MATT joins the media community in mourning the loss of pioneering broadcaster David Elcock, who passed in New York today, August 25, 2022.

Broadcaster Neil Giuseppi wrote this biography of David Elcock in March of this year and it is reproduced here with his permission.

One of the most beloved radio personalities that Trinidad and Tobago has ever produced was David Elcock who became known throughout the country as “Big Brother Dave”.

He was dubbed the Dean of Broadcasters for his versatility and dominance of the early morning airwaves.

David Elcock was born on September 20th 1943 on Duncan Street in Port of Spain.

He was one of four children born to Jonathan and Sybil Elcock. His siblings were Lloyd Elcock, Victoria Vidale (deceased) and Gloria Rodriguez (deceased).

His primary education was obtained at two schools, first St. Agnes E.C. and then St. Crispin’s E.C.

He then attended St. James Secondary before going off to Queen’s Royal College (Q.R.C.)

In 1962, he joined the staff of 610 Radio (which at the time was called Radio Guardian) as a Trainee Announcer and over the next 10 years began to establish his name in the field of broadcasting.

He first launched The Dave Elcock show which ran for 10 years until 1972 when he made a slight career change by joining the advertising firm of Christiansen and Belgrave where he worked for three years.

During that time, however, he continued doing the Sunday Hit Parade which had become very popular under his watch.

In 1976 he returned to 610 Radio and Elcock in the Morning was born, a show which would top all the annual radio surveys for almost 15 years.

He created a number of characters which became household names in Trinidad and Tobago and the population looked forward on a daily basis to hearing from “Leggo Beas”, “Granny”, “Mr. Bitter” and “Jose Joropo” among others.

David Elcock, in addition to being recognised as one of the country’s leading broadcasters, also emerged as one of the most in-demand Masters of Ceremonies of his era.

This afforded him the opportunity to welcome onstage international entertainers like Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick, Barry White, King Curtis, Ray Charles and Redd Foxx.

During his time at 610 Radio he attended a course in Television Performance at New York University.

This prompted him to try his hand as a television host.

In the 1970s, his night-time music and talk TV show “T&T Tonight” aired for two seasons on Trinidad and Tobago Television (ttt).

On it, Dave featured entertainment by and chats with leading local artistes as well as with visiting entertainers, sports personalities, and even government officials.

Dave Elcock’s path and my path crossed professionally in the early 1990s.

In November 1990, I was appointed Managing Director of the Trinidad Broadcasting Company.

One of my first acts was to launch Radio Tempo (105.1 fm), the first all-local music station in Trinidad and Tobago.

Dave Elcock at work.

I was able to persuade Dave to leave 610 Radio where he had been an institution for so many years and join the Tempo team.

On January 1st, 1991, Radio Tempo hit the airwaves and Dave Elcock’s voice was the first ever heard on the station.

For the next few years, he became the voice of Radio Tempo as he had been for so many years at 610 Radio.

Our association did not end there.

When I left the Trinidad Broadcasting Company in 1994 and set up my own company, Communications Specialists Limited, I was approached in 1995 by Louis Lee Sing, who was the Chief Executive of the International Communications Network, (610 Radio and ttt).

Lee Sing said he wanted to bring back Scouting for Talent which had been off the air for several years.

He asked me if I would be prepared to produce it on his company’s behalf.

I agreed and a few months later, the new Scouting for Talent hit the airwaves.

In putting the show together, the only person I thought would be suitable to be the presenter was David Elcock and he readily accepted when I approached him.

He hosted the show in his very professional style for the first three years that it ran until he migrated to the United States.

Though semi-retired, Dave, now a born-again Christian, has taken his talent to the internet medium, on Radio KYSO in the United States.

That station seeks to attract music lovers worldwide with Trinidad and Tobago’s unique gifts to the world, calypso and steel band.

In 1988 Dave married Juliet Mangal and they had two children, Marc and Amanda.

Sadly Juliet passed away a few years ago.

He also has a son, Jason, from a previous marriage to singer Mavis John.

In the National Awards of 1990, he received the Humming Bird Medal (Silver) for Public Service and in 2019 he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Trinidad and Tobago United Community Association in New York for valuable and outstanding service to country and community.

David Elcock has always owed his success in radio to some of his predecessors who, in an interview with the Trinidad Guardian in 2009, he called the “deities” of Trinidad and Tobago broadcasters, legends like Ed Fung, Frank Hughes, Leo de Leon, Bobby Thomas, Sir Trevor McDonald, Sam Ghany, Bob Gittens, Errol Chevalier, Clyde Allyene, Desmond Bourne, and Carl Redhead.