Kelwyn Hutcheon remembers meeting the late Pat Castagne through the legendary Sam Ghany during performances at Radio Trinidad's Sunday Serenade programmes in the mid-fifties.
Castagne, whose funeral Mass took place last Wednesday at St Finbar's Roman Catholic Church, Morne Coco Road, will forever remain in the country's history books as the man who wrote our National Anthem at the time of Independence in 1962.
"Pat loved music" says Hutcheon "and helped with the production of many of the shows with which Sam was involved. He heard me sing, and seemed to have liked my type of singing, and invited me to listen to the songs in his repertoire with which I could probably do something."
"I would go to his home in the Maraval area, he would play the piano, which he did well enough to play his songs for you, and that is how I got involved in recording "An Orchid For You" which became very popular at the time. I sang it last Wednesday at the funeral."
Hutcheon, a crooner who sings the Sinatra-way, also worked with Castagne on the Angostura Bandwagon for a couple of years. It was a time of Trade Fairs on Wrightson Road, smaller scale Expos, and a live audience attended the 5 p.m. performance at the Fair which was broadcast on what was the one station at the time, Radio Trinidad.
Hutcheon chuckled as he went back in time "the accompanying orchestra was Tom Durham's orchestra, complete with saxaphone. Performers included Dot Evans and others of that ilk" . Hutcheon was a regular performer in the mid-fifties to early-sixties at the Jaycees sponsored Carnival Queen Shows produced and emceed by Castagne.
"We did many television specials in the late sixties and seventies, using his music and other music, people like Felix Roach were involved in most of those shows" says Hutcheon, "there were also several collaborations at the Trinidad Country Club's variety evenings. Actually I have recorded more of his songs than any other vocalist."
From 1954 through 1994 Hutcheon recorded Castagne's "Happy New Year", "Happy Birthday Mom", "My Easter Bunny", "An Orchid For You". and the classic "Kiss Me For Christmas" which Hutcheon believes is Castagne's best-known song, after the National Anthem. Hutcheon reminisced in song with "Goodnight", which was for years Radio Trinidad's sign-off tune, written by Castagne.
"Goodnight we hope you've had a lovely day. Goodnight it''s time that we were on our way
We've always been so happy being here with you we sure do hope that you've been happy too
Goodnight good luck to you and all you love. Sleep tight a million blessings from above
Sweet dreams to you and may they all come true. It's a goodnight saying goodnight to you."
During a visit to Castagne last Christmas at his daughter, Diane Agostini's home in Bayshore, Hutcheon learned that there are more than a hundred songs written by Castagne which have never seen the light of day. But then there are those which some of us will never forget, such as, "Ice Man" for calypsonian Melody and "Nimble like Kimble" for the Merrymen of Barbados. "He wrote all kinds of music" says Hutcheon "he even wrote a Mass called 'Missa.' I will miss him very much. He was a kind and generous man who loved his adopted country, Trinidad and Tobago, as much as he loved his music."
However, if Hutcheon and his group have their way "Pat Castagne will be remembered when we review his reprtoire and hopefully produce a C.D sometime in the near future."