ARTIST/BAND /GROUP INFORMATION
| Artist/Band/Group Birthday : | 14/02/1939(Age 80) |
| Born In/Current Location : | Cap-Haitien/New York City |
| Occupation(s) : | Singer |
| Genres : | Konpa Jazz |
| Solo/Band/Group : | Les Shleu Shleu, Retro Musical Band |
Jean-Claude Pierre-Charles was born in Cap-Haitien on February 14, 1939. He was the only son of the couple Helvétius and Odette Pierre-Charles. He did his primary studies at the Marcel Dauphin School and his secondary studies at the Lycée Alexandre Pétion and the College of Port-au-Prince by Ernst Alcindor. Around the age of 13, he began to take an interest in singing. The musical theater and the opera especially attract him. He had confided to me: “I have this taste from my mother, a fan of opera, classical music and French songs. She liked to brighten up the record label of Tino Rossi, Luis Mariano and other big French stars. However, I was especially excited by the voices of Enrico Caruso and Mario Lanza.
“At the time,” he continues, “I lived in Alley Baron. I often came to visit friends who lived in the rue des Miracles, not far from the Saint Amand Pharmacy. Almost every evening, there were about ten of us meeting in the gallery of this pharmacy to sing pieces of rancheras and French songs. One of them, Jean-Marie Julien, former administrator of the Les Mordus group, remembers: “Peddy was the super star of the neighborhood. He danced and sang wonderfully. And what always fascinated me about him was his impeccable diction in the four languages he used to sing: Creole, French, Spanish and English. ”
The writer Eddy Cavé, who knew him well and practiced at the time in this same district, said to me recently on the phone: “Peddy was already very special … At the end of the 1950s, he already had his little fan club and exuded a great force of attraction. I was not less surprised when, on returning to Port-au-Prince in 1967, after six years of absence from the Capital, I found him in the shoes of a charming singer adored by the public. Same surprise with Tony Moïse whom I also knew at the Lycée Alexandre Pétion. ”
Peddy was a multidisciplinary artist. It is first of all the dance that will reveal it to the port-au-princien audience. One evening in August 1957, while cha-cha-chá was in vogue among the urban youth of the country, he was dazzled at the Casino International by the remarkable talent of the dancers of the group “Los Cha-cha-chitos”. He then took the lead thanks to his stars Guy Denis, Hervé Lebreton, Mario Jean-Louis and Marlene Behrmann. He goes to find Guy Denis, its founder, who teaches him cha-cha-cha, mambo and rock-and-roll. The following year, with Carlo Crepsac, Jean Gouthier, Jean-Claude Musac and Vivianne Castor, Peddy will ride “Los Cayitos”, following the model of “Los Cha-cha-chitos”.
“Les Cayitos”, which will perform at the Hôtel Montana, at the Rex Theater, at the Théâtre de Verdure Massillon Coicou and in other performance centers in the Capital, would allow Peddy to also demonstrate his talent as a tap dancer and multiple rhythms of our folklore. He will learn these from the great dancer Vivianne Denerville-Pluviose of which he will remain a great admirer.
Peddy had also shown very good dispositions for the visual arts. In fact, around the age of 12, he was passionate about drawing portraits. He remembers: “At the end of my primary studies, I had already drawn the portrait of all our presidents. It was this achievement that would further sharpen my passion for the History of Haiti. It was in 1958, after a visit to the Brochette Gallery, that he discovered his talent for painting. Shortly after, encouraged by the legendary painter Dieudonné Cédor, his father’s friend, he painted his first painting, which he baptized “Coucher de soleil à Carrefour”.
However, while he has the wind in his sails, Peddy gives up his dream of painter and designer. Towards the end of December 1960, while he was going to Brochette to submit some of his works to Dieudonné Cédor, a sadly famous uncle Macoute stole them from him by force. This executor of the regime’s low works then makes him pass for one of the students who “make the work difficult for Papa Doc” and La Galerie Brochette for a “landmark of komoken”. Our artist remembers: “I did not want to lower the flag. After a thousand and one pleas from my parents, I had to give up. If it hadn’t happened, maybe I would have made a career in painting and drawing. ”
It was from this disappointment that Peddy began to take song and music more seriously. During the second quarter of 1962, in the company of Serge Lopez Jean-Louis (percussion), Frantz Munity (guitar and double bass) and Reynold Henrys (singer), he will be one of the young people who set up on the street Lamarre the group Les Mordus. He will stand out not only as an admirable performer of songs but also as an excellent handyman. Indeed, according to Jean-Marie Julien and Lopez, it was Peddy who built the first double bass for Les Mordus. Remember that, according to what Jean-Marie taught me, it was within this training that he was given the stage name Peddy.
In the summer of 1965, encouraged by Lopez and Jacky Duroseau, Peddy joined the group Les Diplomates de Pétionville. The barbarism of the zealous of the regime would shorten its passage within this group. Indeed, a year after joining, during a ball at Cabane Choucoune, a sycophant approaches the trestle and demands from the young musicians a piece to the glory of Dr François Duvalier. Among the revelers are notorious Macoute uncle, aggressive young soldiers, such as Sony Borges, Jean Tassy, Josma Valentin and other large vegetables. Peddy, Carmin Bichotte (saxophonist), Fritz Joassin (guitarist), Jacky Duroseau (pianist), Serge Lopez Jean-Louis (percussionist) and the other instrumentalists despise the demand for the energergene. A hustle and bustle immediately follows.
