Cy Grant | |
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| Born | Cyril Ewart Lionel Grant (1919-11-08)8 November 1919 |
| Died | 13 February 2010(2010-02-13) (aged 90) London, England |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1951–1994 |
| Style | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Website | cygrant |
Cyril Ewart Lionel Grant (8 November 1919 – 13 February 2010) was a Guyanese actor, musician, writer, poet andWorld War II veteran. In the 1950s, he became the first black person to be featured regularly on television in Britain,[1][2][3] mostly due to his appearances on the BBC current affairs showTonight.
Following service in theRoyal Air Force during World War II, Grant worked as an actor and singer, before establishing the Drum Arts Centre in London in the 1970s.[4] In the 1980s, he was appointed director of Concord Multicultural Festivals.[5] A published poet and author of several books, including his 2007 memoirBlackness and the Dreaming Soul and other writing that reflected his belief inTaoism and an expansive world view,[6] Grant was made anHonorary Fellow ofRoehampton University in 1997, and a member of the Scientific and Medical Network in 2001. In 2008, he was the founder and inspirator of an online archive to trace and commemorate Caribbean airmen of the Second World War.[7]
A father of four children, Grant lived with his wife, Dorith (1927–2018),[8] inHighgate, London.
Cyril Ewart Lionel Grant was born on 8 November 1919 into a middle-class family inBeterverwagting, which was then inBritish Guiana (now inGuyana). His mother was a music teacher fromAntigua, while his father was aMoravian minister. He had two brothers and four sisters.[9] At the age of 11, he moved with his family toNew Amsterdam. After leaving high school, he worked as a clerk in the office of a stipendiary magistrate but was unable to study law overseas due to a lack of funds.[10]
Speaking of his upbringing, Grant said, "I was brought up in a typically colonial way, singing 'Rule Britannia' and learning about English history and geography, but not knowing anything about the country I was born in. I knew as a young person in Guyana that something was wrong... I felt frustrated by the colonial way of life. I knew that the colony was too small to hold me."[11]
In 1941, Grant joined theRoyal Air Force, which had extended recruitment to non-white candidates following heavy losses in the early years of the Second World War. One of approximately 500 young men recruited from the Caribbean as aircrew, he was commissioned as an officer after training in England as a navigator. He was quoted as saying: "As an officer in the RAF, you were among the cream of officers. I met all sorts of people, including writers, schoolteachers, lecturers and scientists. And, living for two years close together, I learnt a great deal and asked a lot of questions – that's where I matured, actually."[12] He joined103 Squadron, based atRAF Elsham Wolds inLincolnshire,[13] becoming one of a seven-man crew of anAvro Lancaster.
In 1943, on his third operation,Flight Lieutenant Grant was shot down overThe Netherlands during theBattle of the Ruhr. He parachuted to safety into a field (south ofNieuw-Vennep, as he later found out) and was helped by a Dutch family, although a policeman subsequently handed him over to the German forces, and for the next two years Grant was imprisoned inStalag Luft III camp, 160 kilometres (99 mi) east ofBerlin.[14] (The camp is best known for two famous prisoner escapes that took place there by tunnelling, which were depicted in the filmsThe Great Escape (1963) andThe Wooden Horse (1950), and the books by former prisonersPaul Brickhill andEric Williams from which these films were adapted.) Grant was eventually liberated by theAllied Forces in 1945.[15] One of those who in 1943 had rushed to the scene of the crash in the Dutch village was a then 11-year-old local called Joost Klootwijk, who in later years determined to find out what happened to the crew and eventually made contact with Grant around 2007.[16]BBC London Special CorrespondentKurt Barling made a film in 2008 of Grant returning after 65 years to the Netherlands, where Grant and Klootwijk had an emotional meeting for the first time.[17]
In 2007, Grant participated in the filming of the documentaryInto the Wind (2011), in which he discusses his experiences as an RAF navigator.[18]
After the war, Grant decided to pursue his original ambition to study law, perceiving it as a means to challenge racism andsocial injustice. He became a member of theMiddle Temple in London and qualified as abarrister in 1950. However, despite his distinguished war record and legal qualifications, he was unable to find work atthe Bar and decided to take up acting. Aside from earning a living, he saw acting as a way to improve his diction in preparation for when he finally enteredChambers.[19]
Grant's first acting role was for aMoss Empires tour in which he starred in a play titled13 Death St., Harlem. His career received a boost after he successfully auditioned forLaurence Olivier and hisFestival of Britain Company, which led to appearances at theSt. James Theatre in London and theZiegfeld Theatre inNew York City (alongsideJan Carew).[20] Aware of the short supply of roles for black actors, Grant decided to increase his earning potential by becoming a singer, having learnt to sing and play the guitar during his childhood in Guiana. This proved to be a successful undertaking and Grant soon appeared in revues and cabaret venues such asEsmeralda's Barn, singingCaribbean and otherfolk songs, as well as onBBC radio (The Third Programme and theOverseas Service). In 1956, he was the first black person to host his own television series,[21]For Members Only (broadcast onAssociated Television), on which he interspersed interviews with newsworthy people with singing and playing the guitar.[22]
In 1956, Grant appeared alongsideNadia Cattouse,Errol John andEarl Cameron in the BBC TV dramaMan From The Sun, whose characters are mostly Caribbean migrants to London,[23] and also starred in the World War II filmSea Wife (1957), withRichard Burton andJoan Collins. The following year, Grant was asked to feature in the BBC's daily topical programme,Tonight, to "sing" the news in the form of a "topicalCalypso" (a pun on "tropical"). With journalistBernard Levin providing words, Grant strung them together.Tonight was popular and made Grant a well-known public figure, the first black person to appear regularly on British television. However, not wanting to becometypecast, he stepped down from this position after two and a half years.[19]
His acting career continued apace and later in 1957 he appeared inHome of the Brave, an award-winning TV drama byArthur Laurents, and travelled the following year toJamaica for the filming ofCalypso, in which he played the romantic lead.
