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Sentenced to Sing
published: Sunday | September 23, 2007
Monique Hepburn, Entertainment Editor
(From left) Corporal Heslop, Judge Carol Gonzalez and Constable Haley pose for a photograph before saying farewell at the Yallahs RM Court in St. Thomas on Friday. - Contributed Photo
Former Resident Magistrate Carol Gonzalez DaCosta said goodbye to the judiciary on Friday and has done, by any reasonable estimation, the unthinkable. After nine years on the bench, she walked away from her final session to begin her life as a singer.
When she came into The Gleaner's North Street offices on Friday afternoon, she had just completed her last day on the bench of the Yallahs Resident Magistrate's Court.
She had not predicted that a chance invitation to perform at a charity event would later propel her to choose between her love for singing and the power and prestige of law.
court and staff in disbelief
"Today (Friday) was bittersweet. I recognise what I was giving up. The staff and the police at the court are in disbelief and kept asking me, 'Can't you withdraw the resignation'?"
With an assured smile the 47-year-old Gonzalez, who previously recorded Second Class Love, Ocho Rios and Spoilt by Love, told The Sunday Gleaner that she had expected that her decision would have come as a surprise to many but felt that music was her calling.
She explained that she started singing on the north coast in 1978 and was discovered by a visiting couple, who invited her to the United States to train and record. After completing a year of voice training, she fell out with the couple, who were also her managers.
"Very few people know or remember that I was a professional singer for quite a while," Gonzalez said. "I went to Manhattan and did gigs on Broadway and in clubs. But I fell out with them before meetings with major labels. I came home because at that time I was married and had my son," Gonzalez said.
"When I returned, I went back to school because I had not done sixth form. I took 'A' Level law. I was encouraged by Justice Kay Beckford to study law and I did it. I put the singer to bed and was happy for a while."
invited to the magistracy in 1998
Called to the Bar in 1991 after graduating from the University of the West Indies and the Norman Manley Law School, Gonzalez was invited to the Magistracy in 1998, after serving as a Clerk of Court and as a Crown Counsel.
"I took my work seriously," said Gonzalez. "I take people's rights and responsibilities seriously but I knew I had to choose."
She told The Sunday Gleaner that another magistrate asked her to perform for charity and she sought and received permission from the Chief Justice.
"Things went quite fine. Very fine. But then I was invited by a colleague to sing at a charity event. It was awesome. I zoned out. I was surprised by the applause. After that, the singer would not go back to sleep. I went into depression."
She said her husband, Dr. Vernon DaCosta II, who is consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the University of the West Indies, Mona, lecturer in the Faculty of Medical Sciences and her executive producer, saw that she wanted to be a singer and was grappling with the possibility of leaving la>pain of leaving
"My husband saw the pain I was in and he said, 'you have to live but you must be happy'. He understood what I was going through. We met when I was 16 and was married in 1980, so we know each other quite well," she said. "With my husband's blessing, I handed in my resignation."
Her decision later sent several colleagues into a tailspin because after all, she had achieved what many had not.
Said Gonzalez: "I anticipated that my colleagues would take exception. They are agog but one has to be in my shoes to understand. Many think it is frivolous and a waste of time. But I think of two old ladies that I know. For one of them in particular it is too late for her to achieve her goals and now she is bitter and unhappy.
"Vernon asked me to search my soul and my decision was music. We began the album and called Dean Fraser. We recorded nine original songs and are due to release my album, The Music In Me, on September 27 at the Terra Nova. My favourite track on the album is How Come, How Long, sang originally by Babyface and Stevie Wonder. It speaks to abuse of women and I saw it in court every day. Our record company will also seek to record and promote women who I feel should get more exposure."
Commenting on the support she has received from Chief Justice Zaila McCalla, Gonzalez said: "She is not surprised about my decision. She is a wonderful person and so dignified. She is the essence of what a woman should become. She has been very understanding.
"Under the management of Tyehimba Casele, I am looking forward to my future. I cry at the end of an era but my life is dedicated to my music with my husband's blessing."
And with an effervescence that one would possibly attribute to entertainers and not judges, Gonzalez, a mother of three, mused that her decision was made simply because her heart 'needs to sing'. "Obstacles are opportunities for ingenuity. The past is the past because it is the past. Visualise, say where you want to be and you will achieve it. But it takes sacrifice, discipline and hard work. I approach music in this way and I expect the world will come calling. Anyone can be a judge or a lawyer as long as they work hard at it. My voice is from God, either you can sing or not. Music is wonderful as a teachingtool but as a spiritual tool it provides exceeding bliss and joy."
published: Sunday | September 23, 2007
Monique Hepburn, Entertainment Editor
(From left) Corporal Heslop, Judge Carol Gonzalez and Constable Haley pose for a photograph before saying farewell at the Yallahs RM Court in St. Thomas on Friday. - Contributed Photo
Former Resident Magistrate Carol Gonzalez DaCosta said goodbye to the judiciary on Friday and has done, by any reasonable estimation, the unthinkable. After nine years on the bench, she walked away from her final session to begin her life as a singer.
