March 28, 2024, 08:04:02 AM

Author Topic: Whey ‘D Nuts Man Gone?  (Read 2020 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Tallman

  • Administrator
  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 25250
    • View Profile
Whey ‘D Nuts Man Gone?
« on: September 13, 2017, 03:35:56 PM »
Whey ‘D Nuts Man Gone?
By Shaneika Jeffrey (T&T Guardian)


Keith Martin, known worldwide as ‘Jumbo’, began selling freshly roasted peanuts to the people of Trinidad and Tobago in 1974—over 40 years ago. He earned his nickname two years later, in 1976, when the country acquired a Boeing 747, the ‘Jumbo Jet’, and Hasely Crawford struck gold in the 100 metre sprint, becoming T&T’s first Olympic champion. Martin started selling larger bags of nuts and needed a company name. From there, ‘Jumbo’ stuck for both himself and his now famous nuts.

He is a man of firsts. Jumbo was one of the first vendors to sell corn soup on the streets of New York and Toronto. He was also a part of the organisation behind the first Trinidad and Tobago Independence celebration in Canada. And he has rightfully earned his title as ‘The Original Nuts Man’ of the twin isles.

As a young boy, Jumbo watched his mother sell snow cones, bake and shark, sandwiches and corn soup in the Queen’s Park Oval during games and events. From that, his own passion sparked. One day, after pushing a snow cone cart from Cocorite to Independence Square, rain began to fall and the shaved ice in his cart melted. In the early 70s, snow cones were sold for about 6 cents each; his entire box was worth $10. A man of Indian descent found young Jumbo crying. He enquired about the loss of income, gave him enough money to cover the costs (a considerable amount in those days) and walked away. Shortly after, he returned and offered a suggestion: Why not sell nuts instead? The man explained that nuts sold in sun and rain and during the day and night, unlike snow cones. Call it divine intervention; Jumbo says he might have been entertaining an angel. His stepfather granted him $38 to buy and sell nuts as a trial. Jumbo found his calling.

For the past 47 years, Jumbo has been selling nuts at the Oval and the Hasely Crawford Stadium during cricket matches, football games and more. Sports spectators, locally and internationally, know him for his signature move. Jumbo has the ability to pitch a pack of nuts directly to you, no matter where you’re sitting in the stands. His pitching power is so impressive, some fans might even argue that he, himself, should be on the West Indies cricket team. He blushes when I express Trinidad and Tobago’s admiration for him, “I give all praises to God. I am nothing—God gave everybody a talent.”

Jumbo has a long and storied history of selling nuts to the country and solidified the tradition of snacking on nuts while watching sports. He has won the hearts of fans from all around the world and has met countless celebrities and athletes, from Lionel Ritchie to Michael Jackson. For the 1989 World Cup, Canon, the American camera and imaging company, featured Jumbo in a commercial and he was most recently interviewed by Anthony Bourdain for the show “Parts Unknown”.

Fame and tradition was not enough to save Jumbo from a ban to sell his nuts at the CPL 2017 matches in Trinidad. Like many other major international tournaments, CPL strikes exclusive sponsorship and supply deals and Jumbo fell foul of the rules. According to Jumbo, Sunshine Snacks banned vendors from selling nuts during the CPL matches unless the products pitched into the crowd were manufactured by Sunshine Snacks themselves. Unsurprisingly, Jumbo, as a vending veteran, was visibly upset. “It is so damaging to the culture”, he says. “All they’re doing right now is saying, ‘It’s the biggest party in sports,’ but you can’t have a party without bread and shark. You can’t have a party without corn soup”. And cricket just isn’t the same without Jumbo’s nuts.

It is a difficult situation. From one side, sponsors and suppliers spend big money securing selling rights for their products and, understandably, they want exclusivity and need to create rules to avoid ‘ambush marketing’ by competitors. On the other hand, even sellers like Jumbo can become an attraction themselves at sporting events. For Jumbo, this wasn’t just about the money. The ban took away what became an integral part of his life: “I can’t even go and watch a game; I received free tickets and I said ‘nah’.”

He remembers the stadium before it was built into what it is now today—when a local farmer’s cows were used to keep the grass on the pitch low and rushed off before the start of the game. He recalls the galvanized roof of the stadium and the test matches that are ingrained in his memory. One of them is the 1971-72 series when India’s Sunil Gavaskar made a double century in a match against the West Indies.

Jumbo currently sells corn soup in St. James, on the corner of Vidale St. and the Western Main Road, and has done so for the past four years. While this venture isn’t as profitable as selling nuts, he loves what he does and says he does it the best. Through his trials and tribulations, Jumbo found the key to success: find your gift and be the best at it. “If you sweep road, be the best road sweeper”, he says. “If you want to be a dishwasher, be the best dishwasher.”

