{"id":20409,"date":"2022-02-18T17:34:15","date_gmt":"2022-02-18T22:34:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blackfashioncanada.ca\/database\/?post_type=cpt_portfolio&p=20409"},"modified":"2026-09-11T00:20:41","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T04:20:41","slug":"ronald-wisdom","status":"publish","type":"cpt_portfolio","link":"https:\/\/blackfashioncanada.ca\/database\/profiles\/ronald-wisdom\/","title":{"rendered":"Jimmy Wisdom"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t

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Highlights<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Jimmy Wisdom started his career as a musician alongside his friend Bill Williams, and they both eventually immigrated to Canada in 1968.<\/em><\/li>\r\n \t
Wisdom changed careers from being a musician to a barber as his band faced censorship on the radio. <\/em><\/li>\r\n \t
He became revered for his barbering and his impact on the community. <\/em><\/li>\r\n<\/ul><\/span><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Jimmy Wisdom didn\u2019t take appointments. Customers walked into Wisdom\u2019s Barbershop and Beauty Salon, took a seat, and waited their turn. Yet people didn\u2019t complain. With music playing in the background, a small TV on, and local newspapers and flyers to pass the time, clients talked, read and connected. Many knew one another from Jamaica or from the neighbourhood. At the centre of it all was Wisdom himself, a calm, quiet presence.<\/span><\/p>
Known for his kindhearted spirit, Wisdom became a revered figure in his community. He was admired not only for his skill as a barber, but also for his gift for forming meaningful connections with those who sat in his chair. For many regulars, he was a steady presence: someone who offered good conversation, guidance, and, of course, a sharp haircut. He drew people from across the <\/span>Greater Toronto Area,<\/span> and the barbershop became a meeting <\/span>place<\/span> with a strong sense of community.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Early Life and Career<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Wisdom's Barber Shop and Beauty Salon, Photo Credit: Jon Black<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Ronald \u201cJimmy\u201d Ashford Wisdom was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, on January 25, 1947. During his youth, he formed a band with his friend Bob Williams, <\/span>calling it<\/span> \u201c<\/span>Bob and Wisdom.<\/span>\u201d<\/span> In 1968, the duo immigrated to Canada, where their band flourished, performing various shows and sharing the stage with renowned musicians Bob Marley, Fats Domino, Jimmy Ruffin, Otis Redding, Solomon Burke and even the late Pierre Trudeau.<\/span><\/p>
In an <\/span>interview with the Globe and Mail<\/span><\/a>, Williams spoke about the lack of further opportunities for their music in Toronto. \u201cWe never really had any offers or any deals, any recordings, or tours, not even an opening act for a big band that was playing in Toronto,\u201d said Williams in the article. <\/span><\/p>
He recounts a time when a radio programmer <\/span>said<\/span> their cover of Mac Davis\u2019 <\/span>\u201c<\/span>I Believe in Music<\/span>\u201d<\/span> was the best cover that they had heard, but they refused to play it because Williams and Wisdom were Black. The industry\u2019s limited opportunities ultimately led Wisdom to find work outside of music.<\/span><\/p>
Although<\/span> he no longer recorded, he continued <\/span>to sing<\/span> with his local church choir in his spare time.<\/span><\/p>
In 1974, he decided to open Wisdom\u2019s Barber Shop and <\/span>Beauty<\/span> Salon in the Eglinton West community known as Little Jamaica. Alongside the barber shop was a hair salon for women, run by his wife, hairstylist Merva Wisdom. They expanded to a larger building in 1980.<\/span><\/p>
While Wisdom was revered by his customers for his skill with their hair, it was also the connections he established that made the experience special for those who came <\/span>to see<\/span> him. In <\/span>TVO\u2019s 2016 documentary <\/span>Learning Portrait: Jimmy Wisdom<\/span><\/i><\/a>, Wisdom is shown cutting the hair of a friend and former drummer. As he handles the shave, Wisdom says, \u201cMusic is not too far removed from barbering.\u201d He relates cutting his clients\u2019 hair to painting a picture with a song.<\/span><\/p>
\u201cEverything I have done in my life is with people,\u201d says Wisdom. \u201cI think I\u2019m one of the few barbers who, when I\u2019m cutting hair, when I\u2019m finished, I say thank you for the opportunity that you gave me\u2026Nothing else can make you happy but people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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He was known as a trusted resource, someone who helped people, especially newcomers, figure out where to go, what services were available, and how to access the support they needed.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Toronto c<\/span>ity councillor and friend of Wisdom for over 35 years, Mike Colle, said that the haircut and advice went hand in hand. \u201cI run across people every day who say they had their hair cut by him. But you didn\u2019t just go to him for a haircut. You went when you needed advice. He would counsel people,\u201d says Colle. Wisdom was all about people; he cared deeply for those in his community.<\/span><\/p>