In 1964, Grant appeared in the musicalThe Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd, in which he was the first to perform the song "Feeling Good", later covered by many others. He included a version of the song on his 1965 album,Cy & I.
Grant's general frustration with the lack of good roles for black actors was briefly tempered in 1965 when he played the lead inShakespeare'sOthello at thePhoenix Theatre inLeicester, a role for which white actors at the time routinely "blacked up".[10]: 36–37 Between 1967 and 1968 Grant also voiced the character ofLieutenant Green inCaptain Scarlet and the Mysterons.
A brief return to the Bar in 1972 reflected Grant's disenchantment with show business, as well as his growing politicisation. After six months at a Chambers in the Middle Temple, he decided that he no longer had any passion for law and resolved to challenge discrimination through the arts.[10]: 38
Grant performed Caribbeancalypso andfolk songs in many countries, at venues including Esmeralda's Barn in London (1950s), the New Stanley Hotel,Nairobi (1973), Bricktops, Rome (1956), and for theGTV 9 station inMelbourne, Australia. In addition, he entertained British armed forces inCyprus, theMaldives,Singapore andLibya. His concert appearances include the Kongresshalle of theDeutsches Museum inMunich (1963) andQueen Elizabeth Hall in London (1971). In 1989, he helped to organise the "One Love Africa, Save The Children International Music Festival" inZimbabwe.
Grant recorded fiveLPs. His albumCool Folk (World Record Club, 1964) – featuring "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", "Yellow Bird", "O Pato", "Blowin' in the Wind", "Work Song", and "Every Night When the Sun Goes Down" – is a collector's item. Other LPs includeCy Grant (Transatlantic Records),Cy & I (World Record Club),Ballads, Birds & Blues, (Reality Records) andCy Grant Sings (Donegall Records). Two of Grant's singles, "King Cricket" and "The Constantine Calypso", recorded in 1966 forPye Records, celebrate the lives ofWest Indian cricketersGarfield Sobers andLearie Constantine.[24] The songs were featured in the 2009BBC Two television documentary seriesEmpire of Cricket.
Grant had extensive involvement in British radio broadcasting. TheBBC Sound Archive contains more than 90 entries for his radio work, dating from 1954 to 1997. These include a series of six meditations based on 24 of the 81 chapters of theTao te Ching for theBBC World Service in 1980,The Way of the Tao (Grant was a devotee ofTaoism);[6]The Calypso Chronicles, six programmes forBBC Radio 2 (1994);Panning for Gold, two programmes for Radio 2;Amazing Grace, Radio 2; andDay Light Come andWild Blue, both forBBC Radio 4.
Grant discussed his experiences of being among the first generation of Afro-Caribbean actors in Britain inTV's Black Pioneers, broadcast onBBC Four in June 2007, andBlack Screen Britain, Part 1: Ambassadors for the Race, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2009.
In collaboration withZimbabwean John Mapondera, in 1974 Grant set up the Drum Arts Centre in London (not to be confused withThe Drum in Birmingham) to provide a springboard and a national centre for black artistic talent.[25] Laurence Olivier rebuffed Grant's invitation to become a patron of Drum, accusing him of being separatist.[26] As recalled byGus John, a Drum trustee (other trustees includedTania Rose, Chris Konyils, Helen McEachrane, Gurmukh Singh, Eric Smellie andMargaret Busby), Grant said of the prevailing mainstream climate at the time: "These people are simply incapable of seeing the world through our lenses, incapable of imagining for just one moment what it must be like for us to experience their system which to us is anything but as open as they would have us believe. They therefore see our self-organisation as an affront."[21]
Considered a landmark in the development of black theatre,[27] Drum counted among its highlights a series of workshops held in 1975 atMorley College bySteve Carter of the New YorkNegro Ensemble Company.[2] This led to a production ofMustapha Matura'sBread at theYoung Vic and workshops with theRoyal National Theatre. In 1977,Ola Rotimi produced a Nigerian adaptation ofSophocles'Oedipus Rex, titledThe Gods Are Not to Blame, at theGreenwich Theatre andJackson's Lane Community Centre; meanwhile,The Swamp Dwellers byWole Soyinka was produced at theCommonwealth Institute Theatre. The Drum Arts Centre also premieredSweet Talk byMichael Abbensetts at theInstitute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in 1975. Among the exhibitions Drum mounted wasBehind the Mask: Afro-Caribbean Poets and Playwrights in Words and Pictures at the Commonwealth Institute and the National Theatre in 1979.
