Gospel revival star Kukudoo laid to rest amid song, dance and tributes

Crowds reached the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre early on Sunday to pay last respects to gospel revival singer David ‘Kukudoo’ McDermott. Perry’s Funeral Home carried his remains in an ornate glass hearse dressed in green — the colour long linked to him.

For nearly four hours the gathering turned the send-off into a celebration, with singing and dancing for an artist remembered as much for spiritual comfort as for entertainment.

Manager Nicholas Marks also unveiled The Journey, Kukudoo’s legacy and last recorded project. The 10-song set is due out on August 19. It draws on reggae, dancehall, soca, Afrobeats, revival and mento, reflecting the late singer’s push toward fresh styles and a wider musical outlook.

More than a dozen speakers from his circle of relatives and friends described how he reshaped their lives and those of countless others. Several recalled his years before ministry — cutting cane, selecting on a sound system, and playing dominoes with gusto — then his path to ordination.

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange took part in the revival portion of the service. She stood with vocalists and clergy who moved around the coffin, performing pieces she asked for.

Grange told the crowd that former Prime Minister Edward Seaga had framed Jamaica’s African cultural retention as a source of pride and a core strand of national identity — a heritage Kukudoo carried at home and abroad whenever he performed. “Whenever he held a microphone, heaven came down as his voice had an anointing in it. Kukudoo understood what his namesake said in Psalm 100, which was to come before the Lord’s presence with singing. For Kukudoo, every song was an offering, and every note was worship,” said Grange.

Turning to the Jamaica Labour Party campaign hit Me and Me Neighbour, she said the track had an uncommon gift for uniting people across party lines. “It was my distinct pleasure and honour to work with him in the studio, producing such songs as Me and Me Neighbour. That song was one that had unifying powers, as when that song was played, I remember a lady belonging to the other side called me to say that she found herself singing the song. That was the impact that Kukudoo had on Jamaica. Yes, it was a campaign song, but it also brought this country together. We spent many days and nights in the studio working. So I wrote the songs, so Kukudoo sang them. So you know I’m going to miss him, as his laughter would fill a room and that ‘Hi! Hi! Hi!’ was a refrain that was simply infectious,” she shared.

McDermott, who grew up in Spanish Town, climbed out of hardship on the strength of his gift. His sister, Althea McDermott, stressed that he refused to be boxed in as only a dead-yard performer and wanted audiences to hear the full range of what he could do. She spoke of their childhood off March Pen Road and of a closeness that lasted until he died.

“I remember one day my mother sent me and Kukudoo to the canal to ketch water, as she was washing clothes. We deh a canal the whole day swimming while our mother was waiting on the water, and when we finally came out, we couldn’t find the containers. We knew we ago get a beating, so we say we not going in the house. There used to be a film show up by Baccas Bar, so we went there that night and watched the film until it was over,” she shared. Fearing punishment, she said, they opted to rest under a bridge. “They were doing repairs near there, so we went and got cardboard boxes and tore them open and settled under the bridge. We heard two persons on top of the bridge talking; one was my father and another gentleman. I fell asleep and dreamt that I was being washed away by water under the bridge, and so I jumped up and decided to go home. My father opened the door and let us in. You see as soon as we drop asleep, lick woulda kill we!” Althea recounted what she called the “many adventures” she and Kukudoo would get up to. “I wish I was standing here for a different reason. I didn’t get enough time with him, but sleep on my brother. You have done your best. No one could have asked more of you,” Althea told those in attendance.

Burial followed at Dovecot Memorial Park.