By Neil Armstrong
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| Photo credit: Tracey Villanueva Roy Greene at a friend's birthday celebration |
Fitzoy Greene, known to many as just ‘Roy,’ was unassuming and kindly, knowledgeable about music, a newshound and a charming host of his radio show, Odyssey, which took listeners on a musical journey down memory lane with soul and R&B from the 1960s to the 1980s.
Greene, 81, passed away peacefully on June 6 from bowel cancer and was subsequently cremated. His daughter, Tracey Villanueva, announced his death on June 18.
Twice married, first to Lyn, daughter of the famous Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, and father to their son Sean, he would later marry Heather, whom he divorced in 1994. Greene is survived by three sons – Richard and Roland reside in Trinidad and Tobago -- and three daughters, Tracey, Keisha and Shemya, and several grandchildren.
Sean says his father spent two weeks with his family before he died.
Having filled in for his dad on Odyssey when Greene went back to school many years ago, Sean said that experience inspired him to also pursue broadcasting at Humber College.
Born in Trinidad and Tobago on July 18, 1939, Greene immigrated to Canada in the 1960s.
“My dad loved the community of Jane and Finch and he believed that there was a lot of good in the community and felt passionate about the image of the community and how it was represented in the media. He believed that the news should talk about the family-run businesses and the good and diverse people who lived there and went on to be successful. He wanted the best for the community and that is why he refused to move away,” says Tracey, noting that her father lived there from the 1970s.
She says Greene watched the community “build from the ground up which is why he refused to move, even though the news painted it as a terrible place.”
Pamela Waite, a friend and co-host of Odyssey, alongside Tammy Moore, says Greene had a rich community history and she would oftentimes encourage him to write an autobiography but he never did.
She says he was the liaison officer for the Jane and Finch Concerned Citizens Organization (JFCCO), one of the founding members of the Driftwood Community Festival, a board member and a programmer at CHRY 105.5 FM at York University.
Greene started his show at the radio station in 1990 and was also an active participant in the annual Labour Day Parade in Toronto.
He worked at the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) from 1974 to 2005 in bus maintenance and shops, Duncan Shop.
“Roy Greene was one of the quiet but diligent and engaged programmers in community radio. He was always present at meetings and sought to understand context for decision-making,” says Danae Peart, former operations coordinator and station manager of CHRY Radio.
“His show, Odyssey, was a fave for all the soulful song selections and in those days he was a local version of the infamous Quiet Storm type format. Later, I had the pleasure of working alongside Roy as a director to the Black Creek Community Heath Centre board of directors. Roy actually recommended I submit an application to this board as he said I possessed skills they needed. He was always respectful and encouraging with me and we shared great conversations about music and politics. He will be missed,” she continued.
Elaine Thompson, a veteran radio show host, former station manager of CHRY Radio and now co-host of Grapevineon G98.7 FM, also remembers Greene as someone who encouraged others.
“Roy was instrumental in me getting the job as station manager at CHRY. He talked me through it because it was a scary proposition at the time.
“He was always in my corner, just a great sense of humour and always pleasant and always positive. You could always have a pleasant conversation with Roy. I’ve never heard anyone say a bad thing about him and, of course, he was a musicologist, he knew his stuff. We’ll miss him.”
Tammy Moore met Greene at the radio station in 1990 and through conversation discovered that they shared similar interests in music, radio and photography.
He says Greene was the first programmer he knew from the station. “He was pretty warm, warm, friendly, and we were talking about radio and so on.”
Greene invited Moore to his show during the annual on-air fundraising and from then on they have been “good buddies. I will do his show whenever he’s off or he wants to go somewhere.”
Over the years, they would swap ideas about songs and artists and eventually Moore found out that like him Greene was a photojournalist. They would run into each other at assignments where he was covering for the Jamaica Gleaner and Greene for Share newspaper.
“It was fun being around him,” says Moore about being in the studio with Greene for Odyssey.
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| Photo credit: Pamela Waite Roy Greene at the 2006 Trinidad and Tobago Jazz Festival |
Lee was a graduate student at York University and knew nothing about journalism but he said Greene taught him a lot about the profession by giving him the opportunity to appear on the show.
He says he got the opportunity to interview several newsmakers, including many in Canada such as Alberta’s now premier Jason Kenney and the late former NDP Leader Jack Layton, but also the prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the deputy prime minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, and other Caribbean politicians.
