Julia Almeria Hydes, popularly known as “Aunt” Julia, was a member of the traditional Caymanian music fraternity that included icons such as Leighton “Duxie” Ebanks, Boyd Hydes, Radley Gourzong, Cleveland Ebanks, Montegomery Albert, Reid Green and Erskin Ebanks. She will be remembered for her inimitably joyous manner, and for her passion to drum and sing and meet with anyone who wished to draw from her bottomless font of cultural knowledge.
“Aunt” Julia Hydes
25 January 1909 – 30 November 2015
Julia was born in 1909, the youngest of twelve children in the district of West Bay, Grand Cayman. She was formally educated until the age of 15 at Ada Cato’s and Miss Radley’s all-age schools in West Bay. After leaving school, she assisted her mother and other relatives in “cutting tops” along the seaside coasts between West Bay and South Sound. She recalls that, although the journeys were long and the work was hard to cut the tops, plait the thatch baskets and make the thatch ropes, it was a time of fun, laughter and the discovery of music.
Aunt Julia was an intuitive musician. She remembered the time she was encouraged to play a homemade drum by her cousin, master fiddler, Leighton “Duxie” Ebanks. “When I held the sticks, made of the local guava wood”. she said, “I felt a great sense of joy. My love for music has continued ever since. I never had any lessons. I just watched, paid attention and made up my own style of drumming.”
She was soon touring the districts of Cayman with fiddlers and musicians, Duxie, Boyd Hydes, Radley Gourzong, Cleveland Ebanks and others, playing Cayman’s folk music mainly for kitchen dances, wedding and Christmas celebrations, and enjoying a twirl or two whenever she could get someone to take her place on the drum. These sessions helped Julia discover a second talent – composing her own songs about everyday events and people.
From early childhood she attended the Wesleyan Holiness Church (formerly the Pilgrim Holiness Chruch) in West Bay. She states that for many of her adult years she became a “wayward” person but in her mid-70s she was “re-claimed” and again began to attend church regularly. She enjoyed singing gospel music, especially “choruses”, playing the drum, tambourine, making rhythms using a grater or just clapping her hands.
She will be remembered for her energy and passion for storytelling through song, always “drummin’ a tune” lightly and joyfully with her fingertips when she didn’t have her drum. She has received many awards for her contribution to music and culture in the Cayman Islands, including the CNCF Heritage Award in 1991/92 and the Certificate and Badge of Honor in 1996.
“Aunt” Julia Hydes
January 25th, 1909 – November 30th, 2015
Julie was born the youngest of twelve children, on January 25th, 1909, in the district of West Bay, Grand Cayman. She was formally educated until the age of 15 at Ada Cato’s and Miss Radley’s all-age schools in West bay. After leaving school, she assisted her mother and other relatives in “cutting tops” along the seaside coasts between West Bay and South Sound. She recalls that, although the journeys were long and the work was hard to cut the tops, plait the thatch baskets and make the thatch ropes, it was a time of fun, laughter and the discovery of music.
Aunt Julia was an intuitive musician. She remembered the time she was encouraged to play a homemade drum by her cousin, master fiddler, Leighton “Duxie” Ebanks. “When I held the sticks, made of the local guava wood”. She said, “I felt a great sense of joy. My love for music has continued ever since. I never had any lessons. I just watched, paid attention and made up my own style of drumming.”
She was soon touring the districts of Cayman with fiddlers and musicians, Duxie, Boyd Hydes, Radley Gourzong, Cleveland Ebanks and others, playing Cayman’s folk music mainly for kitchen dances, wedding and Christmas celebrations, and enjoying a twirl or two whenever she could get someone to take her place on the drum. These sessions popularized Cayman’s folk music and helped Julia discovered a second talent – composing her own songs about everyday events and people.
From early childhood she attended the Wesleyan Holiness Church (formerly the Pilgrim Holiness Chruch) in West Bay. She states that for many of her adult years she became a “wayward” person in her mid-79s she was “re-claimed” and again began to attend church regularly. She enjoys singing gospel music, especially “choruses”, playing the drum, tambourine, making rhythms using a grater or just clapping her hands.
She will be remembered for her energy and passion for storytelling through song, always “drummin’ a tune” lightly and joyfully with her fingertips when she didn’t have her drum. She has received many awards for her contribution to music and culture in the Cayman Islands, including the CNCF Awards for pioneering work in cultural heritage as well as the Certificate and Badge of Honor in 1996.
Julia Almeria Hydes, popularly known as “Aunt” Julia, was a member of the traditional Caymanian music fraternity that included icons such as Leighton “Duxie” Ebanks, Boyd Hydes, Radley Gourzong, Cleveland Ebanks, Montegomery Albert, Reid Green and Erskin Ebanks. She will be remembered for her inimitably joyous manner, an for her passion to drum and sing at special functions for other senior citizens, and meet with anyone who wished to draw from her bottomless font of cultural knowledge.