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On Friday, the Class of ‘76 of St Hugh’s High School paid tribute to one of their own, the late Karen Smith, by naming the music room at the school in her honour.
Outfitted with shining new tiles, new windows, new doors and a brand new Yamaha piano, the Karen Smith Music Room is a fitting tribute to the songbird who distinguished herself in the field of entertainment, having won nine Jamaica Music Awards and was awarded the Order of Distinction in 2006 from the government for her contribution to music.
“It was a wonderful moment. Very emotional, very touching,” Smith’s widower, renowned bass player, Jackie Jackson, told The Gleaner.
“The Florida Chapter led the charge and it was beyond words. Courtni and Karen’s mother shed a few tears, and I had to fight with myself to look like I wasn’t crying, but inside I was tearing up,” added Jackson, who was inducted into the Ocho Rios Jazz Festival Hall of Fame in June 2001, along with his wife.
The couple’s daughter, Courtni, who is herself a singer, paid tribute with the Andy Williams song, May Each Day, and pledged to continue carrying on her mother’s musical legacy.
“It was amazing, to say the least, to see the impact that my mother has left on her sisters from her high school. And I am deeply honoured to be a part of this legacy. Karen Smith is a legend and this music room is just one of the pieces that show the important role that she played in Jamaica’s history,” Courtni shared with The Gleaner.
The ribbon was cut by Karen’s mother, Barbara Smith, Courtni and Jackie Jackson. Barbara thanked the school on behalf of the family.
Karen Smith passed away on September 9, 2021, and it was an event that sent shock waves throughout the music industry because many people were unaware of her one-year battle with colon cancer.
The multi award-winning singer, who was managed by her husband, was acknowledged as the finest cabaret performer in the island, and was also a member of girl group, Package, with Patricia Edwards and Gem Myers. She has shared stage with internationally acclaimed artistes such as Harry Belafonte, Natalie Cole, Anita Baker, Ray Charles, Smokey Robinson, Chuck Mangione, Air Supply and Seal. Her bio states that “Karen was the first featured act at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas when it opened in February 1990.”
A graduate of Concordia University in Canada, Smith was also renowned for her advocacy for the rights of musicians and it was no surprise when she was voted in, by an overwhelming majority, as the first female president of the Jamaica Federation of Musicians and Affiliates Union. She led the organisation from 2017 to 2021 and was lauded for her formidable work, especially during the crisis period of the pandemic years, starting in 2020.
Smith was credited with bringing added urgency to burning issues, including access to employment opportunities for local singers, musicians and performers in the tourism sector, in light of increasing competition from foreigners.
A familiar face and voice on television and radio advertisement jingles that she sang from 1984 to 1992, Smith recorded an album, Reflections of Love, produced by Sly and Robbie, and Gitsy.
English (US) ·