My companion, Joe Benjamin, who has died aged 88, was a gifted musician and an activist.

In the early 1960s, in his native Bermuda, he started out performing as Joe “Conch Shell” Benjamin at the 40 Thieves nightclub in Hamilton – a calypso singer and balladeer, he appeared with his steel band on the same bills as Marvin Gaye, Cilla Black and Dionne Warwick. He had been greatly influenced by the American jazz musicians Don Shirley and Joe Williams, and subsequently shared performances with the latter at the club.

Joe was also one of the first black members of the Bermuda Philharmonic Choir, and in 2000 Bermuda’s newspaper the Royal Gazette named him among 10 people who had defined the territory’s cultural landscape.

In 1966 Joe decided to travel to the UK. After some years in the music industry in the Midlands, he settled in south London. Brixton was his home for the last 40 years. He was active in and for the community there and he was much loved and respected.

Easily recognisable in his colourful cloak and leather hat, with staff and shades, he stood for power and resilience. In Brixton market, Joe would blow the conch shell he had brought from Bermuda to announce births and deaths, but in 1984, when he blew it in memory of his mother, he was arrested for breach of the peace. Although he was acquitted by a jury, he was bound over by the judge – and the perceived injustice of this outcome was raised in parliament and reported by the Guardian. Later Joe also told his story on Short Cuts on BBC Radio 4 in 2017.

Born in Smith Hill, Bermuda, Joe was one of the three sons of George “Big Ben” Benjamin, a blacksmith, and Lucy (nee Matthews), who divorced when Joe was a boy. At the local Central school, he adored his teacher, Edna Mae Scott, to whom he owed his love for the English language.

The trauma of a difficult family life got him into trouble and he was sent to the Junior Training school on Paget Island at 14. However, the way the place was run – the boys were schooled in all things naval and learned strong discipline – suited Joe.

A nocturnal boat trip to steal from a store resulted in his being transferred to the even stricter Senior Training school. There Joe discovered European classical music and fell in love with it. Not only was music his main passion, but it also helped him conquer a debilitating stammer.

A private man, Joe cared about his people and their struggles, depicting them in his soul opera, First Steps, for which he composed the music and wrote the lyrics. It was performed many times in community centres in the 1990s and 2000s.

The changing demographic of Brixton and advancing age were decisive in his retreat from the public eye. In his last 10 years, he spent his time at home, composing, playing the piano and listening to music.

He is survived by me, six children from earlier relationships, 12 grandchildren and by his brother, