Latest update March 24th, 2025 7:05 AM
From humble beginnings to musical stardom
By Alex Wayne
Waterfalls Magazine – One has to agree that the story of Guyanese singer, Jer ‘Venom’ McBean’s rise to fame, is a tale that will inspire and encourage anyone facing gloom, or despair.
The super-talented, Jermaine ‘Venom’ McBean
Today, the talented singer composer (now turned keyboard player) is not only a household name in Guyana, but has also graced international stages in Antigua, Barbados, Trinidad, and China.
Hailing from the mining town of Linden, McBean’s journey began with many hardships, which was obviously painful for him to relate.
“Today, I am one of the most sought after ‘one man band operator’ in Linden, and across Guyana, but the journey to stardom was not without steep hills to climb… I came from an almost poverty stricken home, where my mother singlehandedly struggled to maintain myself and a younger brother… Things were very hard for her, and many days, we went without food… By the time I was sixteen, I was forced to move to the city to find a job to help out my mother… I managed to beg for lodging at a male friend who lived close to a KFC Chicken Outlet, and at night, I would sleep on the cold concrete floor, with nothing but a sheet, and sometimes on my clothing”
“At one time, I started to accept that hunger was certainly going to be part of my life, and in a desperate bid to survive, I would jump the fence of the KFC outlet at night and steal leftover food they would throw out in bins at the facility. At first, I wept bitterly as I did this night after night, but at least I was eating…Desperate times call for desperate measures.”
The singer said that it was very difficult to get a job in the city, as his poor mother, could not afford to put him through secondary school. But all this changed when he turned seventeen.
McBean always like to make a fashion statement.
“On my seventeenth birthday, I was invited to a party by a few friends, as I could not afford to get myself anything special… A ‘one man band was playing, and after a few beers, I mustered the courage to persuade the band leader into letting me perform for fifteen minutes. It was the fifteen minutes that changed my life… As he struck the keyboard, belting out popular songs, I slipped into my act naturally and in no time, the dance floor was packed with revellers… That very night my singing career, actually began.”
McBean informed that he began to perform at bars throughout the city, and soon, Georgetown, was abuzz with the news of this hot, new singer that was stealing the hearts of the single ladies.
“I did not let my growing fame get to my head, as my mother had always taught me to be humble. I was not going to remain at the bottom of the ladder, nor was I content to be just a singer. One year after, I self-taught myself to play the key board, and in two months’ time, I was almost perfect… Soon after, I took out a keyboard from Courts Guyana, and began to launch out on my own.”
The singer revealed that at first, it was a bit difficult to lands gigs, but after playing at a party in Albouystown, the gigs were just flying in after.
Jermaine McBean at a Carib Soca Monarch concert
Today, Jermaine McBean is rapidly chalking up points on the local music charts.
At age twenty-two, after performing with a popular band in the city, as a replacement performer, he cleverly manoeuvred his way to China, taking two talented female local singers with him.
After spreading his talent to many nightclubs, hotels and states in that land, McBean has returned to Guyana with a wealth of experience, which he hopes to share with talented potential singers.
Presently he is in Guyana, sharing his musical talent around Linden, Bartica, Mahdia, and even Georgetown.
McBean has made appearances at Carib Soca Monarch stages, and has also performed in shows around the Caribbean.
Presently he is making preparations for travel to Jamaica, where he expects to woo many audiences.
He also sang alongside Trinidad’s Soca Monarch King, Shirwin Winchester.
He performs ballads of Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Mary J. Blige; and one has to agree that this is quite a feat for a male who sings these songs at record keys.
In 2017, while in China, he entertained the beauties that contested the Miss Universe Pageant in that year at a function that was attended by Bill Gates and other elite special invitees.
He is most eager to share his talent and experience with aspiring musicians.
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