Rhythms and Resistance: Caribbean Music in Toronto

A room full of music memorabilia . On the back wall there are drums and a tv set. On the left wall are record art and on the right are various pieces of music ephemera.

“Rhythms and Resistance: Caribbean Music in Toronto”, 2022 Heritage Toronto Award nominee in Public History. Photo Courtesy of Friar’s Music Museum/Downtown Yonge BIA.

A poster with Rhythm & Resistance written in bold lettering in yellow, green and red. There is a black and white image of a man with dreadlocks wearing a jacket over a t-shirt and matching pants. The person is standing behind a microphone stand and holding a guitar.

Rhythm and Resistance: Caribbean Music in Toronto, A project nominated for the 2022 Heritage Toronto Awards. Photograph by Isobel Harry.

A man standing with his arms slightly raised. he is standing behind a large poster that says "Soul Reggae Rock Nook Jazz Calypso".

Jay Douglas Record Nook at “Rhythms and Resistance”, 2022 Heritage Toronto Award nominee in Public History. Photo Courtesy of Friar’s Music Museum/Downtown Yonge BIA.

a man with his arm around a woman. The two of them are smiling and facing another man. The woman and the other man are shaking hands.

Guests attending “Rhythms and Resistance”, 2022 Heritage Toronto Award nominee in Public History. Photo Courtesy of Friar’s Music Museum/Downtown Yonge BIA.

Project Organization: Downtown Yonge BIA, Friar’s Music Museum

Date of Release: December 17, 2021

Curators: Nicholas Jennings and Klive Walker

Rhythms and Resistance: Caribbean Music in Toronto is the first public exhibition to show how artists from the English Caribbean as well as Canadian vocalists and musicians of Caribbean heritage deeply enriched Toronto’s cultural fabric. The exhibition features a number of outstanding artists in calypso, reggae, rhythm and blues and hip hop. They include Lillian Allen, Jackie Mittoo, Louise Bennett, Leroy Sibbles, Michie Mee, Jo Jo Bennett, Calypso Rose and Bob Marley among many others.

The exhibition details how Caribbean immigrants to Toronto brought the first sounds of calypso and then ska, rocksteady and reggae to the city’s clubs, concert halls and airwaves. It illustrates the importance of Caribbean music to Toronto’s overall culture, a fact that is a reflection of the city’s reputation as possibly the most multicultural city in the world. The curators went to extra lengths to ensure the exhibit depicted strong, balanced representation in terms of both gender and musical genre.

The exhibition can be found on the second floor of 279 Yonge Street at Dundas Street, making it accessible to a diverse audience of Torontonians and visitors to the city.

Project Team Members

Downtown Yonge BIA (Mark Garner, Rebecca Stubbs; Producers) Nicholas Jennings (Co-Curator) Klive Walker (Co-Curator) Emily Berg (Assistant Curator) Eunice Addo (Student Museum Assistant) Neshan Tung (Student Museum Assistant)