Rudy Bishop
Rudy Bishop, is a Guyanese musical icon who has been in the music business for 58 years. He was once called the an indefatigable hustler, entrepreneur, missionary, diplomat, conductor, a veritable Steelband Moses by the late, Guyanese author and journalist, Godfrey Chin.
Rudy was born in Pike Street, Kitty in Georgetown, Guyana. He attended Walker Preparatory School, Kitty Methodist School, and Kuru Kuru College. He later spent two years at the University of Guyana. In the 1970s-80s, he worked at the Ministry of National Development where he spent five years before being seconded to the Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation as a manager.
In 1966, the same year that Guyana gained her independence from British Guiana, and became the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Chronicle Atlantic Symphony Steel Orchestra was born. In the early 1960s, Rudy played with two steel bands: El Toro followed by Skylarks. His experience with Skylarks ended after a performance when there was a financial disagreement amongst members. As it turned out, Rudy left that pan yard and went to the bandstand on the seawall that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, not too far away. It was from this experience that the name Atlantic came into focus, along Rudy’s desire to embrace the symphonies; hence, the initial name of the band, Guyana Chronicle Atlantic Symphony Steel Orchestra.
In 1972, the first Caribbean Festival, “Carifesta” was held in Guyana. It was then that the Steelband Association advertised a competition in search for the best band to arrange and interpret the Carifesta theme song that was composed by Malcolm Corrica aka Mighty Canary. Chronicle Atlantic Symphony Steel Orchestra was on the map as the winner of the first Carifesta track song. Later, in the 70s, with his passion to make a difference in steel band music, Rudy became the Organizing Secretary of the Steel Band Association.
In 1972, as the bandleader of Chronicle Atlantic Symphony Steel Orchestra, Rudy worked closely with the then tuner, Philbert Moore, but they decided to end their relationship. In 1973, Desmond Fraser, a member of the Guyana Police Band became the musical director of the Chronicle Atlantic Symphony Steel Orchestra. He was not only the arranger of the band, but was also responsible for adding the brass section that comprised two trombones and three trumpets. In 1975, Chronicle Atlantic Symphony Steel Orchestra became Chronicle Atlantic Symphony Steel & Brass Orchestra (CASSBO).
It is to be noted that in 1973, Rudy moved the band from the seawall to Camptown located in Campbellville, Georgetown. This location catered to the pan yard, the home of the band. It also facilitated a youth, sports, and cultural organization that allowed for harnessing the energies of the youth. Camptown provided many with scholarships for sports-related activities.
Rudy was forced to make a decision to add a dance troupe to CASSBO. In 1976, the band was part of the contingent that represented Guyana at the second Carifesta hosted by Cuba. At that time, CASSBO did not have its own dance troupe, and the Cuban dance professor, Geraldo Lastra was the director of the Guyana National Dance Company, another group that was a part of the Guyanese contingent at Carifesta. In 1978, CASSBO went to Brazil, this time with the Guyana National Dance Company headed by Daphne Rogers. Later, on a trip to Suriname, Rudy asked Lynette Dolphin, the Chairman of the Department of Culture for the dancers of the Guyana National Dance Company to accompany his band, and his request was rejected. This prompted Rudy to ask Dawn Shultz, a dancer with the company, who was also a singer, to join CASSBO. She did and became the band’s lead female vocalist. Upon the band’s return from the Suriname tour, Rudy approached the dancer, Neil Hollies, to pull a dance troupe together, and this was how CASSBO’s dance troupe was born. Many well-known dancers and choreographers have worked with CASSBO’s dance troupe, including the late Guyanese Guru of Kathak, Phillip McIntock. CASSBO expanded and included musicians, vocalists, dancers and actors, and became a cultural and artistic entity in its own right. Some of the actors included Desiree Edghill, Margaret Lawrence, Jasper Adams, Leon Saul, and the late, Andrea Subryan.
Between 1978 until 1985, CASSBO was the foundation of the birthday celebrations for the late Linden F. S. Burnham, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. Some of the celebratory birthday shows were To My Son, A Legacy; Tengar; The Rebellion, and Futuristic. In 1986, CASSBO played an integral role in the first death anniversary of the late President.
Over the years, Rudy made sure that CASSBO was well traveled. The band toured Suriname, Moscow, the United States, Brazil, Cuba, Canada, Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, Morocco (Rabat), Cayenne, and the New United Kingdom. In 1992, Rudy migrated from Guyana to the United States, and the band remained in Guyana, and continued to perform nationally and internationally. In 1994, he realized he had to make some changes for the band’s survivability because of the change of Guyana’s government. He determined there was no emphasis on culture in ways that promoted steel band music, and in 1995, he decided to move the band from Guyana to the United States.
Since moving the band to the United States, Rudy has formed a youth arm of the band called the Young Acolytes, which he calls the “nursery” to CASSBO. The members of Young Acolytes are groomed as steel pannists who eventually graduate and become adult members of CASSBO. They have graced many stages in and out of New York with performances for Caribbean and other forums. A historical accomplishment for CASSBO was in 2015, when it became the first band to grace the stage of The Apollo Theatre and won first runner-up at Showtime at the Apollo.
It is difficult to separate the name Rudy Bishop from CASSBO – they go together. In addition to winning many steel band competitions, Rudy has received many accolades for his dedication to the arts, as especially related to steelpan music. He is the recipient of awards, citations, proclamation, and trophies. He is respected by members of community-based organizations such as the Guyana Cultural Association of New York, Inc. along with Council and Congress Members of New York, California and Miami.
Rudy is to be commended for his continued community service in the United States and Guyana. For the past seven years, during the Christmas holiday season, he has returned to Guyana where he hosts givebacks to the seniors and youth of Camptown. This year due to the pandemic, the givebacks will be hosted after the Christmas holidays when he plans to bring joy to members of his Camptown community in Campbellville, Georgetown, Guyana.