TWO SUPERSTARS: Eddy Grant (right) and Stevie Wonder at Stevie's radio station KJLH.

IT BEGAN as a trip to Los Angeles for a surprise party to celebrate the 70th birthday of his former road manager Mick Parrish.

But before it was over, international recording superstar Eddy Grant had also appeared on radio alongside an old friend, who took the opportunity to promote Eddy's latest album CD Reparation.

Eddy said he was in Guyana taking a break when his long-time friend, American superstar Stevie Wonder, rang and invited him to LA to help celebrate Parrish's 70th. Parrish is Stevie's road manager.

Eddy said he was able to readily accept, thanks to his dentist who had successfully treated him for a tooth infection the previous week, when he had had to forego attending the birthday celebration of another music legend – Bill Wyman, former bass player of the Rolling Stones.

Eddy had been unable to travel to London for that occasion because although the pain had receded, he realised his face would have needed a few days to return to normalcy; he was therefore in no condition to face the discerning British Press photographers.

Eddy and Stevie performed on stage for Parrish's birthday bash at a glamorous LA venue, and then Stevie persuaded Eddy to stay on for a few days so they could appear together on Stevie's Morning Thunder, a breakfast programme hosted by Stevie once a week on his radio station KJLH (Kindness, Joy, Love and Happiness).

During the programme, which Eddy described as fun and interactive, Stevie played a number of tracks from the Reparation album, which celebrates the 200th anniversary of the end of slavery.

Eddy said the subject evoked "very serious discussion" on the programme including a call on various governments of the world to recognise the need for apologies, reparations and closure on the issue of African enslavement so that Africans and the rest of the world could progress in peace.

While on the programme Eddy also spoke fondly of Guyana and the rest of the Caribbean region. And given that Eddy is well known for introducing his famous friends to Guyana, like Mick Jagger whom he brought a few years ago to see the West Indies play England in a Test series, there could well be a Stevie visit in the pipeline.

In fact, Eddy said he was "looking forward to the day when he could have his own radio station in Guyana and invite his many superstar friends, like Stevie Wonder, to be his guests and to truly savour beautiful Guyana".

Eddy and Stevie also exchanged gifts, Eddy's offering being an autographed and specially dedicated limited edition book containing the first issues of four postage stamps that were issued in his honour by the people and Government of Guyana in conjunction with the Guyana Post Office Corporation.

Eddy was born Edmond Montague Grant, on March 5, 1948, in Plaisance. While he was still a child, his parents migrated to Britain, where he settled.

He had his first No. 1 hit in 1968, when he was the lead guitarist and main songwriter of the multiracial group, The Equals.

It was his self-penned song, Baby Come Back, that flew to the chart summit. The tune also later topped the British Singles Chart again when covered by Pato Banton.

Notably, Eddy openly used his song-writing for political purposes, especially against the then-current apartheid regime of South Africa.

One such notable song is Gimme Hope Jo'anna, which became the most successful anti-apartheid anthem worldwide, although banned by the racist South African government of the time. The lyrics include:

Well Jo'anna she runs a country, she runs in Durban and the Transvaal.

She makes a few of her people happy, oh she don't care about the rest at all.

She got a system they call apartheid, that keeps a brother inna subjection.

But maybe pressure will make Jo'anna see, how everybody coulda live as one.

Some other notable Eddy hits include 1982's multimillion seller I Don't Wanna Dance, which spent three weeks at No. 1 in the British Singles Chart as it did in most other countries of the world, Do You Feel My Love, Living On The Frontline, Can't Get Enough Of You, War Party and Electric Avenue.

Electric Avenue was both a British and United States No. 2 in 1983, repeating this success and selling
many millions of copies worldwide.

A later remix, Electric Avenue – The Ringbang Remix was a British Top 5 hit again in 2001. His album Killer On The Rampage has brought him double platinum sales worldwide.

In 1984 Eddy had a hit single in the United States with his original song written to accompany the Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner film, Romancing The Stone.

The song was also called Romancing The Stone.

In 2001, Eddy Grant, The Greatest Hits was released and it immediately went double platinum.

Eddy owns Ice Records Ltd with offices in Britain, the United States and Barbados where his Blue Wave Recording Studio has played host to many great recording stars including Sting, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Costello, The Mighty Sparrow, The Mighty Gabby, and almost every major Caribbean recording star, including its latest, Rihanna.

His Ice Music Group is reputed to be the owner of the largest catalogue of calypso, soca and ringbang music in the world, controlling the works of The Mighty Sparrow, Lord Kitchener, and almost every great writer and artist out of Trinidad and Tobago since 1933.

Eddy is also owner of several pieces of real estate in Guyana, including his now named Ringbang Island in the Essequibo River.

Stevie Wonder was born Steveland Morris on May 13, 1950. Blind from infancy, he signed with Motown Records as an adolescent, and continues to perform and record for the label to this day. He has become one of the most successful and well-known artists in the world, with nine United States No. 1 hits to his name and album sales totalling more than 100 million units.

He is well known for hits such as Hotter than July, also the name of his first platinum selling album; Happy Birthday; Ebony And Ivory, which he did with Paul McCartney; I Just Called To Say I Love You; Part-Time Lover and many others.

He released A Time To Love last October. (Stabroek News)