Winston David “Dave” Elcock, one of the most beloved radio personalities that Trinidad and Tobago ever produced, died on Aug. 25, of natural causes in Brooklyn, his son Marc David Elcock confirmed.
Funeral Service was held on Sept. 3 at R. Steven Legall Funeral Home on Avenue N in Brooklyn.
Elcock’s body was cremated 10 days later at Greenwood Cemetery in Newark, NJ.
Marc told Caribbean Life on Thursday that his dad’s ashes are currently in the family’s possession and that the family is yet to determine a final resting place.
Marc said his father became known throughout Trinidad and Tobago as “Big Brother Dave”.
“He was dubbed the Dean of Broadcasters for his versatility and dominance of the early morning airwaves,” the obituary says.
Elcock was born on Sept. 20, 1943 on Duncan Street in Port-of-Spain, the Trinidad capital.
He was one of four children born to Jonathan and Sybil Elcock. His siblings were Lloyd Elcock, Victoria Vidale (deceased) and Gloria Rodriguez (deceased).
Elcock received his primary education at two schools, first St. Agnes E.C., and then St. Crispin’s E.C.
He then attended Queen’s Royal College (Q.R.C.) for his secondary education.
In 1962, he joined the staff of 610 Radio, which, at the time, was called Radio Guardian, as a trainee announcer.
“Over the next 10 years, [he] began to establish his name in the field of broadcasting,” the obituary says, stating that Elcock first launched “The David Elcock Show”, which ran for 10 years until 1972, when Elcock made a slight career change by joining the advertising firm of Christiansen and Belgrave, working there for three years.
During that time, however, Elcock continued doing the Sunday Hit Parade, “which had become very popular under his watch,” the obituary says.
In 1976, Elcock returned to 610 Radio, “and Elcock in the Morning was born, a show which would top all the annual radio surveys for almost 15 years,” according to the obituary.
“He created a number of characters, which became household names in Trinidad and Tobago, and the population looked forward on a daily basis to hearing from ‘Leggo Beas’, ‘Granny’, ‘Mr. Bitter’ and ‘Jose Joropo’, among others,” it says.
In addition to being recognized as one of the twin-island republic’s leading broadcasters, Elcock emerged as one of the “most in-demand Masters of Ceremonies of his era,” the obituary says.
“This afforded him the opportunity to welcome onstage international entertainers like Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick, Barry White, King Curtis, Ray Charles and Redd Foxx,” it says.
During his time at 610 Radio, the obituary says Elcock pursued a course in Television Performance at New York University.
“This prompted him to try his hand as a television host,” the obituary says, adding that, in the 1970s, Elcock’s night-time music and talk TV show, “T&T Tonight”, aired for two seasons on Trinidad and Tobago Television (TTT).
On it, the obituary says Dave featured entertainment by and chats with leading local artistes, as well as with visiting entertainers, sports personalities and even government officials.
In 1988, Elcock married Juliet Mangal, with the union producing two children, Marc and Amanda.
Sadly, Juliet passed away in December 2019.
Elcock also had a son, Jason, from a previous marriage to singer Mavis John.
In November 1990, when Neil Giuseppi was appointed managing director of the Trinidad Broadcasting Company, one of his first acts was to launch Radio Tempo (105.1 FM), the first all-local music station in Trinidad and Tobago.
The obituary says Giuseppi was able to persuade Elcock to leave 610 Radio, where he was “an institution for so many years,” to join the Tempo team.
“On Jan. 1, 1991, Radio Tempo hit the airwaves and Dave Elcock’s voice was the first ever heard on the station,” the obituary says.
“For the next few years, he became the voice of Radio Tempo, as he had been for so many years at 610 Radio,” it adds.
After Giuseppi left the Trinidad Broadcasting Company in 1994 and established his own company, Communications Specialists Limited, Louis Lee Sing, chief executive of the International Communications Network, (610 Radio and TTT), approached Giuseppi a year later.
According to the obituary, Lee Sing “wanted to bring back ‘Scouting for Talent’, which had been off the air for several years.
“He asked Neil (Giuseppi) if he would be prepared to produce it,” the obituary says. “He agreed and, a few months later, the new ‘Scouting for Talent’ hit the airwaves.
“In putting the show together, David Elcock was approached to serve as presenter, and he readily accepted,” it adds. “He hosted the show in his very professional style for the first three years that it ran until he migrated to the United States.”
Though semi-retired, the obituary says Elcock, a Born-Again Christian, took his talent to Internet medium, on Radio KYSO in the United States.
“That station seeks to attract music lovers worldwide with Trinidad and Tobago’s unique gifts to the world, calypso and steel band,” it says.
In 1990, during the National Awards, Elcock received the Humming Bird Medal (Silver) for Public Service.
In 2019, he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Trinidad and Tobago United Community Association in New York for his “valuable and outstanding service to country and community.”
“David Elcock has always owed his success in radio to some of his predecessors who, in an interview with the Trinidad Guardian in 2009, he called the ‘deities’ of Trinidad and Tobago broadcasters, legends like Ed Fung, Frank Hughes, Leo de Leon, Bobby Thomas, Sir Trevor McDonald, Sam Ghany, Bob Gittens, Errol Chevalier, Clyde Alleyne, Desmond Bourne and Carl Redhead,” the obituary says.
Marc told Caribbean Life that his father’s radio programs were “an integral part of the morning routine in many a household of Trinidad & Tobago.
“He was a pioneer, a trailblazer, a passionate man of the media industry, with a healthy dose of humility and gratitude for all of his life’s blessings,” said Marc, who works as an administrator for lawyers at an unidentified music company in Manhattan. “He was my biggest inspiration when I decided to pursue my own career in media here in New York, and I would ask for his insight countless times.
“As a father, he was caring, loving and supported me in all aspects of my life, even when I didn’t believe in myself,” Marc added. “And it is his unshakable positive outlook and faith that I will use as a template for my life going forward. I will miss him dearly.”
Elcock is survived by his children – Jason, Marc and Amanda; grandchildren – Rachel, Jonathan, Joshua and Avirae; and his brother, Lloyd Elcock, Esq. (Source: Caribbean Life, Sept 16, 2022)

