Garnett Silk’s children ‘blessed to have a father they could emulate’
Members of entertainment fraternity accept national honour at King’s House
Published:Tuesday | October 21, 2025 | 12:09 AMYasmine Peru/Senior Gleaner Writer
More than 30 years after his death, reggae singer Garnett Silk was posthumously honoured by the Jamaican Government with the Order of Distinction in the Rank of Officer for his outstanding contribution to reggae music.
On Monday, National Heroes Day, his spouse Novlyn ‘Lovey’ Banton and their four children were all present at King’s House for the official Ceremony of Investiture. There were miles of smiles all around, except for one brief moment when, surprised by a question from the Governor General as she received the medal, Lovey’s tears fell. “I wasn’t expecting the GG to ask me anything ... I just couldn’t hold back the tears,” explained Lovey. She managed to compose herself, even though a well-wisher came up to her and said “I cannot forget that Saturday morning,” referring to the morning when the world heard about the singer’s tragic passing.
In that moment, Lovey gathered the children and Garnett’s manager, Bridgett Anderson together for photo memories. The family told The Gleaner that they “felt honoured,” especially because on Sunday night, Garnett was one of the music legends honoured by Sizzla at his Rise to the Occasion concert, celebrating Kalonji’s 30 years in the music business. That award was collected by Arrayma, the first daughter for the couple. She responded to the fact that the two successive days were all about her father.
“Well, you know what ... ever since I was a child, it’s always been about Daddy. And I mean that in the most humble way. Whenever I think about him, I feel three things. I feel proud, I feel extremely emotional, and I feel blessed. Because not many people have good parents to emulate. And I had a Dad who practised what he preached and who was loved by people ... even 30 years after dying, he’s still receiving awards,” Arrayma told The Gleaner.
She recalled accepting awards on behalf of her father from an early age, even though she never quite understood.
“But that’s because of the impact. And the reason why there is even an impact is because everything came from the soul. Everything was genuine and he was doing God’s work. So when we talk about Daddy, I get very emotional because I know ... I know ... and we are happy for this recognition,” she said, speaking for her entire family.
Arrayma, who was three when Garnett passed, describes her memories of the I’m Growing singer as “blotches” and it was her brothers who helped to secure the memory by sharing information with her and by teaching her about Garnett Silk.
“My brothers are brilliant musicians, and I shy away from it, but they teach me about it, they nurture and they just let me know who Garnet Silk ... Garnet Smith ... really was and is, in the spirit. And I’m just always very proud and very humble. To be honest, I’ve been so quiet about it because I’m the crybaby of my workplace or my home, but he deserves this because he changed the entire trajectory of music in the 90s, brought love, spirit and true feeling and passion to it. And you cannot deny that.”
In closing, Arrayma added, “And I’m a proud daughter.”
HONOUREES
On Heroes Day, Garnett Silk was among eight members of the entertainment fraternity who were honoured. Among them were Lloyd ‘King Jammy’ James, Cleveland ‘Clevie’ Browne, Franklin ‘Count Owen’ Emanuel Owen, Etana, Kevin Downswell , Dr Lenora Antonette ‘L’Antoinette’ Stines and Hilbert ‘Bertie’ Grant.
For Etana, the day was beautiful on many levels, and the Grammy nominee chose a dress made by a family member over a name brand designer.
“Today, I’m wearing my aunt’s dress. She designed it. She has been designing for many years now ... but now it’s just for family because she’s much older. But I feel like I’m wearing a dress that has deep significance ... on a generational level. Like an ancestral torch you know ... and it makes me feel really, really good,” Etana told The Gleaner.
Engineer, Hilbert ‘Bertie’ Grant said he was surprised by the Badge of Honour for his contribution to the growth of reggae music internationally and he was delighted to accept it.
“This is more than I expected and I am grateful,” said Grant, who has worked with the best in the business including Dennis Brown, Sugar Minott, UB 40 and a host of others, both locally and in the UK and across Europe.
King Jammy, who was upgraded from an Order of Distinction to the Commander of the Order of Distinction shared with The Gleaner that he was “feeling happy”.
“But, you know, this is something that I really look forward to because I’ve worked hard in my lifetime in the music. So, I appreciate it, especially as coming from my own country, so it’s good,” the legendary record producer, studio owner and sound system owner said.
His wife, Iris James, also expressed her joy and how proud she was of her husband.
“It’s good, good, good. [This honour] is well deserved and we are all so happy for the recognition. We have four boys and one girl and we adopted two girls ... so it’s a big family,” a smiling Iris James shared.
King Jammy’s son, Trevor ‘Baby G’ James, called it a “full circle moment” and smiled as he stated how proud he felt watching his father accept his medal from Governor General, Sir Patrick Allen. Some 141 Jamaicans this year received National Honours and Awards from the Government for outstanding contribution to the country in various fields.