Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Mutabaruka, poet clebrated Miss Lou during a tribute at the Dennis Scott Studio Theatre in the Edna Manley College. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer

Miss Lou's deep love for music was emphasised at the Dennis Scott Studio Theatre, Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, on Sunday morning, as her life and work were celebrated by the Jamaica Association of the Dramatic Artists (JADA) on Sunday morning.

And it was a dramatic tribute, Aunty Roachie came to life in Dorothy Cunningham before a large Sunday morning audience and various persons who worked with Miss Lou over the years relating humorous incidents and touching moments.

However it was the real life tale of her final moments, from collapse to pulse going entirely, that was the most dramatic of all, and there was complete silence as Rosie, who moved from Miss Lou's bank manager to friend and then to live with her in the final years in Canada, spoke simply and clearly.

Right to the end

And music moved Miss Lou's heart right to the end of her life, as Rosie related that after she collapsed and was taken to hospital the doctor said he had resuscitated her twice and was reluctant to do so a third time as with extended lack of oxygen to the brain she could have come back alive in name only, with no awareness of what was happening around her. Rosie went in to see her and did not know what to do. It was suggested that she sing and she did, singing "walk good on your way and may good duppy follow you" and immediately the heartbeat monitor started jumping higher and stronger.

Rosie sang and sang until the monitor went down and then hit the flat line indicating death, but just before Ms. Lou breathed out one last time. "She went with a whisper," Rosie said.

It was not only in those dying moments that music roused Miss Lou, as Rosie spoke about putting on a festival song CD and Sweet and Dandy started to play. Miss Lou, who was lying on the bed, started dancing on her side. "Then I see her swing over and stand up. I say where you going, to the washroom? She say no, I want to dance, and she did," Rosie said.

"Ride de riddim perfect"

Before Mutabaruka spoke a recording of Miss Lou delivering poetry on the rhythm to Queen Majesty, later revived for Sizzla's Just One of Those Days, was played. "As you can hear she a ride de riddim perfect," he said. He said that when he approached Miss Lou to be on the Woman Talk album she laughed and said "arright". "Everybody anxious, because Miss Lou a come a de studio," he said.

The results were "one tek. We no haffi do ova nutten. De only ting we change inna de poem a when she say poun', we sey dollar".

And there was a very good reason for that. "She sey 'Mutabaruka, a over 50 year me write da poem deh'. Nobody in the studio wasn't 50," he said.

In honour of Miss Lou's love for music the Nexxus group did a number of folk songs, putting drama into the mix and barking and prancing, hands folded like forelegs, as they sang "dog war a Matches lane, mi naa go dung deh".