For this week’s Hot Seat, Out N About sat down with Bobby Jagger – a well-known local performer. He tells us all about his career and experiences here on our island of St. Maarten-St. Martin.
1: When did you arrive on St. Maarten and how did you get into performing?
I moved here in July 1994 and became involved in the music scene first by hosting a weekly resort party where I worked. Nobody who was working at the resort wanted to be the host of the party, so they asked me if I would do it. I had never hosted any such parties in the past and in fact was not very excited about being on the microphone.
The resort hired a musician named David, and he was running the music and would sing a few songs during the resort party. Eventually, he ended up asking me if I would sing a couple of songs with him. We actually didn't sound too bad, so we kept doing it. That led to a couple of the bars and other resorts asking us to perform at their venue as well.
We performed at many resorts, including the Royal Islander club, Oyster Bay Beach Resort, Club Orient, the old Pelican Resort, Red Piano, Peg Leg Pub and a number of other places. We were mostly using backing tracks, and providing the vocals to sound as close to the original artiste as possible. We called ourselves “Cover to Cover”. David had a heart attack and passed away while surfing in 2017.
2: Do you have a musical mentor?
I had a strong desire to perform with a live band. I started sitting in with Ronnie Santana's band, The House of Blues and More, at Pineapple Pete every Tuesday night. I learned a lot from Ronnie and those guys.
3: Have you worked with any other local musicians?
Eventually, I was asked to front the Category Five Band at La Bamba Beach Bar on Sunday nights. That was with Branko, Eric and Nacio (who passed away a few years ago). I also had a fun gig for a couple of seasons with Eddie, Geogie and Eric at what is now Secrets in Anse Marcel... until Irma came. We started back after they rebuilt and had two gigs before Covid came and – Boom – out went those lights.
4: What have you been working on more recently?
I have mostly been working with Ronnie, Ali, and currently Gianfranco. I have a lot more to learn, but can't tell you how much I have learned from a lot of these great musicians. Included in that group are Eddie from Latin Sugar, Lee, Alfredo, Buff, Georgie, Amin, Alex and more.
5: Can you tell us more about your creative process and what you really enjoy about the process?
I see music as a huge part of the human experience. It can make people forget their problems. And when it's done properly, you can bring people into a separate emotional state. That is the satisfaction I get when I see that we have captivated the people. I can be kind of introverted, but when it comes time to entertain people, I have an adrenaline that just guides me. I want to make people happy and I think it's important to read the room, and know what to play and when. It can make a big difference. The audience can feed off me, but I also can feed off them. People like to let their hair down and go a little bit wild sometimes, and it's fun when we can bring that out in people who normally would never do it.
6: What are your favourite bands from which you pull your inspiration?
I have way too many favourite bands to list, but some that come to mind are The Beatles, Cheap Trick, The Cars, Stones, The Pretenders, Hole, AC/DC.
7: Outside of performing, do you have other hobbies or a workout schedule?
As for daytime activities, I like to be outside and try to keep my health in good condition. I try to walk five miles a day, work out a little, hike up St. Peters Hill a couple times per week, and I recently started playing pickleball, which I need to get a lot better at.
8: Do you have a day job?
I also work as a real estate agent and represent Century 21 as a Buyer's Agent, as Bobby Barron. I get a lot of satisfaction out of helping somebody navigate the real estate process and helping to find them a home that they love.
9: What makes St. Maarten Magical to you?
I was drawn to the Caribbean well over 30 years ago and it just seems to be in my blood. That's just an attitude or a feeling here, especially on St. Maarten that is very addictive. I think sometimes we might take it for granted, but we should realize that we are very lucky to be able to live here. I know I am lucky.
10: Any hot spot to recommend?
For restaurants. I like Fat Tony's for Pork Chop night on Thursdays. Lal's for Indian food, Pineapple Pete, Skipjacks. For going out to listen to music, I enjoy The Pub on Monday's, Soggy Dollar on Thurs, Buccaneer on Sun. Each band is very different.
11: Any Favourite Lyric?
Favorite lyric: "You can't always get what you want." Stones. And "I keep forgetting what I just forgot." The Cars.
12: Any final thoughts?
I am very thankful for all of the help that so many of the musicians on the island have given me over the years. They are all very selfless and always willing to help. I want to make sure people know I am a vocalist and do not play guitar and that is why I have great respect for the musicians here on sxm. My purpose is to entertain. I try to involve and personally connect with an audience as much as I can.