Although smarting a bit, Jumbo has high hopes for the future of the country and for its people. “Let’s love again. Let’s build Trinidad again. Let’s go back to the old-time days. Let’s say good morning again. Let’s smile with one another again”, he says. “We lost values. When you lose cultural values, you lose your country.”
The Conquering Lion of Judah shall break every chain.

Offline Cocorite

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 2406
  • John 5:24
    • View Profile
Re: Whey ‘D Nuts Man Gone?
« Reply #1 on: September 13, 2017, 05:18:21 PM »
Lash dem Jumbo.  ;D
Socawarriors Need A Winning Mentality

Offline royal

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 3493
    • View Profile
Re: Whey ‘D Nuts Man Gone?
« Reply #2 on: September 13, 2017, 06:00:37 PM »
JUUUUUMBOOOO......... Should receive a national award. He was the best at what he did and brought joy to many locally and internationally.

 
« Last Edit: September 14, 2017, 05:17:35 AM by royal »

Offline asylumseeker

  • Moderator
  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 18073
    • View Profile
Re: Whey ‘D Nuts Man Gone?
« Reply #3 on: September 14, 2017, 01:36:20 AM »
Why not sell nuts instead? Who knew?

There should be more content with this sort of local history. Having explained de nuts man to people who doh know T&T, I had to share the article with them.  :beermug:

Kudos to Shaneika Jeffrey for ah read as appetising as the corn soup. Unfortunately, in some ways it harkens back to a T&T that will never return.

Offline injunchile

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 1973
    • View Profile
Re: Whey ‘D Nuts Man Gone?
« Reply #4 on: September 14, 2017, 05:30:51 AM »
Jumbo is also a very respectful human being. His talent for throwing nuts is only matched with his great heart and Love for Trinidad & Tobago. We need more of those salt of the Earth and Light of the world people. Be the best you can- Thank you Jumbo.

Offline 100% Barataria

  • aka Nachilus
  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 5014
    • View Profile
Re: Whey ‘D Nuts Man Gone?
« Reply #5 on: September 14, 2017, 07:48:52 AM »
This was formative for me growing up.  The likes of jumbo; Mr "saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalt AND Fresh" and "Mr Binglongwing" were characters I enjoyed seeing at HS regularly.  There was another who told stories and related it to TV culture, remember an excerpt from one story to this day "I am so bold and beautiful that I am a wise guy and know how to keep away from prisoners.  Anyway, this is business world, someday say nuts?"

Elements of a culture while may evolve should certainly persist....
Education is our passport for the future for the future belongs to those who prepare for it today

Offline Michael-j

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 958
    • View Profile
Re: Whey ‘D Nuts Man Gone?
« Reply #6 on: September 14, 2017, 08:03:06 AM »
Why not sell nuts instead? Who knew?


Indeed a life-altering encounter if ever there was one!  Although, I can't help but feel deprived of the opportunity to see a snow-cone go flying 10 rows back! "yuh wah condense milk wid dat?!"

Big up de nuts man! Legend! :beermug:

Offline Flex

  • Administrator
  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 18062
  • A Trini 4 Real.
    • View Profile
    • Soca Warriors Online
The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline Tallman

  • Administrator
  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 25250
    • View Profile
Re: Whey ‘D Nuts Man Gone?
« Reply #8 on: March 15, 2024, 10:42:06 PM »
Iconic nutsman Jumbo remembered as Trini to the bone
By Jelani Beckles (T&T Newsday)


JUMBO was described as an iconic figure by many, after news spread of the death of the popular nutsman.

Jumbo, born Keith Martin, was a colourful character at sporting events. The Queen’s Park Oval and the Hasely Crawford Stadium were two venues where he sold his peanuts.

Jumbo had a unique way of selling his peanuts. He would have two or three assistants positioned in different spots in the crowd and would throw a pack of peanuts to them to give to the customer. His throws were rarely off-target.

He did not only sell peanuts, but would belt out advice to athletes on the field.

Newsday spoke to secretary of Queen’s Park Cricket Club Colin Murray and flagman Joey Richardson at the Oval on Thursday, during a cricket match between T&T Red Force and Windward Islands Volcanoes in the West Indies Four-Day Championships.

“When you think of Trinidad and Tobago, you think of Jumbo. He is that kind of character,” Murray said.

Murray said famous English commentator Henry Blofeld was once confused when he saw Jumbo selling peanuts.

