Lucien "Saluche" Small (194814 January 2007) was a Vincentian comedian, storyteller, and radio personality. He was dubbed the "King of Comedy" in Saint Vincent due to his regular appearances at local and regional festivals.

Early life

Lucien Small was born in

Kingstown Kingstown is the capital, chief port, and main commercial centre of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. With a population of 12,909 (2012), Kingstown is the most populous settlement in the country. It is the island's agricultural industry centre ...

in 1948. His schoolmates nicknamed him "Sir Lucien", which he changed to "Sir Luce", then "Sir Luche", and later "Saluche". Saluche helped raise his younger twin brothers Julian and Lloyd upon their father's death in 1969. He worked for Cable & Wireless, eventually becoming a warehouse manager. He was a member of the Commercial, Technical and Allied Workers' Union (CTAWU).

Career

Saluche first achieved recognition as a comedian in

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

in the early 1990s before returning to Saint Vincent. He liked to make observations about everyday situations: he once joked that the seashore was the best location for a

laundry Laundry refers to the washing of clothing and other textiles, and, more broadly, their drying and ironing as well. Laundry has been part of history since humans began to wear clothes, so the methods by which different cultures have dealt with t ...

, as one could obtain free

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, Surf, and

Breeze Breeze often refers to: * A gentle to moderate wind * Sea breeze, an onshore afternoon wind, caused by warm air rising over the land in sunny weather Breeze or The Breeze may also refer to: * Breeze block a concrete masonry unit made from recovere ...

. Other jokes veered into more risqué themes and current politics. His catchphrase was "You got to clap for that!" Saluche performed in various countries. He appeared at the Spice Laugh Festival and the Fisherman's Birthday Celebrations in

Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...

. He also appeared at the

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and the Caribbean Comedy Festival in Washington D.C. Saluche hosted "Night Riders", a program that aired every Thursday on Nice Radio. Besides his own material, Saluche featured pieces sent in by listeners and upcoming artists. In 2006, the ruling

Unity Labour Party The Unity Labour Party (ULP) is a democratic socialist political party in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Currently the governing party, it is led by Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves.

blacklisted Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, t ...

Saluche from government jobs for telling political jokes at their expense. This prohibition drastically reduced his public performances; ULP-affiliated organizers for that year's Carnival also refused to hire Saluche. As a result, Saluche asked opposition leader

Arnhim Eustace Arnhim Ulric Eustace (born 5 October 1944) is a Vincentian retired politician and economist. He served as the third Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and is the former Leader of the Opposition and former president of the New D ...

for support, joining Eustace's

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * t ...

Family

Although Saluche's father died in 1969, his mother was still alive at the time of his death. Saluche had two daughters from his first marriage. He later married Helen Hazell, an office manager for ''The Vincentian'' newspaper. They remained married until his death; she died in 2017.

Death

Saluche died of a heart attack at his home in Dorsetshire Hill on 14 January 2007. He was 58. The Minister of Culture Rene Baptiste paid tribute to Saluche, calling him "the funniest man in St. Vincent and the Grenadines".

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Ralph Gonsalves Ralph Everard Gonsalves (born 8 August 1946) is a Vincentian politician. He is currently the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and leader of the Unity Labour Party (ULP).

, leader of the Unity Labour Party, attended Saluche's funeral without prior announcement. Gonsalves was then asked to speak in place of featured speaker Eustace by some family members; this change drew boos from attending NDP supporters.

Legacy

In 2013, the Department of Culture (within the Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Culture) proposed a "Book of Remembrance" to commemorate prominent Vincentians. Saluche was one of the Department's initial candidates for inclusion. The "Night Riders" radio program continued to air, with Ferrand "Randy D" Dopwell as the new host. In addition, a Night Rider nonprofit was founded to continue Saluche's community service work. The 2007 edition of the Caribbean Comedy Festival in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

was dedicated to Saluche. He had appeared in every edition of the festival since it was founded.

Album appearances

* ''Island Comedy: Word Masters Live'' (2001) * ''Word Masters Live II: Caribbean Comedy'' (2001) * ''Caribbeana Celebrates 25th Anniversary: Caribbean Comedy Festival 2002''

References

External links

Mother's Day Caribbean Show
(

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls about 15,000 undergraduate and 2,800 graduate students on a 35-acre campus. Being New York City's first publ ...

, 8 May 1999)
A live set (audio)

The Story of Jesse James (audio)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saluche 1948 births 2007 deaths Male comedians People from Kingstown Entertainment in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines trade unionists 20th-century comedians 21st-century comedians