Dozens of Jamaican scholastic runners, jumpers, throwers and other Caribbean athletes competing annually in the historic Penn Relays track and field meet in Philadelphia have their experience made smoother every year by the U.S.-based Team Jamaica Bickle (TJB) not-for-profit hospitality organization — the sponsor of the “Black Tie Gowns & Sneakers 3.1 Labor of Love Gala Fundraising Luncheon” that’s coming to the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, L.I. on April 13.
Honoree Nelson Christian “Chris” Stokes, four-time Jamaican Olympic bobsledder; guest speaker Sandra Brunson, CFO of Knicks’ NBA All-Star Jalen Brunson’s educational Second Round Foundation; cocktails, and networking are on the agenda for the benefit, which will help fund the TJB’s elaborate Hospitality Initiative Program.
Marking its 30th anniversary this year, the program provides for visiting athletes with “meals, physical therapy, chiropractic care, mentorship, medical services, ground transportation,” and other amenities, according to its website.
To share the TJB expertise gained at the Penn Relays efforts, TJB founder and CEO Irwine Clare Sr. noted that his organization will debut a hospitality internship program this year in collaboration with the University of Technology, Jamaica’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Third-year student Kerisha Green, the inaugural intern, “will be actively engaged in our hospitality operations” and other initiatives during the Penn Relays, taking place April 24 to 26, said Clare.
For more information and to contribute, visit teamjamaicabickle.org or contact Clare at irwineclare22@gmail.com or (347) 678-3546; or Karen Wilson Robinson at knwilson14@gmail.com or (646) 498-9816. Visit the Penn Relays website to purchase tickets to the track and field event.
Saluting a music trailblazer
The living history of Beverly Kelso — the last surviving member of the Wailing Wailers that evolved into reggae music’s Bob Marley and the Wailers — will be celebrated by the Bronx-based Jah Jerry Inc. non-profit organization at its 13th annual Scholarship Fundraiser Dinner Dance on May 2 at Juliano’s Caterers, 700 Main St. New Rochelle, N.Y.
James Haynes, president and founder of the Jah Jerry educational organization named for his father, said Kelso is looking forward to the May affair. “From a female perspective, in Jamaican music, she’s one of the trailblazers.”
Now living in the Bronx, Kingston, Jamaica-born Kelso sang on tracks for the Wailing Wailers —Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh and Junior Braithwaite — in the early to mid-1960s. The Jah Jerry educational organization is also grounded in history — it’s named for late, great Jamaican guitarist Jerome “Jah Jerry” Haynes of the Skatalites ska band. For tickets and information, call James Haynes at (212) 470-5655 or email jahjerryinc@gmail.com.
‘Carnival Romance’ release
Tobago-born Samuel Archer’s “Carnival Romance” new single, featuring vocalist Chantau Campbell, is an example of the veteran producer’s “continued innovation and commitment to shaping the future of Caribbean music.”
Co-written by Archer and the multifaceted Campbell, “Carnival Romance” is available on popular streaming platforms, follows the 2025 release of Archer’s “Wuk Up Riddim! Project.” For more information: samsdigital.net@gmail.com.
Losses in reggae and rap
The deaths of veteran reggae singer Cocoa Tea and Voletta Wallace — mother of The Notorious B.I.G. and keeper of his legacy — made news recently.
The Jamaica Gleaner reported that Colvin “Cocoa Tea” Scott died last month of cardiac arrest after receiving a diagnosis of lymphoma in 2019 and recently battling pneumonia, said his wife Malvia Scott.
“Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Cocoa Tea released a plethora of popular songs, characterized by his pristine, honey-toned vocals and the timelessness of his lyrics, which alternated between romantic, religious and reality themes,” wrote Patricia Meschino in the Billboard magazine article, “10 Best Songs from Late Jamaican Legend Cocoa Tea (Critic’s Picks).”
Monitoring the musical legacy and accomplishments of her late son, Voletta Wallace founded the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation and the B.I.G. (Books Instead of Guns) Night Out event. Born and raised in Brooklyn, talented Christopher Wallace took The Notorious B.I.G. stage name and arguably became one the greatest hip hop performers of all time before his 1997 shooting death at the age of 24.