Blofeld "was commentating on the game…and all of a sudden he blurted out to his co-commentator and said, ‘What is that missile being thrown from the bottom of the stands to the top?’ He could not understand what it was.”

Blofeld’s concerns were quickly addressed as he was told they were packs of peanuts. .

“Jumbo is unique –you talk about colourful characters? He is going to be missed, because he was Trini to the bone in terms of support for T&T, and he loved sport and he loved being involved,” Murray said.

Murray remembered when QPCC gave a plaque to Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar during a match at the Oval last year. The song pays tribute to Gavaskar, who scored heavily in a Test series against West Indies in the Caribbean in the early 1970s.

During the presentation on the field, Jumbo was singing Lord Relator’s calypso Gavaskar from the stands.

After the presentation, Gavaskar chatted with Jumbo.

Richardson said, “I feel sad to know that one of our icons who has been around like me…has passed.”

Richardson said Jumbo collected the uniforms of star cricketers.

“He is one of the guys from Trinidad that met all the international players that came here. He has kits from all of them. From Sachin Tendulkar, (Virat) Kohli and even Gavaskar…he will be missed.”

He would give the cricketers pointers on the field, including the fast bowlers, Richardson said.

“Always in the stands, with a loud voice saying, ‘Line and length.’”

Jumbo was not the only nutsman known as a character.

Richardson said, “He had nice rivalry between him and the other nutsmen, especially him and Nuts Landing.”

Richardson said Nuts Landing would say Jumbo’s peanuts crashed like jumbo jet planes, but his peanuts landed safely.

T&T men’s senior football coach and former national footballer Angus Eve also paid tribute to Jumbo. Speaking during a media conference on March 14, Eve said, “Jumbo, one of the best 12th men we have ever had, passed away this morning. I want to send condolences to his family…he will be greatly missed.”
The Conquering Lion of Judah shall break every chain.

Offline Tallman

  • Administrator
  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 25250
    • View Profile
Re: Whey ‘D Nuts Man Gone?
« Reply #9 on: March 16, 2024, 09:27:31 AM »
‘Jumbo,’ Trinidad & Tobago's treasured ‘Nuts Man,’ leaves lessons of patriotism
By Janine Mendes-Franco (Global Voices)




If you're a cricket fan and have seen a match in the Caribbean, Keith “Jumbo” Martin would be a familiar name — and face. As the cameras panned away from the field and into the crowd during slow moments of the match, international sports commentators would sometimes take to talking about Jumbo as he pelted his packs of warm peanuts — plain, salted or honey-roasted — into the stands with razor-sharp precision.

His natural charisma added such local colour and Trinbagonian warmth to any sporting event that he soon became part of the landscape. It was not unusual to see him dance, wave the national flag, or engage in some friendly rivalry with competing nuts vendors, all with his cool Rastafarian swagger, swanky sense of style, and broad smile. So, when Jumbo passed away after a brief illness on March 13, about a month shy of his 66th birthday, many citizens felt as if they had lost a member of their family.

Facebook user Anil A Bridglal remembered Jumbo as “an ever present supporter and figure at National Sporting and Cultural Events”; Anthony Petit wanted the Queen's Park Oval — Jumbo's headquarters — to honour him in some tangible way for the joy he brought; Brendan Bartholomew pressed for a national award; and Paul-Daniel Nahous suggested there should — at the very least — be a “state-like funeral” for “local icon Jumbo, whose name is synonymous with throwing accurately in Trinidad and Tobago [and] took being a [T]rini style professional nuts man to international audiences.”

Before Jumbo could go global, however, he had to etch his name on the hearts of local audiences. He made it seem an easy feat. Naturally affable, he was a genuine guy who adored people, loved sports, and was proud of his country. His ability to be completely at ease in his own skin brought smiles to people's faces; to many, he was the embodiment of a “true Trini” — down to earth, sociable, with just the right amount of sauciness.

He reportedly came up with his moniker in 1976 after Trinbagonian sprinter Hasely Crawford won the 100-metre Olympic gold in Montreal—the first-ever for the country. Upon Crawford's triumphant return, the government named an aeroplane after him. Seeing the obvious parallels with his own ability to make nuts fly — and land — with stunning accuracy, Jumbo took the name of the jet, and a star was born.

Having been a fixture on the regional cricket scene since 1971, by the 1990s Jumbo was enough of a celebrity for Trinidad and Tobago's state telecommunications provider to feature him in a television commercial for its new cellular service:

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/9uptSDSpPW4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/9uptSDSpPW4</a>

Flagman Joey Richardson, another sporting event mainstay who would circle the pitch holding a large national flag before matches, fondly remembered his compatriot's penchant for uplifting others, whether it was by shouting advice to the players from the sidelines or hiring young people who needed jobs. Jumbo's assistants would be seen trudging up and down the steps of the Queen's Park Oval in a sprightly manner, collecting cash from hungry customers.