“Roy was very good at sharing his expertise with young people because I was not the only person that was there with him. Ryan Masters was also a York University student and joined us on the show as well. Another person that became a part of the show was Kuthula Matshazi who went on to become a councillor in Nunavut.” Matshazi, originally from Zimbabwe, was elected Iqaluit’s first Black councillor in 2015.
Lee also appreciated the fact that Greene allowed him to co-host the show with Dr. Grace-Edward Galabuzi.
“He likes to crack jokes and he can be funny at times when you get to know him. He’s a Caribbean man, while he was from Trinidad by birth, he has a very good understanding, a very good grasp of the Caribbean and Caribbean politics and issues. He loves his family,” he says, remembering that on some occasions Greene brought his grandson to the radio station as well.
He notes that Greene “spoke very highly of his family and especially his grandkids” and always had something to contribute to a conversation because he was well-read and very opinionated.
Luther Brown, whose show Caribbean Crucible was before Odyssey on Sunday nights, says Greene brought together his love of serving people with his special giftedness in a variety of ways.
“While he served at the TTC, he shared his giftedness in photography and in writing with us through his freelance with publications such as Share. On retirement, his passion for community service shone through volunteering at the former CHRY 105.5 FM, where he served and assisted many programs, including Africa Today and the iconic weekly programme Odyssey, a program that he co-produced and -hosted on Sunday nights.”
“Odyssey was journey with soul music as the soundtrack where his audience was always treated to tidbits, and interesting stories about the artists and the music being played.
Brown says Greene was recognized within the community as a soul music connoisseur and aficionado.
“He collaborated with some of the most high-ranking sound system soul DJs to create different experiences for his listeners. He was a king of vintage soul music and when Lady Soul (Pam Waite) would join him on the show, vintage soul was taken to another level.”
Brown says Odyssey spawned new generations of listeners to soul music because they listened on Sunday nights alongside their parents and family.
Dr. Grace-Edward Galabuzi, associate professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration and a member of the Yeates School of Graduate Studies at Ryerson University, says he was very fond of Greene and they shared many wonderful moments, especially during the Africa Today years.
“Roy Greene was an original! He was a tireless advocate for African people in Canada, Trinidad and beyond. A true Pan-Africanist who gave so much of his time and energy to inform our people of the experiences of African people across the world.”
Galabuzi spent many years working with Greene producing Africa Today. “Every Sunday for over 12 years, we collected stories in news, sports, and variety events from across the African diasporas. We conducted many interviews with important figures involved in local and international events - Caribbean, American, African, and beyond.
“We wanted to connect African peoples across the world by discussing the similarities of African experiences, both positive and negative. It was a way of building a basis for Pan Africanism from shared experiences.
“I will always treasure those days working with Roy and really getting to know the man and his many qualities. It is sad to hear about his loss. I thank his family for allowing us the tine to share him with them. His journey has been remarkable and may he rest in power! Aluta continua!!”
Carolyn Goulbourne, former information attaché at the Jamaica Information Service, Consulate General of Jamaica in Toronto, says they used to have some good conversations, especially about Cuba. “He loved Cuba!”
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| Photo credit: Pamela Waite Roy Greene in the studio hosting his show, Odyssey |
Clive Banton, who worked alongside Greene at the JFCCO in its early stage in the 1980s, says he was a central person.
“Roy was a reasonable person. You had to talk to Roy about why would you do something, the reasonable thing to do, what would be the effect. He was very conscious of making sure that whatever decisions we made were thoroughly thought through and to be conscious of how we might affect public perception of the organization. He wanted to make sure that we didn’t do things that were not consistent with our ideals and what we wanted to do.”
He says Greene was a community person and was always looking out for the interest of the organization.
“Roy would rather we do the thing right even if it’s going to take us longer to get the thing done, and even if it’s not going to be newsworthy,” says Banton, noting that Greene was a very astute person and would not do anything for personal gain.
At that time in the 80s, the JFCCO was the face of the community dealing with issues in education, social policy and community development. The organization was called upon to address various matters and Greene wanted to make sure that they kept a good working relationship with City Hall, notes Banton.
Note: An adjustment was made to the initial story to reflect the fact that Greene had divorced Heather in 1994. The viewing and memorial details were also added and a photo contributed by his daughter, Tracey Villanueva.
Thank you for this fulsome and wonderful tribute to Roy. I learned so much about him. May he rest in peace. /d
ReplyDeleteThanks,I am Richard his eldest
ReplyDeleteson from Trinidad