'even the newest stars are honored'
Susan Cadogan
REAL NAME: Alison Anne Cadogan
BIRTH DATE/PLACE: February 11, 1951, Kingston, Jamaica
Cadogan is the daughter of singer Lola Cadogan, who released several 78rpm singles of devotional music during the 1950s. She spent several years of her childhood in Belize, where her family had moved, before returning to Jamaica. She trained and qualified as a librarian, taking a job in the library of the University of the West Indies at Mona.
Her talents as a singer led to her recording her first single, "Love My Life" for Jamaican Broadcasting DJ Jerry Lewis, who was the boyfriend of one of Cadogan's schoolfriends. Lee "Scratch" Perry was in the recording studio at the time, and was impressed by Cadogan's voice enough to record an album's worth of material with her, also renaming her Susan.
One of her first recordings for Perry, a cover of Millie Jackson's soul hit, "Hurts So Good" (featuring bassist Boris Gardiner and the Zap Pow horns), was released to little effect in Jamaica on Perry's new 'Perries' record label, but was released in the UK by Dennis Harris's DIP International label, and topped the UK Reggae Chart. Magnet Records picked up the single and it went on to reach the top 5 of the UK Singles Chart, with Cadogan flying to London to promote the single, including a television appearance on Top of the Pops.Cadogan then signed directly to Magnet, who issued the official follow-up, the Pete Waterman produced "Love Me Baby", which reached number 22 in July 1975, but was her last UK hit Perry, meanwhile, arranged with the Birmingham based label Black Wax to release an unofficial follow-up - a remixed version of "Love My Life". Other singles were released on Klik and Lucky in an attempt to cash in, but none of these charted.
Two mid 1970s albums, Doing It Her Way and Hurt So Good were released by Magnet and Trojan Records respectively, though with disappointing sales. Cadogan returned to her library job, but resurfaced as a recording artist in 1982, having a string of hits in Jamaica including covers of "Tracks of My Tears" and "Piece of My Heart", and 1983's "(You Know How To Make Me) Feel So Good" - a duet with Rudy Thomas. After returning again to her library job for most of the 1980s, she returned with the Mad Professor produced album Soulful Reggae in 1992. A further album, Chemistry of Love followed in 1995.
Cadogan caught the music bug once more in 2001, and she performed live at the Heineken Startime Series event in Kingston. More recently, Cadogan has toured together with Glen Adams and The Slackers.
BIRTH DATE/PLACE: February 11, 1951, Kingston, Jamaica
Cadogan is the daughter of singer Lola Cadogan, who released several 78rpm singles of devotional music during the 1950s. She spent several years of her childhood in Belize, where her family had moved, before returning to Jamaica. She trained and qualified as a librarian, taking a job in the library of the University of the West Indies at Mona.
Her talents as a singer led to her recording her first single, "Love My Life" for Jamaican Broadcasting DJ Jerry Lewis, who was the boyfriend of one of Cadogan's schoolfriends. Lee "Scratch" Perry was in the recording studio at the time, and was impressed by Cadogan's voice enough to record an album's worth of material with her, also renaming her Susan.
One of her first recordings for Perry, a cover of Millie Jackson's soul hit, "Hurts So Good" (featuring bassist Boris Gardiner and the Zap Pow horns), was released to little effect in Jamaica on Perry's new 'Perries' record label, but was released in the UK by Dennis Harris's DIP International label, and topped the UK Reggae Chart. Magnet Records picked up the single and it went on to reach the top 5 of the UK Singles Chart, with Cadogan flying to London to promote the single, including a television appearance on Top of the Pops.Cadogan then signed directly to Magnet, who issued the official follow-up, the Pete Waterman produced "Love Me Baby", which reached number 22 in July 1975, but was her last UK hit Perry, meanwhile, arranged with the Birmingham based label Black Wax to release an unofficial follow-up - a remixed version of "Love My Life". Other singles were released on Klik and Lucky in an attempt to cash in, but none of these charted.
Two mid 1970s albums, Doing It Her Way and Hurt So Good were released by Magnet and Trojan Records respectively, though with disappointing sales. Cadogan returned to her library job, but resurfaced as a recording artist in 1982, having a string of hits in Jamaica including covers of "Tracks of My Tears" and "Piece of My Heart", and 1983's "(You Know How To Make Me) Feel So Good" - a duet with Rudy Thomas. After returning again to her library job for most of the 1980s, she returned with the Mad Professor produced album Soulful Reggae in 1992. A further album, Chemistry of Love followed in 1995.
Cadogan caught the music bug once more in 2001, and she performed live at the Heineken Startime Series event in Kingston. More recently, Cadogan has toured together with Glen Adams and The Slackers.
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RWW FASHION FEATURE - 'BRIDGET SANDALS'
Novia McDonald-Whyte - Contributing editor Jamaica Observer
Sunday, December 07, 2003
Sandals designer Bridget say "Bridget sandals" in Jamaica and fashion watchers, as well as lovers of sexy leather straps, will smile the smug smile of those in the know. It has been, for Bridget Brown, (known by thousands as Bridget), a journey of twenty-odd years. The fact is, the leather soles of her sandals almost left her barefooted on several occasions. "It took me three years," Bridget tells SunDay to get my feet off the ground. I paid the price for not going to school. I had to endure artisans not cutting the leather properly, bad work attitude, sabotage, you name it, I went through it."
A baptism of fire, some might be tempted to add for the former Playboy Bunny. "I was a bunny between 1972 and 1977 at the Playboy Boscobel Beach," says Bridget, flashing her signature toothy smile, and still conscious of that bunny poise.
"Playboy was forced to close (no tourists were coming to Jamaica). I was forced to come back to Kingston. I had to find some means of survival. My first stop was G's One of a Kind -- an upscale boutique that sold one-of-a kind Italian shoes and clothing. I left that in May 1981, after Bob Marley's death. I sold pound-cloth for Carmen Brown of Karmen's Corner. "There I was with my scale underneath my arm, and my cushions at my side. I really never wanted to make sandals. I also made skull caps and crochet bags."
Start she did and never looked back. Bridget even found the time and finances to attend school in Milan. "I went to school out of curiosity. I wondered if I was doing something wrong. Little did I know that I was in fact doing something right. My customers are happy, the sandals are fitting right, and I, too, am satisfied. I admire what I am doing."
No idle boast. Bridget Sandals were on the runway at New York Fashionweek, and Caribbean Fashionweek. Bridget Sandals are in Barbados, St Kitts, Antigua, Lincoln Avenue, South Beach (Miami), in the Village (New York) and at Controversy -- Battersea London.
Come next season, there's the possibility of a shipment to Japan, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, and Dallas.
"You have to be skilfull to survive. It has been a 20-year fight for survival. It's a struggle to maintain quality, confidence, style, craftsmanship. Finally, you have to have integrity in business."
As the chat comes to an end and Bridget does that Bridget walk towards her taxi, and there's a feeling that the very best is still to come from this beautiful sister.
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