A chance knock on the front door of Trinidad-born Nestor Jasper’s Canarsie home in Brooklyn almost two years ago, is the tale of a retiree cashing-in on a little piece of Hollywood.
The former diesel mechanic who worked at National Grid, on Long Island for 21 years, can now call himself a movie star extra since he and his house have been featured in elements of three seasons of the hit series “The Godfather of Harlem,” starring award-winning actor Forest Whitaker.
Jasper told Caribbean Life on Sept. 14 outside his 95th Street resident during the filming of the 10-episode season 3, critically acclaimed drama, that he had signed a contract for the crew to use the façade of his house that is the best resemblance of a structure in the sixties where late civil rights leader Malcolm X, once lived.
“The Godfather of Harlem” series, produced by ABC Signature, a part of Disney Television Studios, and premiered on Epix in 2019, tells a story inspired by infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson (Whitaker), who in the early 1960s returned from eleven years in prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles.
The series features segments of the life of late Malcolm X, and according to Jasper, the façade of the house was re-painted to an aged brown color, to replicate the home of the civil rights leader.
He added that, the crew eventually moved into the living area of the house where some of the scenes were filmed. His backyard and surrounding areas were used as a corridor to facilitate the filming.
Jasper, who has lived in the small flat with his wife and two grown children, his daughter a physical therapist and his son an entrepreneur, for more than 15 years, did not seem too starstruck about the whole idea that a Hollywood series was using his home as a movie location. As a matter of fact, he was more pleased that his house was the recipient of movie dollars.


After the first filming that began some 18 months ago, he said the process was smooth. The crew would call two weeks in advance to alert him that they would be returning to film another episode, which he readily accommodated. He noted that last week was the fourth time that the street was abuzz with dozens of movie crews, cameras, big trucks, and curious residents.
Jasper who migrated some 40 years ago, from the oil-rich village of Palo Seco in Saint Patrick, of the twin-island said lead actor, Forest Whitaker who was seen acting out his role as crime boss Bumpy Johnson graciously posed for a picture with him (Jasper).
Whitaker, an incredibly, talented actor who have been featured in scores of movies, said in an Internet news outlet. “I’m thrilled to be returning to my show, working alongside our truly incredible cast, crew, and writers, as we tell this unique and powerful story. I can’t wait to get back to set, he said and thank Michael Wright, Epix, ABC Signature, and dedicated fans for their support.
According to ‘Deadline News” online, “’Godfather of Harlem’ is that rare show that is both addictively entertaining, and deeply relevant,” said Michael Wright, president of Epix. “Forest Whitaker, Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein have crafted a series that deserves all the acclaim it has received, and it grows more compelling every season.”
Season 3 will find Bumpy Johnson continuing to battle for control of Harlem, with other aspirants to the throne, namely the Cuban Mafia from neighboring Spanish Harlem. Taking on the Cuban mob will put Bumpy, his loved ones, and his community in the crosshairs of not only the rival Italians, but ruthless Latin assassins and, ultimately, the CIA.
Godfather of Harlem is a collision of the criminal underworld and the civil rights movement during one of the most tumultuous times in American history, according to the internet news outlet.
Catch Forest Whitaker in “Godfather of Harlem” acting outside Nestor Jasper’s home. The series is streaming on Epix via Amazon Prime Video Channels. (Source: Caribbean Life, Sept 19, 2022)

Welcome the newest beverage from CARIB Brewery - Rockstone Tonic Wine. 
The bold new drink was unveiled at a media conference at the ANSA McAL Hospitality Suite at the Queens Park Oval, Port of Spain on Thursday. 
While it's an alcoholic drink, as a tonic wine it's fortified to boost your energy for the party and after party. 
Rockstone boasts its trademark Powaroots™ Blend - Horny Goat Weed, Bois Bande, vitamins, fortified Iron Complex, and natural roots extracts like Maca and Sarsparilla Bark.
The smooth, natural-flavour drink can be enjoyed as a thirst quencher, a revitaliser and even a chaser. The tonic wine's versatility was on full display at the unveiling with guests treated to Rockstone infused cupcakes and sno-cones.
Natalie Lewis, Brand Manager - Stouts, said Rockstone has already been met with positive reception from the local market.
Rockstone Tonic Wine is gluten free and is available in 200ml non-returnable bottles, as well as 4 pack and 24 pack cartons. 
Available locally in TT.  (Source:  The Loop, Sept 6, 2022)