Ditty urged the Americans to return. I used to listen lo my auntie’s stories about the invasion, occupation, liberation and other things concerning the Japanese on Guam back then. She told me all about the “Uncle Sam” song and used to sing different versions of it, all the while a smile upon her face.
Song of Hope, Song of Faith Read Post »
First Woman to Establish a Music and Arts School on Guam. Carmen “Meling” Romualdez Dela Cruz (1910-1995), a life long musician, is the first woman to open a school for the arts on Guam. She is the daughter of Beatriz Buz and former Philippine Supreme Court Justice Norberto Romualdez.
Carmen Romualdez Dela Cruz Read Post »
Lagrimas Leon Guerrero Untalan (1911-1997) was an educator, political pioneer and cultural advocate. Born and raised in Guam, Untalan was at the vanguard of bilingual education and will always be remembered for translating the Guam Hymn into the Chamorro language. She was also one of the first Chamorro women to be elected to the Guam Legislature. Untalan volunteered extensively with community groups, including service as President for the Guam Women’s Club from 1957-1958. She also was involved with the various activities of her church and parish.
Lagrimas Leon Guerrero Untalan Read Post »
Maria Yatar McDonald (1955 – ) is a multi-talented musician, traditional tattoo and visual artist influenced by a wide range of artists beginning with her parents. McDonald was born in 1955 in the village of Pali, Sumai before spending nearly two decades living in the village of Sånta Rita-Sumai, and then in Hågat. She graduated from George Washington High School in 1973 and received a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Guam in 1997.
Maria Yatar McDonald Read Post »
Flora Baza Quan is a renowned CHamoru/Chamorro singer and songwriter from Guam, who has been performing and recording for more than thirty years. Known affectionately as the “Queen of Chamorro Music,” Baza Quan is a pioneer of contemporary Chamorro music, lending her signature sound and vocal talents to perpetuating Chamorro culture. Some of her recognized favorites include “Hagu,” “Puti Tai Nobiu” and “Hinasso.”
Johnny Sablan, (1948 – ) a pioneer Chamorro recording artist, received the “Island Icon Award for 2011” in a vote among fellow musicians and islandwide audiences at the Island Music Awards. This is the latest of a litany of accolades for Sablan who has promoted the island’s indigenous language and culture through a music career spanning more than five decades. The award is not surprising, considering Sablan’s 1968 release of “Dalai Nene,” the first commercially recorded album in Chamorro, marked the beginning of the Chamorro music industry.
Clotilde “Ding” Castro Gould (1930-2002) was a beloved storyteller, educator and advocate for Chamorro language and culture. Through her sense of humor and gift for weaving stories and songs together about Chamorros and life on Guam, Gould helped create and shape Chamorro language resources and programs on Guam, as well as advanced cultural awareness of the Marianas in the larger Pacific region.
Clotilde “Ding” Castro Gould Read Post »
Talo’fo’fo boy. The musician “JD Crutch” was a man who was both artist and outlaw, in a manner of speaking. In order to break new ground, an artist has to defy existing laws that govern what is acceptable for the time.
Joseph “JD Crutch” Duenas Read Post »
The Compadres was a musical band that formed in the early 1960s as the Continentals. The group, at certain points in time, was also known as the Jass Society (1970-1973) and Tropic Voice (1979-1980).
Kantan Chamorita is the contemporary name given to traditional call-and-response, impromptu verse-making. Practitioners refer to the genre as ayotte’, meaning to throw (verses) back and forth.
