complaining of the local's frustration with a diet of peas and rice.
Johnny Cash based his hit "Delia" on an old blues ballad from Georgia that Higgs had adapted into a calypso.