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Guzeppi Scerri "It-Toto"

Guzeppi Scerri 'It-Toto" was one of the most well known Prim Kitarristi in Australia. His role in keeping Maltese Folklore music going in Australia as many Maltese were settling in Melbourne in the 1950's and 1960's as the first assisted passage migrant . At that time some of the great Ghana names such as Mawnel Sultana 'il-Moni", Manwel Azzopardi 'Il-Bugazz", Jimmy Camilleri "tal-Fjur" along with other ghannejja like Frenc Cutajar 'il-Witli", Salvu Gauci "Il-Karkariz" among others, needed to continue their tradition of singing Ghana music and build a new scene in this continent.

There are many early reels and cassette tapes which feature Toto's playing skills which are highly treasured by the Maltese Ghana dilettantes. In the mid fifties Guzeppi practically kept the Ghana music going almost single handed in Melbourne as he played in most sessions where Ghana was held. Later on Melbourne was blessed with great guitarists such as Peppi Pulo "Ta Frawla", Zanzu Vassallo "tal-Ilma" and Lippu Guaci "Tal-Imqabba", who gave a huge contribution in their respective careers, but at one stage "It-Toto" was carrying the whole Ghana scene on his shoulder in the early years of the Melbourne scene.

Although he was a Melbournian, Toto had many friends in Sydney where other Maltese Ghannejja had settled and created the foundations for Ghana music in that state.There are many tapes with his backing prejjem "Daqq Lest" which is probably still being used to this very day.
I met Guzeppi in the early to mid eighties where I invited him to take part in a recording session so his music could be preserved for posterity. Guzeppi was very shy and took a while to accept my offer but eventually he invited two of the top accompanists from Melbourne, namely Toni Camilleri "sponos" and Cikku Camilleri "Tal-Imqabba" and and with the help of Sam Brincat, came up to my house to record. That first recording remains one of the few studio standard recordings I have heard of his playing skills.
I then invited "Toto" again to do another session but this time he wanted to show his musical skills by playing songs he had learned along the way. This was a great recording because it balanced his prejjem skills with his ability to play commercial melodies. That session remains among my favorite recordings of Maltese Prejjem music.
As a man Guzeppi had a great story to tell. He was a builder by trade and had grown up in the village of Zabbar. He learned his craft in these coffee shops and bars in Zabbar as he observed other guitarists of that time. In my research I asked after him when I returned to the village of Zabbar where a number of [people who are now advanced in years remember him playing the guitar until he left from Australia in the mid fifties.

His many stories of his role as a worker with the ARP during the war are what novels are made of. People like him, who were in charge of picking up dead bodies from the rabble after an air raid, had stories which were of great interest in spite of their tragic implications, but he never wanted to share those on a microphone. He preferred to recount them in the company of the people he respected and trusted. He shared many stories with me about his life pre and post war, but every time he would insist 'Manuel, this is not for the mike". Naturally I was always careful to respect his wishes on a personal level, while on the media side I always felt the tragedy of these accounts, which very few book accounts ever detail, being lost forever to history or recall.

Representing The Maltese Community in Thomastown in 1985

(from left) Cikku Camilleri, Guzeppi Scerri "it-Toto" (Prim) and Salvu Vassallo"il-Begigga".

Guseppi Scerri was highly respected by his friends and admirers and many traveled across Melbourne to hear him play. I remember other well known guitarists telling me, that they came tonight to hear him play and perhaps accompany him if the opportunity arose. "It-Toto" was a very highly respected veteran of the guitar but he was also sought by the local ghannejja who loved his style and timing on the guitar.
When he died in 1985 I attended the funeral in Reservoir , a suburb near where he lived. The church was full and the emotion was high, as the Melbourne Ghana community paid their last respects to a great guitarist from Zabbar village, who gave a great contribution to Maltese Folklore music in Melbourne Australia. At that time he was teaching many young guitarists how to play Maltese Prejjem or at least accompany.

Guzeppi had a brother in Malta who was very popular and well known as a guitarist both in Ghana and in popular music. His name was Censu, also known as "it-Toto" On several occasions Guzeppi would play me Censu's tapes which were recording for Public Broadcasting and several other sessions. Censu was indeed a very capable musician and very popular in Malta. Guzeppi was very proud of this and that his family produced more than one big name in Maltese Folklore singing.

His death in December 1985 left a great void in the Australia Ghana singing scene but his name will be remebered as long as Ghana music exists in Australia and beyond.

The music you hear in the background is taken from that session I recorded of his music one day in my house in October 1985.

Guzeppi Scerri "it-Toto"

Good wishes till next time...

SAHHA

Manuel

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