In 1987, the Grub Cooper-penned, Roy Rayon-performed track Give Thanks and Praises swept the Festival Song Competition. From the moment it was the released, the revival-influenced music and catchy lyrics caught on with the Jamaican people and even before it was official, this was the clear winner.

Thirty years later

Give Thanks and Praises is still a hit. It stands up among the most favoured of festival songs alongside the likes of

Cherry O Baby, Land of My Birth, Pomps and Pride, and

Sweet Jamaica.Singer Roy Rayon ascribes all praise to writer and arranger Grub Cooper, describing himself as “a mere jockey asked to ride a great horse”.“It is just a well-written song that connects with the audience. That it why it has stood the test of time. Plus there is the rhythm. That Afrocentric, revival influence just made it a hit. What I think I brought to the song was delivery. There are many great songs which never become hits as they are never brought to life by the artiste. This was a great recording, but the live performances brought it home to the people,” Rayon told the

Sunday Observer.“I remember clearly the first performance at Fort Clarence. My performance did not go over very well… never had that effect on the people and Grub said ‘don’t worry, give it some time’. By the second show, it started to pick up and in parishes such as St Elizabeth and St Mary, we were well on our way. We had the costume with the national heroes and the Jamaican flag and the audience stayed with us straight to the finals,” he continued.Over the years, the Festival Song Competition has lost its pride of place in the national psyche. Rayon puts it down to a change in the landscape — persons more preoccupied with other entertainment activities, but is equally critical of the role of the organisers.“When you have a good product do not tamper with it too much. Know the strengths and only improve on those aspects. Over the years, we have played too much with the Festival Song Competition. At one point, it was Popular Song Contest. There is a 15-year period when the competition was never in the people’s face. As a result, a whole generation never grew attached to this calendar event. That audience is now adults and they have no festival song to share with their children.”Rayon said promotion of the Festival song Competition has to return to the levels at which it was 30 years ago, as well as utilise current trends such as social media.“After the organisers attracts great writers back to the competition and chose the finalists… no matter what genre of Jamaican music, it can only work with great promotion. Back in the day, it was six weeks of strong campaigning and promotions. Every weekend there was a Festival Song Show in the parishes. So we got out there and could be seen and heard by the people. Radio stations have to help in the process. But it has to be in-your-face so there can be buy-in. If carnival in Trinidad can be held every year and passed on through generations, festival and the festival song competition can be the same,” Rayon added.In addition to

Give Thanks and Praises, Rayon won the Festival Song Competition on three other occasions —

Love Fever (1985);

Come Rock (1991) and

Rise and Shine (2008). His 1983 entry

Celebration Train was also a top contender for the title that year but was nudged out by Ras Karbi’s Jamaica

I’ll Never Leave You Again.