CHAPTER 1
THE JOURNEY
Jay's life journey began in the multicultural vacation paradiseof Bermuda. It has a musical tradition as rich and beautifulas the island itself. In his secular music, the soulful rhythms thatappeared in his romantic ballads appealed to a wide audience,where men and women of all ages appreciated the uniquequalities found in his work. Just as the incoming tide gentlyflooded the coral reefs in Bermuda's Castle Harbor, Jay's voicealso washed over his audience, exposing them to a wide rangeof emotions. Like other island entertainers, Jamaica's HarryBelafonte and Hawaii's Don Ho, Jay gave each of his listeners amemorable performance, which led to a long, successful careeron the island. Jay realized, however, that, just as the incomingtide carried him to the top of his professional career on theisland, the outgoing tide revealed something very importantwas missing from his life ... God.
Jay spent most of his career performing in hotels andnightclubs, and, on several occasions, he used his talent todo benefit concerts for Bermuda's handicapped and the KingEdward Memorial Hospital. He appeared on several local TVtalk shows and Christmas shows. Jay also produced his ownTV show, having special guest appearances and other localentertainers. On a few occasions, he travelled abroad as an agentof the Bermuda Department of Tourism to promote the Island.Then, one day, while attending a luncheon at a local church,his whole life changed: God spoke to him saying, "I'm goingto use your gift of singing to further my Kingdom." Jayrealized at that moment that God had been right beside himall along, and now He was leading him into a career of gospelsinging.
By sharing his experience with his friends and colleagues,he has become a witness for what God can do in your life whenyou let Him in.
With the help of his experience as a performer, his studyfor the Ministry, scripture reading, sermons and the 'StillSmall Voice' of God, Jay began writing and then recordingChristian songs. Jay's personal journey, directed by that 'StillSmall Voice,' led him from Bermuda to Tennessee. There, hesang gospel concerts every Sunday afternoon at Legends DinnerTheater in Crossville.
Jay is a member of The American Society of Composers,Authors and Publishers. In addition to his concerts, Jay has adistinguished recording career. He formed his Music Group ofCompanies - J. D. K. Fox, Music Group Inc., Manchester MusicMakers, Treetop Productions, Orpheus Sound Recordingsand Orpheus Music Ministry- to handle all of his recordingwork.
His first album, Signature was both an artistic andcommercial success; it contained his own compositions as wellas music by other island entertainers. Signature was followedby six other easy-listening albums: Reflections, ChristmasClassics, Island Of Paradise, Jay Fox Live At the Princess,More Than Ever, and Something Special. His latestprojects have all been gospel music: After the Sunset, It'sMy Desire, Jay Fox Live in Nashville, and Greater Faithfeaturing Jay Fox.
His latest single I Came to Find My Jesus was releasedfrom his CD After the Sunset. It is regularly heard onChristian radio stations across the country.
Over the years as a songwriter, Jay has been inspired bywriters like Bob Allen, writer of the classic Chances Are,sung by Johnny Mathis, and singers like Andy Williams, PerryComo, Harry Belafonte, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. Today,Jay is inspired by some of the best inspirational writers in gospelmusic: Lanny Wolfe's Surely the Presence of the Lord isin This Place, Joel Hemphill's It Is No Secret and Bill andGloria Gaither's Because He Lives.
After singing in hotels for many years, he rededicated hislife and his love of music and singing to promote the Gospel ofJesus Christ in word and song. He is now a Song Evangelist, forthe Church of the Nazarene, East Tennessee District. Sundaymornings, when not singing at concerts, you can find Jayleading a Bible study or leading as Minister of Music in hislocal church. In addition to his concerts, he has given his timeto present Bible studies weekly at Health and RehabilitationCenters for seniors in Crossville, Tennessee.
Thousands of fans and friends Jay has made over the yearshave expressed that they feel blessed by his messages throughmusic and song.
Randy NorrisWriter & ContributorCrossville Chronicle, Tennessee.
CHAPTER 2
BERMUDA
Romantic beaches, tall sailing ships and Buccaneers ... allowme to share a little history about the island where I wasborn. I must point out that this is not a history book aboutBermuda. However, some historical facts were retrieved fromthe Bermuda Archives. The archives are amongst the World'srichest and most comprehensive. Dating back to the island'searliest settlers in the 1600s, the government's official recordsgive a virtually uninterrupted accounting of the Islands'past. Many Bermudians use the archives to trace their familyhistory.
Tall Ships around the world still reenact voyages of thepast.
As a young boy, I used to play at St. David's Lighthousenear my home. The voyagers who found the islands ended theirjourney at St. David's head; one of the many smaller islands ofBermuda.
One of Bermuda's former Governors, John HenryLefroy, became Commander-in-Chief in 1871. He compiledinformation into two volumes called Memorials of theDiscovery and Early Settlement of Bermuda. TheseMemorials constitute a remarkable dossier of colonial data, andinterested writers need to go no further than these volumes forresearch information of Bermuda's earliest written history.
