The Mighty Pope

The Mighty Pope
The Mighty Pope, May 2014
Background information
Birth name	Earle Heedram
Born	(1945-10-23) October 23, 1945 (age 72) Lucea, Jamaica
Origin	Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The Mighty Pope (born Earle Heedram, October 23, 1945) is a Jamaican-Canadian singer.

Known for his vocal strength (hence the "Mighty" prefix in his stage handle) and sharp visual presentation (custom tailored suits, shirts, capes, and footwear), he was marketed as a something of a "sex symbol" at the height of his recording career in the mid-to-late 1970s.

Pope (who received his nickname via a Vatican-shaped plot of land his father owned in their native Lucea, Jamaica) came to Canada in 1965 and after adjusting to the culture shock of his new surroundings (people, transportation, architecture, food, weather, media/advertising), wasted no time in immersing himself into the heart of Ontario's growing Jamaican musical landscape. Due to immigration reforms and the 1955-1960 West Indian Domestic Scheme, by the mid-sixties, Canada's Jamaican population was expanding significantly and there were already a handful of clubs (Club Jamaica, W.I.F. Club, Club Trinidad, etc.) catering to those immigrants who wished to celebrate their native culture through music, social events, and food. Although Pope had only seen fairly limited performing experience in his native Jamaica (performing with Byron Lee as well as other regional musicians on the local talent show scene), he quickly became the R&B commodity on Toronto's Yonge Street strip (Hawk's Nest, Le C'oq D'or) after reinvigorating The Sheiks, the house band at Club Jamaica (located where Eaton Centre now exists, managed by Mr. Fitz Riley), as lead singer.

In 1964, The Sheiks (including vocalists Jackie Opel, Lynval "Eddie", Spencer, and singing MC Bobby Rousseau) were the first group of non-folk playing West Indian musicians who came to Canada, initially to promote the indigenous Jamaican sound of ska, yet never returning to the islands after seeing potential musical work opportunities in Canada (though notable Studio One vocalist Opel did venture back to Jamaica after his first taste of the Canadian winter). After Spencer's departure from the group to perform as a solo artist (where he saw early breakout success), the outfit was in dire straits. Pope's arrival on the scene in 1966 reignited the band and within the year, they were cutting their debut Canadian recording in the studio. The Sheiks (featuring The Mighty Pope) cut one R&B/soul single, released on the short-lived Toronto-based independent Raymond Records label called "Eternal Love" (b/w "Centennial Swing", 1967) (included on Seattle-based Light In The Attic Records' 2006 compilation, Jamaica To Toronto: Soul Funk & Reggae 1967-1974).