When she came into The Gleaner's North Street offices on Friday afternoon, she had just completed her last day on the bench of the Yallahs Resident Magistrate's Court.
She had not predicted that a chance invitation to perform at a charity event would later propel her to choose between her love for singing and the power and prestige of law.
court and staff in disbelief
"Today (Friday) was bittersweet. I recognise what I was giving up. The staff and the police at the court are in disbelief and kept asking me, 'Can't you withdraw the resignation'?"
With an assured smile the 47-year-old Gonzalez, who previously recorded Second Class Love, Ocho Rios and Spoilt by Love, told The Sunday Gleaner that she had expected that her decision would have come as a surprise to many but felt that music was her calling.
She explained that she started singing on the north coast in 1978 and was discovered by a visiting couple, who invited her to the United States to train and record. After completing a year of voice training, she fell out with the couple, who were also her managers.
"Very few people know or remember that I was a professional singer for quite a while," Gonzalez said. "I went to Manhattan and did gigs on Broadway and in clubs. But I fell out with them before meetings with major labels. I came home because at that time I was married and had my son," Gonzalez said.
"When I returned, I went back to school because I had not done sixth form. I took 'A' Level law. I was encouraged by Justice Kay Beckford to study law and I did it. I put the singer to bed and was happy for a while."
invited to the magistracy in 1998
Called to the Bar in 1991 after graduating from the University of the West Indies and the Norman Manley Law School, Gonzalez was invited to the Magistracy in 1998, after serving as a Clerk of Court and as a Crown Counsel.
"I took my work seriously," said Gonzalez. "I take people's rights and responsibilities seriously but I knew I had to choose."
She told The Sunday Gleaner that another magistrate asked her to perform for charity and she sought and received permission from the Chief Justice.
"Things went quite fine. Very fine. But then I was invited by a colleague to sing at a charity event. It was awesome. I zoned out. I was surprised by the applause. After that, the singer would not go back to sleep. I went into depression."
She said her husband, Dr. Vernon DaCosta II, who is consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the University of the West Indies, Mona, lecturer in the Faculty of Medical Sciences and her executive producer, saw that she wanted to be a singer and was grappling with the possibility of leaving la>pain of leaving
"My husband saw the pain I was in and he said, 'you have to live but you must be happy'. He understood what I was going through. We met when I was 16 and was married in 1980, so we know each other quite well," she said. "With my husband's blessing, I handed in my resignation."
Her decision later sent several colleagues into a tailspin because after all, she had achieved what many had not.
Said Gonzalez: "I anticipated that my colleagues would take exception. They are agog but one has to be in my shoes to understand. Many think it is frivolous and a waste of time. But I think of two old ladies that I know. For one of them in particular it is too late for her to achieve her goals and now she is bitter and unhappy.
"Vernon asked me to search my soul and my decision was music. We began the album and called Dean Fraser. We recorded nine original songs and are due to release my album, The Music In Me, on September 27 at the Terra Nova. My favourite track on the album is How Come, How Long, sang originally by Babyface and Stevie Wonder. It speaks to abuse of women and I saw it in court every day. Our record company will also seek to record and promote women who I feel should get more exposure."
Commenting on the support she has received from Chief Justice Zaila McCalla, Gonzalez said: "She is not surprised about my decision. She is a wonderful person and so dignified. She is the essence of what a woman should become. She has been very understanding.
"Under the management of Tyehimba Casele, I am looking forward to my future. I cry at the end of an era but my life is dedicated to my music with my husband's blessing."
And with an effervescence that one would possibly attribute to entertainers and not judges, Gonzalez, a mother of three, mused that her decision was made simply because her heart 'needs to sing'. "Obstacles are opportunities for ingenuity. The past is the past because it is the past. Visualise, say where you want to be and you will achieve it. But it takes sacrifice, discipline and hard work. I approach music in this way and I expect the world will come calling. Anyone can be a judge or a lawyer as long as they work hard at it. My voice is from God, either you can sing or not. Music is wonderful as a teachingtool but as a spiritual tool it provides exceeding bliss and joy."
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