Queacy Benjamin believes music is a gift and it is one that he shares willingly and often. The quintessential travelling musician, Queacy has graced churches across Guyana using the talent he has.
The musician can play a range of instruments such as the guitar, drums, steel pan and saxophone, but his forte is the keyboard. He is a vocalist also. You will not know how good he is until you witness a performance of his then you will be searching for a suitable adjective, magical and spectacular come to mind. But Queacy is also simple, humble, humorous and sociable.
Born 28 years ago at the Suddie Hospital on the Essequibo Coast to parents Naomi Garraway and Charles Benjamin, Queacy is the eldest, with seven other siblings. He had his work cut out for him as big brother. According to Queacy being the eldest had its good times and also its challenges. “During the holidays when school was out I had to streamline [who does what] the chores for my other siblings,” he said.
Queacy grew up with a stepfather but saw himself as a father figure to his younger brother and sisters since he was expected to set the trend for his siblings. “Basically with chores and running errands I was very much favoured especially by my grandparents who lived a stone’s throw away. Being the eldest had its advantages. I’m not only the eldest son, but also the eldest grandchild and nephew. I got to watch the rest of my siblings and cousins grow up. I had a bit more privileges going places. I was able to travel around Guyana to places such as Linden, Berbice and Siparuni,” he said.
Queacy was introduced to the keyboard whilst attending Charity Secondary School. He was 11 years old at the time. Four years later he was learning to read music. He took a transfer to Cotton Field Secondary School where he stayed in the dorms. He went on to be awarded the ‘Best English Student’ from his batch after writing the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate exams.
Queacy said the musician he is today is solely because of his mother who noticed his love for music at an early age. “As a young child when going to fetch water, I’d be hitting on the bucket. My mother noticed that and talked with the music teacher asking her to teach me the guitar. But I was never interested in the guitar, I wanted to play the keyboard. But my mom was the one responsible for starting me out on my music venture,” he noted.
He learned to play the keyboard. At the beginning, although he did not know much, he bragged about knowing and it soon got him into trouble. However, he managed to use it as a stepping stone.
“When I was 14, I was attending the Bush Lot Seventh Day Adventist Church in Essequibo. One Sabbath I heard the elder pray a dedication prayer for the keyboard and other equipment that the church had. I turned to an older friend and said they have a keyboard here and I could play the keyboard. I meant it in a funny way since I only knew the basics of playing the keyboard like the chords and didn’t know anything about playing songs. After I said that, the girl thought I was serious and went to the elder and told him that this boy could play the keyboard. It was an embarrassing moment for me since I knew that I didn’t know much but then again the church had little or no knowledge concerning the keyboard. They immediately took it out the very day and had me play for the song service. For four years I played which helped to develop my knowledge,” said a smiling Queacy as he recounted his story. Four years after he started playing the keyboard, he started singing in public not having been confident enough to have done so before although he had sung his siblings to sleep many times before.
Queacy sings in bass range and can pull a tenor too.
He has a few inspirations when it comes to singing and playing the keyboard. “I always enjoyed listening to Ray Charles and Gordon Mote,” he said. “These were both blind men. Because of these men I realized that music is not limited to any particular class but is a gift.”
Nevertheless, the one person he wished he could have met was Anthony Burger, who died playing the piano. “He was one of the greatest pianists. He played with not only his hands but his soul also. He enjoyed what he did,” Queacy said.
Queacy also plays with his soul. If you ever had the opportunity to see him play you would see how absorbed he is when playing. Once his fingers touch the keyboard his head nods to the music, his eyes sometimes close and his body sways as he becomes immersed in it all. It is as if right then he knows no other world but that of music.
When asked, what’s the difference between a keyboard and a piano, Queacy replied, “A piano is just limited to the piano sound alone. A keyboard has chords. A keyboard has additional built-in sounds for other effects of other instruments [drums, guitar, and trumpets]. I hope to become more knowledgeable in music and more disciplined.”
Queacy plays in churches of different denominations be it a morning service, concert, wedding or funeral. When asked what are some of the challenges he faces as a musician, Queacy laughed: “As a musician you would find people who think they know or have an idea to sing but they really don’t. Then I’ve got to play along with them!”
At present, he’s a driver for the IMEX International Company, but Queacy, who believes in sharing his gift, gives lessons on the side. In his spare time, he enjoys playing gospel, reggae and jazz music, playing cricket and table tennis, cooking, socializing and most importantly spending time with his wife and two sons.
Queacy can be contacted via Facebook or email: [email protected]
