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The Brilliant George DeSouza

 

The Brilliant George De Souza



George De Souza was an eight-year-old in Dar es Salaam when his big sister Ivy bought him a 20-shilling box guitar (in 1954 that was nothing to be sniffed at, if you had a shilling in your pocket, you were considered rich). His sister had seen that George was interested and made the big sacrifice. He went on to become one of the hottest musicians in East Africa.

From that moment on George began the sometimes-tortuous journey, but always borne with great determination, of learning to play the instruments.  “I was self-taught. I picked up some books from the library to help me learn. I listened to records and music on the radio to sharpen my ears and pick up keys and cords quite easily.”

Four years later George took up the bass guitar seriously. He had already preferred playing rhythm instead of lead.  Inspired by the kings of Rock N Roll at the time: Elvis Presley and Bill Hayley and the Comets (the unforgettable signature song that launched Rock N Roll worldwide, Rock Around the Clock), George played in his debut gig at the age of 13 at the Goan Institute in Dar es Salaam. It was a local group.

George recalls that there were quite several bands making a name for themselves among them were the De Mello brothers and lots of African bands. “They were doing covers of mostly British acts, early Rock N Roll and other popular music. These bands were amongst the best I had heard. Their rhythm was fantastic,” George says.

When he was 14 and while playing with a band, George realised that he was better than most of the bassists around and that he was also quite different from the traditional bassists and musicians. “I would go and listen to other bands and I could see that one thing (the X-Factor) was missing: they had zero personality. So as a gimmick, I started playing the guitar with my teeth, smashing a guitar on stage. Soon I was getting offers from Europe.

In those days playing music was frowned on by a very conservative community but I made it my own, despite what people said,” George recalls.

Milestones

 

1. Playing in Zanzibar for the president's wedding

2. Getting my radio show, and being friends with all the government ministers, they were always good to me and used to come to see me play

 “I left Tanzania because all the nightclubs were closing after Tanzania got its independence. There was much less freedom and I felt it was time to go. I wound up in Lethbridge because I married a Canadian woman who was working in Dar in the Canadian embassy and her family was from a small farming community called Warner, an hour south of Lethbridge. I asked her to marry me and we left shortly after and being so good I got a job straight away, ending up in Montreal at the CP Hotels. My son is getting to be more famous than I am, he's out in Vancouver. He writes and sings his songs, his name is Marq De Souza.”

Sadly George is also doing it tough, healthwise, in Canada.


From left: Mario from that heavenly place Swiss Grill in Westlands, Jessel Mandricks and the late Joey Peters from the Bandits, and George De Souza for a special gig in Nairobi.

His son Marq hass followed in his father's footsteps:

A veteran rock n' roll survivor, Marq DeSouza has weathered the fads of the music industry over the years, never losing sight of the integrity that cornerstones the stuff that truly lasts. Songs in the classic way. Lauded for his razor-sharp lyrics, ambitious arrangements, & incendiary live performances, whether solo-acoustic at a sold-out Commodore Ballroom or fronting his full band at the grungy Cobalt. Music that knows no fixed genre. 

Marq's best-known previous project is 'Solarbaby'. That group released 2 successful albums. Both were nominated for the prestigious Georgia Straight Music Awards, as well as placing high on the national college charts. The band was also taped 'in-session' for CBC radio, performed on MuchMusic, & did the festival circuit, with Marq invited for multiple appearances at the Bluebird North Showcase, in conjunction with the Canadian Songwriters Association.

In his various incarnations, Marq has shared bills with such artists as Drive By Truckers, Ben Kweller, Martina Sorbara, Joel Plaskett, Matthew Good, Sarah Harmer, & Nickelback. Sir Bob Geldof sought Marq out backstage at their co-bill at the legendary Commodore Ballroom to tell him he was reminded of a 'young Van Morrison', & Canadian rock icon Todd Kerns has called Marq his favorite Canadian songwriter, & 'Canada's Bob Dylan.'

A staggering number of accolades have been accumulated here on this site, so please check out the full reviews, or for just a smattering, see selected quotes.

Marq is also a multi-instrumentalist, & handles most drum/bass/guitar/keyboard/harmonica duties on each recording project, as well as session/live work for hire with other artists. 

Most Thursday evenings find Marq hosting the popular open stage at Trees in the heart of downtown Vancouver, as well as booking/hosting the Friday Night Music series featuring the best of local & touring acts doing full sets.

Marq's latest release is an EP side project focusing on his love of the electric blues. An all original concept record that sounds nothing like anything he's done before. It's currently getting airplay on indie blues stations around the world. Check it out here.

Also, check out a few featured interviews/performances on music podcast episodes of 'THE ARTIST SERIES''MAKE A SCENE' & 'MUSIC A to Z'.



 


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