Grant stood down as chair of the Drum Arts Centre in 1978 following internal disagreements, giving him the opportunity to concentrate on a one-man show adapted fromAimé Césaire's epic poemCahier d'un retour au pays natal (Notebook of a Return to My Native Land).[28] A critique of European colonialism and values, it was cited by Grant as a major influence on his thought.[19] After a platform performance at the National Theatre and a two-week production at the Theatre Upstairs,Royal Court Theatre,[29] Grant embarked on a two-year national tour in 1977.
In 1981, Grant became director of Concord Multicultural Festivals,[5] which in the course of the four years staged 22 multicultural festivals in cities in England and Wales, starting inNottingham.[6] These were followed by two national festivals, inDevon (1986) andGloucestershire (1987). Both lasted several months and involved a vast range of local, national and international artistes, as well as workshops, in an attempt to celebrate the cultural diversity of modern-day Britain and foster improved race relations.[3]
In 2007, Grant helped open theLondon, Sugar and Slavery permanent exhibition hosted at theMuseum of London Docklands.[30]
In 1997, Grant was awarded an honorary fellowship by theUniversity of Surrey Roehampton.[31]
Grant died atUniversity College Hospital, London, on 13 February 2010 at the age of 90.[32] He was survived by his wife Dorith (whom he married in 1956),[8] their two daughters and one son (Dana, Sami and Dominic), and his son from an earlier marriage, Paul.[21][33]
Before Grant's death, the Bomber Command Association had planned to honour him as an "'inspirational example' of how black and white servicemen and women fought alongside one another in two world wars", and a posthumous ceremony took place the following month at theHouse of Lords, where his younger daughter Samantha (Sami) Moxon was presented with a plaque bearing the citation that Flt Lt Grant had "valiantly served in World War Two to ensure our freedom".[34] He had originally been invited to an award presentation in the US in 2009 at a "Caribbean Glory" event organised by Gabriel Christian to raise the profile of West Indians' contribution in two world wars, but illness had prevented Grant from attending.[35][34]
Other tributes have included events at theBritish Film Institute: "Cy Grant Day at the BFI: Tribute to a Hero", on 7 November 2010 (hosted byBurt Caesar,[36] and on 12 November 2016 "Life and Times of Cy Grant", with the participation of Professor Kurt Barling, producerTerry Jervis, theatre directorYvonne Brewster, and the High Commissioner of Guyana.[37]
A blue plaque erected on 11 November 2017 by theNubian Jak Community Trust marks Grant's former home at 54 Jackson's Lane,Highgate, in London.[38][39][40]
The Cy Grant Trust has been set up by his family to preserve Grant's work,[41] with a project to promote his legacy to the wider community, in partnership withLondon Metropolitan Archives (LMA), assisted by theWindrush Foundation and others. Following an award from theHeritage Lottery Fund (HLF),[42] in spring 2016 the Cy Grant Archive was launched – comprising documents, manuscripts, photographs and films dating from the 1940s to 2010 – and will be catalogued and made public for the first time.[43] Speaking of the importance to her family of the project, which includes an outreach programme involving workshops, school education packs, online resources and a touring exhibition,[44] aimed at raising awareness of Grant's achievements and inspiring younger generations, Samantha Moxon said: "My dad's dream was that the importance of his work should be recognised and never forgotten."[6]
A celebration event at LMA in February 2017 marked the launch of the archive catalogue.[45][46]
Grant wrote in 2009:
"In researching my war memoir,A Member of the RAF of Indeterminate Race, I found that neither theAir Ministry, theMOD, nor theImperial War Museum had complete records of air crew from the Caribbean, whether of obvious 'hero potential' or not. This prompted me to set the record straight.... And with the assistance of my friend and webmaster, Hans Klootwijk...we have set up an online archive to trace and commemorate for all time, all those whose services have not been acknowledged."[47]
Launched in 2006, the Caribbean Aircrew Archive is a permanent record ofWest Indian volunteers who served in theRAF but whose contribution has since been overlooked.[7] It is the collaboration of Grant and Hans Klootwijk, author ofLancaster W4827: Failed to Return, which recounts the fate of Grant and his fellow airmen after their plane was shot down over the Netherlands in 1943. The book is based on research carried out by Klootwijk's father, Joost Klootwijk, who was 11 when the bomber crashed into a farmhouse in his village.[48][49]
With regular updates by surviving aircrew and relatives, as well as by military historians, the online archive has established that West Indians who served as aircrew in the RAF numbered roughly 440 and that at least 70 were commissioned and 103 decorated.
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