The misfortune of some often makes the happiness of others. A few months after this unfortunate event, between the end of 1966 and the beginning of 1967, according to what Peddy himself told me, Smith Jean-Baptiste and Dada Jackaman invited him to join the Shleu Shleu. And what a wonderful acquisition! Although he recorded only one disc (“Haiti, my country”) with the pearl of Bas-peu-de-Choses, he left an indelible memory in the hearts of music lovers. In fact, thanks to Peddy’s wonderful voice, songs such as “Holidays”, “Hill”, “Volleyball” and others remain classics in the world of “mini jazz”. Besides, he confessed to me: “It was during my time in Shleu Shleu that I experienced my best moments in music. ”
In September 1969, Peddy left Haiti and settled in the United States. A few weeks later, he replaced Gary Liautaud in the sextet Les Chômeurs ridden by guitarist Gary Cassagnol, who performed at La Canne-À-Sucre club in Astoria, Queens. In June 1970, finding his former comrades from Haiti (the Tony Moïse, Smith Jean-Baptiste, Hans Chérubin, Clovis Saint Louis and the others), Peddy participated in the creation of the Original Shleu Shleu in New York. His voice will embellish the eight albums that this group has given us.
Without wishing to discuss the history of this immortal formation, I remind you that in 1991 and 1993, Peddy lent his talents to the respective production of the albums “Pionniers” and “No money, no honey” with the Shleu-Shleu de Smith Jean-Baptiste.
June 27, 1970 will remain one of the most important and sacred dates in the life of Jean-Claude Pierre-Charles. On this day, at St Thérèse Church in Brooklyn, he will unite his life by the sweet bonds of marriage with that of the lovely Yolande Carries. The couple, who have had almost 49 years of marriage, have given birth to two wonderful daughters: Karine and Alissa. Three grandchildren, Soraya, Nathaniel and Joshua, have always brought him unspeakable joy.
At the end of the 1970s, alongside Edouard Richard (guitar), Georges Ossé André (organ), Eric Charlier (conga) and other competent instrumentalists, Peddy will be part of the Mystic ensemble. This adventure, which lasted less than two years, ended shortly after the publication, in 1980, of the album entitled “Merci” (Reference: Edouard Richard, January 23, 2019, 9:30 p.m.).
Artist with a Christophian soul, after his splendid passage within the Shleu Sheu, Peddy will build in 2007 a quintet which plays at the weekend at the Mixed Notes Café, in Elmont, NY and in some other New York circles. In June 2010, our talented singer will found the Retro Musical Band in which he will play with Wilbert Pierre (double bass), Joseph Chinois (drum), Harold Joseph (singer), etc. Since the end of summer 2018, certain health problems have kept our brave Peddy out of the trestles. Mission wonderfully accomplished!
It would be a serious mistake to classify Peddy among those who limit their appreciation to one genre of music. A fierce admirer of Guy Durosier, Joe Trouillot, Gérard Dupervil and Herby Widmaier, Peddy, like a Raymond Cajuste, as an enlightened artist, as an educated Haitian, had never been insensitive to differences and multiple rhythms of national folklore.
Here is how he answered one of my questions: “Folklore is not voodoo … Youth Jazz played the rhythms of Haitian folklore. Because we have always neglected to make this distinction, the Haitian bourgeoisie has always shunned Youth Jazz. And this was done to the detriment of Haitian music … “(Interview given to Louis Carl Saint Jean on April 4, 2007.) For the record, I remind you that the Youth Jazz,” the darling child of the Haitian people “, From 1943 to 1972, hosted less than three (3) dancing evenings at Cabane Choucoune, however nicknamed” The temple of the meringue “. Understand who can!
Certainly, I really liked Peddy’s voice. For me, his interpersonal skills were proverbial. However, what I liked most about him was his great culture. I always took great pleasure in discussing interesting subjects with him, ranging from sociology to cultural anthropology. It was in June 2008 that I was going to actually discover the beautiful spirit of this brother. One evening during this month, he did me the honor of inviting me to dinner at Junior’s restaurant in Brooklyn as a birthday present, knowing at the time that the “cheese cake” was the one of my cute sins. Both the dinner and the conversation were pleasant.
The conversation took place mainly on Haitian culture. Funny coincidence, he and I had exactly the same idols in almost all areas. For the novel, we took Jacques Stéphen Alexis and Jacques Roumain for demigods. As for poetry, we swear by Carl Brouard, Jean Brierre and almost all the poets of the Indigenous movement. However, he was infatuated with “When our ancestors broke their shackles” and “Complaintes of slaves”, respective works of Oswald Durand and Massillon Coicou, two bards of the Patriotic School.
I cannot explain the immense pain I felt when, on Saturday January 12, less than six hours after his death, Master Julio Racine, former maestro of the Holy Trinity Philharmonic Orchestra, told me the news of the death of this extraordinary man. And I can understand that the same feeling has invaded the hearts of more than one. Claude Duperval, one of the great Haitian entrepreneurs in New York and a faithful observer of the artistic life of our country, said to me: “Not only was Peddy an excellent singer, but he was also one of the artists who gave a really positive image of the country in the United States. Dr. Gaston Valcin, a well-known tenor and chorister, told me about our brother: “Peddy was a long-time member of the administration of Kings County Hospital. He received everyone with a very beautiful smile. This elegant, very kind and very humble man had brought honor to our country. I regret that he is dead. (Telephone interview, January 23, 2019, 9:25 p.m.)
Credit:Louis Carl Saint Jean
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