Seated from left: Fred Ferguson, Tim Rommen, Minister Daniel Johnson, and Ronald Simms. (BIS Photo/Raymond A. Bethel, Sr.)

Musician Fred Ferguson along with Ronald Simms and the late Nat Williams decided that it was important to preserve the dying art of Rake ‘n’ Scrape; so they identified two popular groups, namely Bo Hog & The Rooters, and Ophie & The Websites, and got them into a recording studio.

With the assistance of Tim Rommen, professor of music and African Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, they managed to to get the music CD’s accepted by, and added to, the catalogue of the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.

The music can be found on the Smithsonian’s website http://folkways.si.edu/ accompanied with 24 pages of notes and photos compiled and annotated by Mr. Tim Rommen with assistance from Fred Ferguson.

“This is a major accomplishment for The Bahamas for the preservation of our indigenous music, Rake ‘n’ Scrape,” said Mr. Ferguson.

These compact discs are the closest thing to the Rake ‘n’ Scrape of yester-year,” said the Hon. Dr. Daniel Johnson Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture during a press conference on Friday, February 19, 2016 at the Ministry.’

These CD’s “will be worth millions in about ten years because persons will use them to see how Rake ‘n’ Scrape should sound,” he said.

By Stirling Strachan - Bahamas Information Services

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