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.
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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