Cultural icon Neil Chan, A.A., passes away

Jan 06, 2018 News

Neil Chan, A.A.

Neil Vibert Ignatius Michael Chan died early yesterday morning after a period of illness. He was 88.

He was born on November 4, 1929 to Solomon Chan and Ruby Beckles, in Georgetown, Guyana. He had one brother, Hubert, and sister, Patricia, who both predeceased him.

Chan and his wife, Sheila, shared 58 years of marriage.

Chan had many interests— sports, culture, music and business. As a young man, he was an ardent boxing and table tennis fan, but he excelled in the bodybuilding and weightlifting fields. He later represented Guyana at the Eighth British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Jamaica in 1966.

As a businessman, he specialized in the import trade. In 1970, he was appointed the first General Manager of the External Trade Bureau (ETB), which was responsible for the importation of most of Guyana’s food and other commodities. He played a major role in trade at a time when foreign currency was in short supply and materials for the development of the country were greatly needed.

Chan started Bel Park Guyana Agency in the 1970s, as distributor of the Solo brand of agricultural equipment used by small farmers throughout Guyana. His agency also collaborated with various ministries, supplying cutting edge equipment for sea defence infrastructure and the maintenance of the electricity grid.

Further, Neil Chan and Solo dominated the Festival Arts of Guyana for many years as the leading private sector costume band. It was well known for the splendour and pageantry of his 1000-strong Mash paraders leading the parade. Chan himself won the King of the Band Competition on many occasions.

He insisted that each Solo presentation should always be creative in its use of locally sourced materials. Chan later became convenor of the Mash Nite and Mash Day Competitions. Solo also participated in Deepavali Pageants with the Solo contestants displaying Saris created locally by Solo staff.

The Solo brand also extended to Motor Racing. Chan and the members of the Solo Super Team, racing the best available racing cars, go-carts and racing bikes, left their mark as one of the big teams in the history of Guyana Motor Racing &Sports Club. Thus he made a name for himself as “Mr. Solo” which will always be remembered by true racing fans.

Chan was one of the significant music entrepreneurs in the early post-independence era. In addition to Solo Sounds International, he was also the owner of Xanadu, a popular upscale discotheque. He grew up in the Lacytown area of Georgetown during the 1940s and 1950s and was exposed to the musical ferment taking place in this urban working-class ward during that era.

In addition, he was part of the early steel band “action,” playing an energetic role in developing costumed bands for tramping. Chan always felt that Guyanese music should be dynamic and reflective of the changes taking place internationally, especially in the United States. This meant that the best contemporary instruments and sound equipment had to be used and the music had to be original.

It was in this context that Solo Sounds International emerged. Like Combo 7 and the Music Machine, Chan showed his respect for the artistes by paying the members of Solo Sounds International a regular monthly salary.

Although Chan owned and operated Xanadu, he did not believe that Solo Sounds International’s music should be cloistered in that venue. By the late 1970s he was active creating large public entertainment events. His mission was to “Nice up Guyana.” Smile Guyana was one such event.

Part of this mission included bringing in international musicians, particularly acts from Trinidad and Tobago. It was through Chan’s efforts that Guyana was able to see a new generation of calypsonians from Trinidad, such as David Rudder, Tambu, the Charlie’s Roots band and Shadow, and hear the experimentations that were taking place in Soca.

Neil Chan was honoured by the Government of Guyana with the Golden Arrow of Achievement for his long, dedicated and outstanding contribution to Guyana’s culture. In 2012, he was also honoured by the Guyana Cultural Association of New York for his contribution to Guyana’s Arts and Culture.