Edward ‘Sollie’ Solomon Leaves Fashion and Musical Legacy

Musical Icon and fashion impresario Edward Solomon passed away on 27th November in Grand Cayman.

‘Sollie’ as he was affectionately known, was a man of many talents and contributed to Caymanian style and culture, as well as its musical landscape.

Residents and visitors in the Cayman Islands would have likely crossed paths with Mr. Solomon, playing jazz numbers, along with some Reggae and Contemporary music with his ensemble at many of the Island’s venues.

He was also a staple in the George Town corporate area, where he had an iconic fashion outlet/store for over 49 years that was frequented by the Islands’ most trendy shoppers.

Born on 12th February, 1942, Sollie played in many bands over his life time and the singer was probably most well known for his time with the Humble and the Meek, which was the forerunner and an inspiration to many of the bands that would come out of the Cayman Islands after.

An outpouring of emotion was expressed from members of the musical fraternity, family and friends and a host of others.

Mr. Solomon, who had quite a large family, leaves his son and daughter, as well as his siblings and nieces and nephews to mourn.

The Caymanian Times spoke with one of Sollie’s siblings, who - in an exclusive interview - recounted their time together.

Harwell McCoy referred to his brother as someone who was a consummate family man and dedicated musician and recalled his time with him fondly.

‘We didn’t grow up together but we always knew he was our brother. It wasn’t until later on that we got formal confirmation but before that, we were together all the time.

‘There was always a spiritual connection and it was kind of like we knew before it was confirmed,’ noted Mr. McCoy, who added that he and his brothers would always go to shows when the band performed.

Mr. McCoy said in his early years, Sollie went to sea but did not sail for long.

‘After that he settled in New York, where he did some schooling and he developed his love for fashion during that time, before coming back home and opening Arabus,’ he remarked.

According to his brother, Sollie fell ill not long after closing his store.

‘Before that we noticed he was forgetting things and repeating himself but the Parkinson’s and Dementia came on much stronger in the past two years.’

Former Bodden Town East MP, Mr. Osbourne Bodden, who was a relative of Sollie’s spoke highly of the man whose style and class had preceded him in all endeavours.

‘I grew up around Solly in BT and he was a genuine older friend to me ...I admired his fashion and shopped at Arabus like all young men of my time and enjoyed his music from Humble and the Meek right up to his solo and small group performances.

‘Sollie was a loving person and always fun to be around’, he added.

Former CMEA President Jean-eric Smith noted that Sollie was the band leader that hired him and his band to sing at Silvers in what was known as ‘Treasure Island’ at the time; a gig that lasted for nearly two years and was one of the Grand Cayman’s biggest shows during the era.

‘We honored the members of Humble and Meek at the Night of Legends and Sollie received the Musical Icon Award from the CMEA in 2016’, Smith explained.