CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF ‘DEH BANJO KING’ IN V.I. STYLE

CULTURE SHOCK

Jul 25

Written By DBOW

PHOTO CREDIT: Ten Sleepless Knights/Facebook

Our Territory recently said goodbye to Quelbe music luminary, Austen Eldred “Edgie” Christian, Jr., of the iconic Stanley & The Ten Sleepless Knights.

The ceremony was a joyous mix of church and culture and was held at St. Croix’s Island Center for the Performing Arts on June 20. It brought together a host of family, friends, residents, and elected officials to pay tribute to a man who was a central figure in the cultivation, preservation and expansion of the traditional music of the Virgin Islands—Quelbe music.

Mourners were appropriately donned in Virgin Islands’ madras and other cultural fabrics and prints to mark the occasion.

Dress Better on the Weekend (DBOW) was on hand to pay our respects alongside Virgin Islanders who loved Edgie, with his distinctive raspy voice and sweet banjo playing that has been the soundtrack of our lives for decades.

Rest In Peace, Rest In Power, Mr. Christian.