by: Jody Rathgeb
When Joey Edwards’ voice changed early and completely, with no squeaky transition, it was clear where he was headed in life.
“My uncle heard me and said, ‘You need to be on the radio,’” he relates. Today that deep, chocolate-syrup voice is the trademark of Edwards, or Osprey, as he is known on Cool 96 FM out of Nassau, Bahamas. His show, focusing on oldies, soca and audience requests, can be heard nightly from 7 to 11 p.m. on the air and at www.100jamz.com (click on Cool 96).
Bahamian by birth, Edwards grew up on Tobago, where he broke into the business on Action Radio 610 after building a reputation doing special events. Back in the Bahamas, he took his “Osprey” handle from his son’s middle name and has become the guy people call to request a special song.
Turning 40 this year, he’s been in the business long enough to see changes both inside and outside the studio. “The equipment is completely different,” he says. “There are no cassettes, no CDs anymore. I’m using an audio vault to pull out music. The technology is so awesome.” He adds that the new technology makes a request show so much easier.
Audiences have changed, too. “When I started it was a more mature audience, but more youths are starting to listen to my kind of music,” he says. “We have a lot of young ones loving the oldies.”
His show mixes American oldies with his favorite soca and some rhythm & blues, plus a few pop numbers thrown in. It’s a blend that offers an appeal to a wide audience.
Osprey remains surprised, though, at the general lack of knowledge about “culture” music in the Bahamas. “People tell me they’re wanting to hear culture music, and they’re thinking reggae, not junkanoo or calypso,” he says, noting that listeners from other island groups – notably Trinidad, Jamaica, Antigua “and maybe Grenada” – are very patriotic about their styles of music. Bahamians tend to be more eclectic in their listening, and in fact favor reggae over something as indigenous as rake and scrape.
Work as a deejay doesn’t completely define Osprey. He does voiceover work and is a musician himself, playing clarinet, recorder, flute, guitar and keyboard. On the side he’s a travel agent, working off a Web site to provide people with inexpensive flights.
So, with his finger on the pulses of music and travel, what does Osprey consider the ultimate island experience?
“What I would want is no rain – just sun, my own vehicle or horse, a lot of beach and no mosquitoes. I want to be able to wake up when I feel like it, have some local fruits for breakfast and move around without having anyone bother me. No noise.” He adds, “And if I’m honeymooning, I want at least two days to be rain.”
NEW FACES
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