The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN singer Franklyn Ellis, better known as “Count Bernadino” died on Thursday after a long battle with heart and thyroid issues, The Tribune has learned.

Mr Ellis, known for his famous song Calypso Bacchanal, died at Doctors Hospital shortly after midnight on Thursday with his wife Juanita at his side. He was 91 and is survived by 27 children.

According to a statement from the family’s lawyer, Obi Pindling, Mr Ellis had been “bed-ridden and unable to walk” for the last 18 months due to illness.

He said a “more detailed statement” along with funeral arrangements will be given at a later date.

Mr Ellis, a native of Norman’s Castle, Abaco, gained his singing and guitar skills in Nassau, Jamaica, and New York in the United States. He landed his “big break” shortly after relocating to New York in 1947.

Working in a restaurant as a dishwasher, the owner of the establishment realised his talent and let Mr Ellis perform for customers during his breaks.

During that time, Mr Ellis joined a group of other Caribbean musicians and enrolled with them at the New York School of Music. They later formed the Bachannals Band and toured America for the next few years.

Mr Ellis returned to the Bahamas in the mid-1950s, where he performed frequently at clubs and other well-known night spots. The country’s Development Board, now known as the Ministry of Tourism, later recruited him to tour internationally with the aim of attracting more visitors to the Bahamas.

Mr Ellis has been given a Cacique Award, an award for the country’s greatest tourism performers.

His famous song, Calypso Bacchanal, which was recorded in 1962, was played in the various hotels in New Providence during that period.

Last night, Daniel Johnson, the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, described Count Bernadino as “a Culture Ambassador par excellence and an original”.

“Noted for his hearty laugh, infectious smile and quick wit, Mr Ellis recorded a body of work that has chronicled the changing times and captured the essence of Bahamian culture and sensibility - be it our history, our women, our food, the reality of aging and even the inevitability of death” Dr Johnson said in a statement. “Whether it was Christopher Columbus returning each year as a ghost; or losing his heart to the girl from the eastern part; whether it was enjoying some conch, peas and rice and guava duff; or being buried deep with two bottles of whiskey at his feet with six young girls across his chest, Count addressed each theme with his unique wit, charm and comedic levity. He was a poetic and musical genius for sure."