Ed Du Bois, IslandHome, Records: Songs/Lyrics/Stories

On Friday, January 13th, 2006, the Compleat Angler burned to the ground. It was a two-story, twelve room hotel and bar located in Alice Town, North Bimini, Bahamas. The bar had a small dance floor and bandstand. Island lifestyle was celebrated nightly with great live island music. There were two bars each with its own brass ring throw game, island memorabilia, hundreds of angling pictures, and patina, oh what patina! The "Angler" was built in 1933 from the salvaged lumber of old smuggler boats used in the rum running days of prohibition. The boats had been left to rot after the repeal of the Volsted Act. The repeal ended smuggling temporarily but then came the 60s and 70s. America's insatiable appitite for marijuana and cocaine created a modern sumggling era that even continues to a certain degree today.

The ship timbers and the old bead board paneling had aged to a perfect burnt copper hue. The decades of exposure to tobacco smoke, salt air, stale rum, and angler sweat had performed its magic. It had given the Angler its own distinct bouquet and patina. To me, it was reminisant of the old damp aromatic underground wine cellars that I love so much in the Burgundy region of France. You could close your eyes, inhale slowly and know where you were.

The Angler served a full compliment of alcoholic beverages although there was not much to interest the oenofile that I had grown to be. The wine was poured from large jugs. The wine had been vinified at an unspecified place and time but it made no difference because this was Bimini. It was time to drink rum, maybe a Goombay Smash, Rum Punch, Rum Runner and oh yes the Yellow Bird. Yellow Bird was the favorite drink of my good friend Bobby Grove who always had one in each hand while inside the Compleat Angler!

The Angler was just a great place to kick back and enjoy the essence of Bimini, freedom, people, stories and music. It was owned by Alma Brown affectionately known on the Island as Alma B she was born in Bimini in 1914. She and my friend, singer/ song writer, Piccolo Pete Saunders are the oldest people in Bimini. Her son Julian managed the Angler for her since the death of son Ozzie. Ozzie was a singer/song writer who occasionally performed at the Angler. He lived in a small house attached to the North side of the building. Several years ago he was killed by his house keeper in an attempted robbery. His skull was crushed by a blow from a steel pipe. He was the consummate diplomat of good will for Bimini and the Compleat Angler. His passing was a tremendous loss to Bimini.

Julian was a superstar himself. He ran track for the Bahamas Olympic Team and competed in the 1960 Olympics in Rome, Italy. For a while he ran Browns Hotel until its closing several years ago. He was a quiet man who was always taking care of business at the Angler. He loved the music and loved to dance. Julian had a certain step and syncopation on the dance floor that fit just about every song. Reggie, rock, calypso, basanova, country, ska, goombay shuffle, no problem Julian could do it with the same motion just step it up a little or slow it down a little. He always looked like he knew what he was doing, and he would do it all night long.

The morning after the fire I went to Alice Town and stood there in front of the Compleat Angler, ashes and timbers still smoldering. I just couldn't believe it. Gone was this bar and small hotel that really seemed to have a life, a soul, an attitude, and maybe a memory. If only "The Angler" could have shared with me those historic tales of the life and times of Bimini! The fire chnged all of that. It is all gone now.

This song is about that tragedy. It is dedicated to the Brown Family of Bimini, and to Shorty and BaDevil the loyal barkeeps who made their customers feel like family and the "Angler Army" who have lost their "Island Home". They beg for an answer to the nawing question in my song "Compleat Angler will you ever return, things just aren't right since that night that you burned?"

Capo 2nd fret- Cords C and G for verse and C F and G for chorus.

1.
I went to Alice Town the other day,
Stood there cried.. I was
amazed.
The fire spread the fire raged,
Julian fought and died in the blaze....yes he did.
I thought of all the times that I've had,
Angler made it good when it was bad.

Chorus 1
Compleat Angler won't you tell me your tales,
Talk about those men, Talk about those girls,
Compleat Angler won't You tell me your tales,
Talk about the rum, talk About those bales.

3.
I went to pay my respects,
To Shorty, Ba Devil and the rest,
Not much left of the Brown family,
Just Julianeta, and Gran Ma Alma B,
Still these questions bother me,
The answers I know will never be.


Chorus 2
Compleat Angler did you ever sing,
With Hemingway or Martin Luther King,
Compleat Angler did you ever meet,
Adam Clayton Powell or Piccolo Pete,
Compleat Angler will you ever return,
Things just aren't right since that night that you burned.
Compleat Angler will you ever return,
Things just aren't right since that night that you burned yeah,
Things just aren't,
Things just aren't right,
Things just aren't right since that night that you burned, yeah,

Fade