Cultural Category: Practice / Labor / Memory
Short Context
In Brooklyn, Guyanese life continues in many forms, through food, through language, through work, and sometimes, through sound. For some, that sound is not performed by many, but carried by one.
Main Entry
On the second floor of 871 Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, there is a space that has held more than clothing for over three decades. It has held presence.
Here, Horace L. Carter, known artistically as Goldteeth Lance, has built his life as both a designer and a musician. Through his brand, Carter Clothing N Fashion LLC, he has dressed a community while quietly shaping something less visible: continuity.
Born in Linden, Guyana, Carter carries more than memory into his work. He carries practice, far beyond his Guyanese upbringing, serving New Yorkers from Caribbean backgrounds and all walks of life.
As a one-man band musician, he plays alone, but not in isolation when he joins his one-man-band group. His sound draws from Guyanese tradition, where rhythm and storytelling are intertwined. Each sound he creates becomes part of a larger lineage, one that does not require a stage to exist.
His music, rooted in Christianity, is not performative in the conventional sense. It is lived. It reflects his personal faith and spiritual journey, expressed through rhythm, repetition, and presence. In this way, his music becomes:
- A celebration of life at wake-houses (where people gather to mourn the deceased).
- A holding of traditions at Queh-Queh (Guyanese African pre-wedding celebration).
- And, a testimony in practice.
But the space that has held this work is changing.
After more than 30 years in Brooklyn, Carter now faces relocation. Rising costs and ongoing gentrification across neighborhoods like Flatbush continue to reshape what it means to remain. For many Guyanese immigrants who have built their lives here, Brooklyn is not temporary, it is home. Yet the conditions of that home are shifting.
His story raises a broader question: What happens to cultural continuity when the spaces that hold it begin to disappear?
For Carter, the answer is not withdrawal, it is continuation, elsewhere. Despite having to relocate, he remains in high spirits. The stitching and singing continues. The intention remains steady.
He plans to carry his one-man band music, his expression of faith, culture, and lineage, to his next location. Not just for himself, but for the Guyanese and Caribbean community in New York and beyond.
Because for some, culture is not dependent on place. It moves with the person.
Interpretation
Goldteeth’s work exists at the intersection of labor and spirit. His clothing grounds him in the material world, what is made, sold, and worn. His music carries something less tangible, but no less real.
Together, they form a practice of continuity. Even as space shifts, the work does not end. It adapts.
Historical Context Sidebar
In Guyana, what is often described as a “one-man band” does not always mean performing entirely alone, but rather leading a compact, adaptable musical setup. This form reflects both practicality and tradition, where limited resources are met with creativity, and music is carried through small, mobile configurations.
A documented example is the performer Supercat, whose “one-man band” includes a lead performer supported by a keyboardist, demonstrating how the form exists as a flexible structure rather than a strict definition. His musical journey began in the Buxton area, where, during his school years in the late 1970s and 1980s, he and his peers formed a roadside “tinning cup” band using improvised instruments and performing within the community.
More broadly, the one-man band tradition is recognized globally as a form of musical performance where a single individual plays multiple instruments simultaneously or leads a minimal ensemble, emphasizing versatility, mobility, and independence in sound production.
Together, these practices highlight a broader cultural pattern in Guyana: music is not dependent on scale, but on presence. Whether performed solo or with minimal accompaniment, the focus remains on storytelling, rhythm, and continuity.
Sources
- Stabroek News. (2010). Supercat’s ‘one-man band’ thrills nationwide.
https://www.stabroeknews.com/2010/08/07/the-scene/supercat%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98one-man-band%E2%80%99-thrills-nationwide/ - Grokipedia. One-man band.
https://grokipedia.com/page/One-man_band