I spent many years living in the West Indies where I worked as Director of Sales & Marketing for one of the 5-star Hotels on the island during the day and then as a musician at night. Mostly to keep from killing people during the day. My musical career was, quite frankly, a fluke. I had picked up the guitar again after several years and switched from 6-string to 12-string but did it only for myself. That year, when I returned to Anguilla, it was after a devastating hurricane so I brought my guitar with me and it became a form of barter. A couple of us just brought our guitars with us wherever we went at night and it was at my friend Laurie's bar, The Pumphouse, that I began to form a musical relationship with the island's most famous musician, Bankie Banx. We looked like the number 10 when we stood next to each other; he is a 6 foot 2 inch dark-skinned Rasta with like, negative 3% body fat and then, well, me. But we played together like we were one person and made our two guitars sound like four. I figured, how often does a short, fat, middle-aged, white woman get to be a rock & roll and reggae star? I just went with it. Bankie gave me a stage name and so I became, Montana Pam.
Every year, as Jamaica had its Reggae Sun Splash, we had Moonsplash. One year, Richie Havens was our main act - so I can technically say that I have opened for Richie Havens and another year, The Bacon Brothers were the main act. Kevin and his family really enjoyed the island in those days and loved being down at Bankie's place (there is even a song about it on one of their albums). On the Thursday night of the weekend of the musical festival, there would be high end tickets sold for a fancy cocktail party and up close meet and greet with and performance by some of the musicians. We decided that year to do a Wall of Guitars - so Bankie, Jon Pousette-Dart, Kevin and his brother, Michael and I played "The Weight" by The Band - worked out perfectly - five of us, five verses - done deal. No Degrees Of Kevin Bacon.
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