Speaking with Global Voices via WhatsApp, current president of the Queen's Park Cricket Club (QPCC), Dr. Nigel Camacho, said, “Jumbo was a sight to behold! He would be taking orders, and because he had assistants, he would move his stock five times as fast as other vendors taking orders — plus his aim was really accurate!”

Jumbo had a sharp sense of humour and maintained a friendly rivalry with his competitors. One in particular, Nuts Landing, used to quip that his nuts would always land well, while Jumbo's would crash like a jumbo jet. In reality, though, Jumbo's precise arm saw very few misses over the years. He celebrated 50 years as a nuts vendor in 2023.

Advertising executive Dennis Ramdeen gave Jumbo kudos for his marketing genius: “His pack of nuts was the best available at any football match. His price was higher [yet] he got [it] because people saw value. That value came not only from the nuts but the Jumbo Experience. A confident rasta man turning an old trade into a new art. Pure poetry. […] Sending his collectors into the stands as he hurled his product to a waiting soccer fan, amazoning before amazon.”

In September 2019, when Sunshine Snacks, sponsor of the popular annual short-form regional cricket tournament Caribbean Premier League (CPL), took the position that independent nuts vendors couldn't ply their usual trade at the matches because it would infringe upon their rights of exclusivity, Jumbo's advocacy for himself and his peers earned him further admiration and respect.

The sponsor eventually backed down, saying, “When the cricket fans spoke out in favour of all nuts sellers being there as a critical part of the Oval Cricket Culture and the game experience … we simply decided to put our hearts ahead of our strict sponsorship rights.”

Photographer David Wears recalled speaking with Jumbo about the issue: “When they called to tell me I could go into the Oval to sell again, I asked about the other nuts men,” he said […] “After we talk they say the other nuts men could come in also. I can't go in the Oval alone when they outside. How that go look?” To Jumbo, the nuts trade was an intrinsic part of Trinidad and Tobago's heritage.

The West Indies Cricket X account (formerly Twitter) paid its respects in a moving post:

Jumbo was, without a doubt, part of the cricketing family. In 2023, when former India cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar was honoured by Trinidad's Queen’s Park Cricket Club (QPCC) for being the highest test scorer (220 runs) at the ground, he met Jumbo, who marked the auspicious occasion by singing a few lines from Lord Relator's “Gavaskar” calypso.

According to Camacho, who witnessed the exchange, Jumbo told Gavaskar that the 1971 test series was the start of his career as a nuts man. He confirmed that Gavaskar received the news of Jumbo's death and was saddened by his passing.

While cricket may have helped launch Jumbo's career, Camacho says the rise of Jumbo the personality, really began with football — specifically, the Trinidad and Tobago national team‘s attempt to qualify for the 1990 World Cup in Italy. His enthusiasm and patriotic support of the “Strike Squad,” coupled with his unique way of making everyone feel like part of something bigger, began to mould him into the beloved public figure he became. Jumbo rose to further prominence in the 1990s as local cricketer Brian Lara‘s star was on the rise.

In referencing author CLR James’ book “Beyond a Boundary,” in which he talks about cricket as an art form, Camacho mused, “Jumbo was one like that. He was plying his trade, but was also totally involved and engaged. He spoke about sport from a position of knowledge, and he helped make the experience fun with good, honest, clean picong from the boundary. He was never overbearing; people enjoyed his presence and loved having him around. He was a humble man, a good man. I'm very sorry to see him go.”

In the end, Jumbo's friends and fans remembered him for what he was most — a patriot. As Facebook user Joanne Viechweg put it, “Jumbo! He did his thing!” Photographer Maria Nunes, however, may have best put into words the loss people were feeling when she said, “His nuts came with his heart and soul.”
« Last Edit: March 16, 2024, 09:29:07 AM by Tallman »
The Conquering Lion of Judah shall break every chain.

Offline Peong

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 7410
    • View Profile
Re: Whey ‘D Nuts Man Gone?
« Reply #10 on: March 17, 2024, 09:56:21 AM »
Who knew that selling nuts could turn a man into an icon. I fully enjoyed the experience of our road to Italy games and the cricket  games of that time and Jumbo was always there, cracking jokes in between throwing packs of nuts up into the stands. Decent arm and  priceless banter

 

1]; } ?>