Freeport, Grand Bahama Island - On April 26th, 2006 at 4:50PM I recorded my final studio session with my now deceased friend and former colleague in the music business; Cyril “Dry Bread Ferguson. This recording unlike numerous others that Dry Bread and I recorded together over the past twenty years was not a music session, but rather it was an interview session at Mackeymedia. The interview was recorded to be streamed on my Mackeymedia.com website. Although I never uploaded Dry Bread’s interview to the Internet, I archived it for future use and I am pleased to share it with you herewith for the first time.
Through the years as Dry Bread's engineer/ co-producer and graphic design artist of many of his album covers, we worked together on many of his hits from the days of Cay Gotlieb’s Cicada Sounds Studio (now COOL96 studios) to my Mackeymedia multimedia production studio including: Sunshine on my body, Bahamian Music, Sweet Ting in da can, She jump, A Good Woman, Mr. Jitney Man, Lover and a friend, Get in the Groove, Shake up your body line, Do the Junkanoo and lots more.
Dry Bread’s final words during this interview refer to the changing of paths in his life and mine and his desire for he and I to work together on his recordings again. It is of great sadness to me that this never happened.
Of great intrigue in this interview are Dry Bread’s passionate references to deceased entertainers and his mention of funerals that he has been the featured entertainer to soften the somber mood of the survivors.
Music was Cyril Ferguson’s passion; you will note from this interview that his great frustration was the demise of live music venues to perform at with a full band, then as a One Man Band and how this dilemma forced him to work jobs outside of music. Never one to give up, Dry Bread at times took to the streets in coat suit and tie to sell his music on street corners.
Dry Bread was quite a philosopher with many progressive viewpoints on life and the music business; he and I spent numerous hours during our recording sessions engaged in such discussions.
Perhaps Dry Bread’s greatest career wish was to become the musician’s representative as head of The Musician’s and Entertainer’s Union, a dream that never came to fruition during this life.
I say now farewell to my good friend and colleague, Cyril Dry Bread Ferguson and it is with great joy that I present to you this interview full of life, laughter and substance. Be sure and press the play button to listen.
The Freeport News reported the following pertaining to the death of Cyril
Dry Bread Ferguson:
"According to reports, Dry Bread was at the dock in McLean's Town when he suddenly fell out and had to be transported to the Rand Memorial Hospital. It is believed that as a diabetic, his sugar, cholesterol and high blood pressure went up causing him to be admitted to the hospital.
His wife said he immediately called her and told her that he was in the hospital, but that the doctor was going to release him that Wednesday. Unfortunately, while at home alone on Thursday, he died and was later discovered by his son Dexter. Ferguson said she is still puzzled as to why the doctor released him when he was so sick as he should have been kept in longer for observation. The family is now waiting for an autopsy to be done."
April 9th, 2009