Bermuda is a sub-tropical island in the Atlantic which liesover 700 miles southeast of North Carolina and northeast ofFlorida. It is known as the 'Emerald of the Sea,' because ofits magnificent beauty. The shorelines of pink, sandy beachesretreat into a mixture of rich, green trees. The narrow, windingroads are lined with Oleander trees. When in bloom, they arefull of pink and white flowers. Many trail ways have beautifulPoinciana trees which hang over the path. Flowers grow year-roundin the warm climate. My grandfather was a Grower, witha lily field near his house. At harvest time, he sold the flowersto merchants throughout the island.
The homes in Bermuda now are built of cement block andpainted in pastel colors. They are surrounded by the beautyof Hibiscus trees; each tree, when in full bloom, has its ownunique color. In the earlier days, houses were built of BermudaLimestone. It was hand-cut directly out of stone-quarries.Today, the limestone is only used for slating roof tops, whichare then coated with white limestone wash. As you fly intothe island, the roof tops are so white they look as though ithad recently snowed. Rain is caught in well-designed watertraps. The water then flows into pipes which lead to storagetanks, built under the houses. It is piped through the houses inmodern-day plumbing. Some hotels and business are servicedby their own water distillation plants. However, most areserviced by government facilities.
Beneath the sea surrounding Bermuda's shoreline are coralreefs and tropical fish displaying magnificent colors. I've alwaysreflected to myself, if fashion designers ever went snorkelingor diving around the coral reefs of Bermuda, they would befascinated. You can see pictures of tropical fish in magazines,but you cannot see the incredible color changes as they disguisethemselves for protection or ambushing prey. During thismaneuver, the fish blend themselves within the coral.
With all the beauty surrounding the island, there was alsoa mystery. The island was known to many sea captains as the'Devil's Isle,' because many vessels had shipwrecked on theunseen coral reefs. The following is an account of a shipwreckwhich was recorded in the manuscripts of Bermuda's history.
Approximately 150 adventurers, men, women and children,sailed on the Sea Venture, June 2, 1609, from England. Theirintended destination was Jamestown, Virginia. After many daysat sea, they encountered a storm. It lasted for four days.
In the darkness of the night, when no lamp could be keptalight because of the wind and spray, they expected every plungeof the groaning ship would be their last. They could only prayto inspire themselves and others with hope. In the morning,the brave souls stumbled out on deck to see the raging sea, asight no one would ever forget. The waves covered the deckwith white, boiling foam that seemed higher than the masts.The roar of the ocean was truly frightening. The laboring shipmounted a tremendous wave and then went down, as if to beswallowed by the angry sea, but she rose again on another waveand then sank to rise again and again. The storm was verypowerful and continued for a few more days. On the fourthmorning, there was stillness ... One can recall the Bible story ofJesus calming the sea. Only He, our Almighty, powerful God,can make these waves and keep them within their bounds; onlyHe can prevent their weak vessel from being dashed to pieces,and, if He chooses, He can say at any given moment, "Peace,be still," and, the sea would be calm.
Admiral Sir George Somers, when none of them had dreamedof such happiness, cried, "Land ... land!" An unexpected coasthad appeared. The ship had filled with water and was sinking.The Admiral drove the sinking ship onto the rocks and wasable to transport the passengers safely to shore. All 150 men,women and children survived.
Some of these settlers remained on the island with theirfamilies. Others continued, later that year, with their voyageto Jamestown, Virginia. They had built a new ship from cedartrees found growing on the island.
Many sea captains did not know how to navigate the narrowcoral reef channels that surrounded Bermuda, especially in theearly days. In the middle of the deep Atlantic Ocean, onewould not expect a reef. It seemed like a monster had grabbedthe bottom of the boat and trapped it between its massive jaws.They soon realized that they had shipwrecked. Some of theseships have been traced back to their origins and dated back400 years.
In later years, other ships got the aid of skilled St. David'ssea pilots. My grandfather, Harry Granville Fox, was one.He and his small crew tried to be among the first to reachthe ships appearing on the horizon. He and his crews made aliving by piloting the ships into the harbor. They were paid bythe captain. Today, with all the modern technology that shipshave, they still have sea pilots who are now employed by theGovernment of Bermuda to provide this service.
Can you imagine what it is to cross an ocean? For weeksyou see nothing but the horizon. Perfect and empty. You livein the grip of fear: fear of storms, fear of sickness, and fear ofimmensity. But, you must drive that fear down deep into yourbelly. Study your charts. Watch your compass. Pray for a fairwind and hope, pure naked, fragile hope. At first there's nomore than a haze on the horizon, so you watch ... you watch ...then there's a smutch of shadow in the salt water. For a dayafter a day and another a day, the stain slowly spreads over thehorizon taking form ... until on the fourth day you let yourselfbelieve; you dare to whisper the words, "Land ... land ... life ...resurrection." You stand there amazed, the true adventurebefore your eyes, coming out of the vast unknown, out of theimmensity into new life.
In the beginning of this journey, the ocean had given animage of eternity. The explorers must have asked themselves,
"Did we discover this New World, or did the New Worlddiscover us?"
