Yesterday we met a man who is arguably Guam’s favorite Chamorro musician, roots rocker J.D. Crutch. Let’s listen to one more song in this video as we appreciate the appreciation Guampedia expresses for this “Talofofo Boy”: “The musician ‘J.D. Crutch’ was a man who was both artist and outlaw, in a manner of speaking….His voice was a blend of Rod Stewart raunch and the nasal sound of the Chamorro techas who lead prayers at Guam rosaries and novenas.”
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Guam’s JD Crutch
One of Guam’s most popular Chamorro-language rockers of all time is J.D. Crutch. Born in 1955, the son of one of the Guamanians
who captured jungle-hiding Japanese World War II “straggler” Shoichi Yokoi, John Anthony Castro Duenas became known as “J.D. Crutch” after he had to adopt the use of crutches due to a childhood bout with polio. When Crutch was young he was an enthusiastic singer of Kantan Chamorita, traditional Chamorro poetic songs that often take the form of competitions between two vocalists competing to impress the crowd, often by taunting their opponents. Crutch’s quick wit and broad irreverence made him a natural and propelled him through an energetic career as a Chamorro roots-rock star. Crutch passed away in 1996.
