In an article in the Observer of May 28, 2010, I was taken to task for my “misrepresentations” regarding a Jamaican Music Hall of Fame. First of all let me state that in my article (in which I allegedly made the misrepresentation) I expressed a desire to see the establishment of a Jamaica Music Hall of Fame, which would form part of our income generating opportunities in the local economy.

My good friend Frankie Campbell called me immediately and told me that he needed to speak to me about the article. I paid him a visit at his Springvale Avenue office and he proceeded to inform me about the many initiatives by his organisation, JAVAA, but which had not been given any meaningful publicity. I agreed with Frankie and noted that I would certainly look into the matter of addressing this imbalance by writing an article which would highlight some of the worthy projects being spearheaded by the association.

We spoke about the Hall of Fame but I did not concede that I had made any misrepresentation. Frankie explained to me that JAVAA had in fact inducted a number of members into a Hall of Fame. I asked him where this Hall of Fame was physically located and he said he was in negotiations to have it housed at the Transport Centre in Half Way Tree. I jokingly pointed out to him (after his explanation that pictures of the inductees would be mounted inside the Transport Centre )that this was a Wall of Fame.

While I applaud the efforts of Frankie and the other members of his association in honouring those who have made sterling contributions to our society, he and I were really talking about two different things.

I am not just about having a roll call and mounting pictures of our musical heroes on the wall of a bus depot though this is a good start. I want to see a joint private/public sector initiative which will create a real Hall of Fame with the financial implications I am talking about. This Hall of Fame should be housed in a well designed structure which can give true meaning to the value of the contributions of those we seek to honour. It might not be the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but that should be our model.

I am hoping that the efforts of people like Frankie will now gain traction and that financial support for the venture I have described and for which I hope Frankie aspires can become a reality. I would therefore urge Frankie and his team to fashion a business plan if they do not have one already for this Hall of Fame and then go out and seek to raise money for it. This would be a remarkable achievement for our country. If my article, which has prompted this response can serve to trigger the kind of interest which will make this a reality then JAVAA might want to thank me for the “misrepresentation”.

I respect the efforts of JAVAA and salute Frankie Campbell for his tireless support of the music industry and its practitioners. I know of nobody more committed to these causes in Jamaica than Frankie Campbell.