Studley drew his first breath of air at our home in College Street, Basseterre. That was in 1948, on October 29. His parents, Constance and Studley Elmes, Senior were devout Christians and he was exposed to a Christian upbringing, including morning devotions at home, Sunday morning worship and Sunday school. He was received into the membership of this Methodist Church as a child and confirmed in his mid teens.
He attended the Basseterre Boys’ School and would later speak fondly of his primary school teacher, the late Inez Walters who, in the main, prepared him for the entrance examination to the former Grammar School. He was admitted to that school on a Government Scholarship in 1959, and there he did very well academically. His major extra curricular activities were the Cadet Corps and the Cassanovas Band; but it was the band to which he devoted most of his time and energy.
Studley's Music
Studley’s interest in music started at an early age. His mother arranged for him to attend formal music lessons after school. He studied music theory and practiced his assignments on a piano which she had acquired and placed in the living room. Over a period of several years he sat and passed the examinations of the Royal Schools of Music up to and including the grade five level.
To his mother’s horror, he stopped going to music lessons at that level, divorced the piano and started a love affair with the guitar. He taught himself to play that instrument and practiced incessantly, honing his skills as a guitarist. Joey Lewis, Clarence Curvan, Dutchy Brothers, Ancell Wyatt were regional musicians who influenced him; and on the local scene at the time, he admired the work of Will Richards and his Silver Rhythm Combo and what he perceived to be the saxophonic splendor of Dwyer Astaphan and Poesy Southwell.
His love of music grew and while still in his teenage years he pondered the effect of music on mood and inner feelings. He called that music therapy and, in later years, would seek to understand the mechanism by which it worked.
In the early 60’s he became a founding member of the Cassanovas Band, formed from a group of his schoolmates. Their repertoire was uncommonly wide; in addition to calypso and the popular tunes of the day, it included bolero, samba, meringue, bossa-nova, and a little touch of jazz. In that last group, their rendition of Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” was well received.
With his acquired knowledge of music theory, Studley found creative and innovative ways of coordinating the group, harmonizing and arranging most of the band’s selections to create a unique Cassanovas sound. In addition to being the lead guitarist, he actually functioned as the music director and was a major driving force behind the band’s success.
When the history of music in St. Kitts is written, he will be remembered for his contribution.