The care and respect Wisdom brought to his work were felt by many who sat in his chair. Constance Williams was one of the few women who went to his barbershop in the 1990s.<\/span><\/p>
Newly retired and wanting a shorter hairstyle, she chose Wisdom on the recommendation of someone she knew. Conveniently, the shop was located close to where she lived.<\/span><\/p>
Wanting only a short haircut, no braids or special styling, <\/span>Constance<\/span> opted for Wisdom\u2019s chair rather than <\/span>his wife<\/span> Merva\u2019s. In brief glimpses of their working rhythm, she could see that while they often worked independently, the <\/span>couple<\/span> ran the shop as a seamless team, cutting hair and keeping the business running smoothly together.<\/span><\/p>
Soon, <\/span>Constance<\/span> became a regular at Wisdom\u2019s. Visiting family members from Jamaica would also make a point of stopping by the shop to have their hair done while in Toronto. \u201cWisdom was very sociable,\u201d she recalls. \u201cHe would always ask me about my family, even though he had only met them once or twice. If I was going back to Jamaica, he would give me themed calendars to bring to my sisters.\u201d<\/span><\/p>
\u201cHe enjoyed his work<\/span>;<\/span> he was respectful, approachable and caring,\u201d <\/span>she adds<\/span>.\u00a0 \u201cHe was known as a trusted resource, someone who helped people, especially newcomers, figure out where to go, what services were available, and how to access the support they needed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>
On a more personal note, <\/span>Constance noted<\/span> that \u201che took his health seriously because we used to talk about it. He would get up early, go down to his basement, and exercise on his treadmill before heading to work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>
Despite the hustle and bustle of conversation, Wisdom had a quieter nature at times, but that didn\u2019t stop him from building deep connections. <\/span>Constance<\/span> remembers how well he knew everyone in the area; so much so that when the postman would stop by, Wisdom would greet him by name.<\/span><\/p>
In the midst of a vibrant and gregarious barbershop was a grounded, thoughtful barber who took his time with his craft and building connections with his customers.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Mural of Ronald \"Jimmy\" Ashford Wisdom, by Adrian Hayles, Photo Credit:<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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With music playing in the background, a small TV on, and local newspapers and flyers to pass the time, clients talked, read, and connected.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Wisdom passed away on November 28, 2019, at the age of 72, at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. News of his death came as a shock<\/span> to the community<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>
\u201cThe night before his funeral, there was a kind of wake, and hundreds of people passed through<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d describes Williams. The turnout spoke volumes when so many came simply to pay their respects.<\/span><\/p>
In an article by <\/span>Global News<\/span><\/a> about Wisdom\u2019s passing, Colle is quoted <\/span>as<\/span> saying that Wisdom created the \u201ccommunity hub\u201d with his barbershop.<\/span><\/p>
\u201cHe represents a whole wave of people who immigrated here<\/span>,<\/span> and Jimmy helped them get through this transition\u2026The barbershop is like a little city hall. You go there<\/span>,<\/span> and people talk about their problems, their issues, their celebrations,\u201d said Colle.<\/span><\/p>
To commemorate his legacy, Councillor Colle commissioned a mural that was painted by local Toronto artist Adrian Hayles. The mural is a portrait painting of Wisdom set against a background reflecting the Jamaican coast.<\/span><\/p>
Along with the mural, the city renamed Locksley Avenue, between Eglinton Avenue West and Hopewell Avenue, to \u2018Jimmy Wisdom Way,\u2019 honouring his importance to the community and neighbourhood.<\/span><\/p>
From playing R&B music alongside the greats to opening his own salon and forging connections with the people whose hair he cut, Wisdom found the rhythm in everything he did. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Jimmy Wisdom, Photo credit Ron Fanfair<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Global News, \u201c\u2018May he rest in perfect peace\u2019: Hundreds attend funeral for Toronto barber Jimmy Wisdom,\u201d December 14, 2019. <\/span>https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/6297570\/hundreds-remember-jimmy-wisdom\/<\/a><\/li>\n \t
Guy Dixon, \u201cThe Hidden Jamaican Soul of Toronto,\u201d The Globe and Mail<\/em>, July 15, 2006.\n\nhttps:\/\/www.theglobeandmail.com\/arts\/the-hidden-jamaican-soul-of-toronto\/article18167696\/<\/a><\/li>\n \t
TVO, \u201cLearning Portrait: Jimmy Wisdom,\u201d YouTube video. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9uUTLz9Pzj8<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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