I have tried to imagine the early days of sea adventurers,when they did not have skilled sea pilots like my grandfather.Imagine, yourself, how frightening these shipwrecks must havebeen. In the middle of the Atlantic, caught in a raging storm,with hurricane winds, thunder and lightning, this had to bea horrifying event. The ship tossed from side to side, menscrambling for their lives, then suddenly, a loud crash! Theship was broken into pieces, and the men were tossed into thedark sea.
The next morning, I envision the calm after the storm, thestillness and fresh smell of salty air as the sun was beginninga new day; everyone who had survived was awakened by therolling tide planting its kiss on the shore then rolling back out tosea, as if to say, "You're safe now! They found themselves thrustupon the most beautiful beach they had ever envisioned.
I imagine also the ocean as I've seen it many times in mylife- time, walking on the beaches from a young boy to agrown man; after a raging storm, the ocean becomes as smoothas glass. The sea is so clear that you feel as though you coulddrink it, so clear that you can see the bottom, so clear that youcan see blue, gold, green and red-colored Parrot fish feeding onthe coral next to you. I imagine how the shipwrecked travelersmust have felt as they looked up from the beach and saw a forestof rich, green cedar trees which became the treasured pieces offurniture in their homes and also were used for the new shipsthey built. In my mind, I can hear the voices of The Admiraland his crew as they prayed, "Lord, thank You for sparing ourlives, and thank You for giving us an island of paradise."
After beginning this story, several years ago, the phraseIsland of Paradise became the title of my album, filled withthe love of the home where I was born and the romantic life Ihad lived there.
This island of mine, I'll love it 'till the end of time.Sweet memories of yesterday as love crossed my way.
The treasures of my life are hidden in the words of thesongs I have recorded. The CD entitled Something Specialincludes original songs written by me. I wish I could sing thewords of my songs inspired by my life on the Island from thepages of this book, but I can't. So, just imagine yourself, for amoment, on the beautiful island of Bermuda and that you aresharing it with the perfect partner.
CHAPTER 3
RESCUE AT SEA
The youngest son of my grandfather, my Uncle Ivan,also known as 'Conquer' or Captain Ivan Fox, lived inLarchmont, New York. He sailed through many storms on tripsfrom Newport, Rhode Island to Bermuda as captain on boardyachts visiting and returning to the United States.
Since Bermuda was situated in the middle of the AtlanticOcean, it became a requirement for the young men of theisland to master the sea. It was for their safety. Those whoaccomplished this became fishermen and sea pilots. Theirtraining involved going out to sea at night to study the starsand learn how to navigate by first-hand experience. During theday, they would be taken out to sea where they could no longersee land and be trained to navigate back to the island.
This training became useful in many ways; when yacht-ownerssailed to Bermuda in the summer months, they addedadditional crewmen. On many occasions, the original crewmenwould fly back to the United States. The yacht- owners thenrecruited a new crew of islanders to assist them in the longvoyage home. It became a way of life for my Uncle Ivan andmany other young St. David's sea-farers. For my Uncle Ivan,the sea was like no other place he would want to be.
I remember many years ago in the summer he was ona yacht called the 'Wal-Dor' sailing from Newport, RhodeIsland to Bermuda. The yacht was owned by a retired, elderlyman named Bill Schnirring from Larchmont, New York. Hewas accompanied on board by his wife and daughter, Susie.They were midway across the Atlantic when they got caughtin a storm. The voyage brought world attention, as the newscovered the rescue at sea. It was described as miraculous. As thestorm tossed the yacht in the heavy seas, fortunately, my UncleIvan was able to send an SOS signal. A passing vessel respondedto the rescue. The large vessel had to bridge ropes from theirship to the yacht. After accomplishing this maneuver, they wereable to hoist Mr. and Mrs. Schnirring and their daughter, Susie,from the yacht up to the ship. My Uncle Ivan wanted to remainon the yacht to try to save it, but the seas were too heavy. Ivanwas the last to be hoisted to the rescuing ship. The rescue ship'screw then tried to save the yacht, but it was impossible. As theboat was pulled through the heavy seas, it took in too muchwater. It began to sink, so it was finally cut loose.
Meanwhile, Susie knew her own daughter, Samantha, wassafe but waiting through that terrible ordeal, not knowing whatwas happening at sea. The child was only four or five at thetime. She had been flown to Bermuda by air earlier and wasalready safe in the arms of my grandmother. Susie had wantedSamantha to come on vacation to Bermuda with the family,but as a loving parent, had not wanted to have her travel bysea. The news reporters followed the story of the rescue rightto my grandmother's home in St. David's. Samantha's photo inthe arms of my grandmother, along with photos of the rescue,was on the front page of the Bermuda Royal Gazette.
My fondest memory of the 'Wal-Dor' was sailing off theeast coast of Florida. My Uncle Ivan let me sail the yacht up toSavannah, Georgia. We sailed through the inter-coastal waterway, and finally, out to sea through the channel at Fort Pierce.Exiting the mouth of Fort Pierce, the seas were rolling in veryhigh, 10 to 20 foot swells. Later, I could imagine what it musthave been like during the terrible storm in which this lovelyyacht was lost.
