Janet Silvera , Outlook Writer

Summerfest Production's executive director, Johnny Gourzong, finds time to indulge in one of his hobbies, bird feeding. Here he puts corn in a feeding area in the aviary at the back of his home in Coral Gardens, Montego Bay. – Janet Silvera Photo

IN 1998 when Jamaica qualified for the World Cup finals, Johnny Gourzong was on the plane to France.

In 2006, the Summerfest Productions executive director is an avid Brazil/Argentina fan, who believes that Spain will win the World Cup, putting 100 years of frustration and disappointment behind them.

When Outlook went to his home for this interview, Gourzong stayed glued to his medium screen television set, seated almost on the edge of his living room sofa last Saturday morning while Ghana answered with two goals to the Czech Republic's nil.

Gourzong watches all three matches daily, from 8:00 a.m. to practically 3:30 p.m. All appointments are made to commence anytime after 4:00 p.m. Those who know the sport enthusiast will understand.

There is nothing usual about the man who is a founding member of the greatest reggae show on earth, Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest.

His musical path was evident from an early age. Gourzong received a two-week suspension from his alma mater Cornwall College because he snuck out to watch the famous Fats Domino in concert at the former Carol Theatre in Montego Bay. This did not deter him.

In fact, the stricter Johnny Gourzong's parents and teachers became, the more ingrained the music of his heroes ­ Otis Reading, Jackie Wilson, James Brown, Sam Cooke, Ben E. King and groups such as the Drifters were in his mind.

In those days, Montego Bay was the stomping ground for the United States' best singers. "Once they were here, I went to see them as a youngster, with or without my parent's permission," Gourzong confessed, his eyes glistening with memories.

Accordingly, the Skatalites made a huge impact on his life. "I would go out of my way to see Don Drummond, Tommy McCook and Johnny 'Dezzy' Moore."

Born John Alexander Gordon Gourzong, his musical heritage goes deep, coming out of a family where his mother Sybil, played the piano, his late father Adrian a classical artiste and his sister, Marguerite Vernon, still a noted music teacher of the Mt. Alvernia High School, who plays both the piano and the violin. His brother David is an accountant in Canada.

"I started playing the piano, but my friends thought it was a sissy thing to do," he told Outlook Magazine.

And, he said, although every Friday night while a student of Cornwall College his home was transformed into a musician oasis, he would disappear to the Carol Theatre to watch 'triple bill' (three-movie combo).

Gourzong lived at King Street (close to the inner-city community of Canterbury) in the days when the area was a preferred place to live. Also in that era, the second city, was the home of clubs such as 'Club 35', the forerunner to the 'Banana Boat', 'Yellow Bird' and the 'Embassy'.

Nancy Wilson and Dave Brubeck and many more came to Jamaica. The shows never missed the 'old school', R&B lover.

Gourzong started his first job after high school at the airport with AJAS Jamaica Limited. Soon after, he migrated to Canada to study Business Administration, a course that was derailed by an impromptu singing career in Canadian night clubs with his friend - noted footballer - Ali McNab.

His Canadian sojourn was cut short when he returned to Jamaica to marry Lee-Anne one of his many friends from childhood days who remained a confidante.

He met Lee-Anne when he was eight years old. They attended the same prep school, were next door neighbours and became lifetime mates at age 20.

Thirty-seven years later, still going strong, the union has borne two children, Gary and Karen, and three grandsons, Adrian, Zane and Logan.

Johnny Gourzong is a doting grandfather and that was very apparent during the interview.

Back in Jamaica, he sold insurance for a short while, worked at the Laurentide Finance Company for all of three years before joining Workers Bank as a loan officer when the bank was established in 1973.

Six years with Workers Bank and he was promoted to manager of their Savanna-la-mar branch. Within a year he was managing the larger Montego Bay branch.

In 1985, an opportunity came up for him to own his own business with the divestment of the Martha Brae River by the government.

Today, Gourzong runs one of the island's premier tourist attraction 'Rafting on the Martha Brae', employing some 90 rafts men and 40 full time staff at his company River Raft Limited.

In 1990, he was called back to the bank, which was divested under the Delroy Lindsay regime. He spent three years focusing on expanding customer base, but knew he also had to focus on his own business.

"It was the period of the high interest rate regime and I felt there was definitely going to be problems."

In 1993, Summerfest Productions was born. The birth of the event came about after Reggae Sunsplash pulled out of Montego Bay leaving a void in an event that had become institutionalized. "I remember receiving a call from a very good friend, Hartley 'Mickie' Morris, one of the founders of the Reggae Sumfest," said Gourzong.

The rest is history. Original investors, Walt Crooks, Sidney Reid, Lucille Lue, Godfrey Dyer, Walter Elmore, Robert Russell, Summerfest Productions chairman, Barry Jenoure, Daryl Vaz, Hugh Thompson, the late Arden Griffiths and Winston Chen were all invited to invest, as was the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association's (JHTA), Josef Forstmayr, Heinz Simonitsch and Joe Hylton.

As executive director his job entails overseeing the event and conceptualizing what format will be used each year. "The event requires a lot of forward planning; at least six months out of the year must be dedicated to it."

Over the years the event has become more challenging as it becomes more difficult to contract the artistes that Jamaica wants to see.

"Their fees change dramatically, if their album is successful, even though we try to book them nine months before the festival."

Gourzong, who gets an average of two hours sleep daily during the event, says he copes with the help of his stock of vitamins and the stellar team who stages the production.

Outside of the event that has made him most famous among people all over the world, he loves animals, nature, watches Discovery, Animal Planet and spends thousands of dollars buying corn for the hundreds of birds that flocks his home daily.

He plays tennis, badminton, while football, cricket and boxing are his favourite games.

His fervor for football is profound. He drove to Kingston from Montego Bay every day during the 1974 World Cup to watch football on the close circuit television at the National Arena.

In 1978 he took vacation leave and went to New York to watch the games on close circuit again, but this time at the Madison Square Gardens.

In 1998 he went to France which, he said " was an electrifying experience."

When the National anthem was played, " he recalls, "it sent goose pimples all over my body."

When Johnny Gourzong falls in love, nothing is too much to do and no where is too far to travel.

Also a passionate bird hunter, he travels to Paraguay, South America every year and has gone shooting in places including Nicaragua, Colombia, Honduras and Argentina.

Gourzong lives with passion. No doubt, when he writes his memoirs, he will be able to say, 'I did it my way'.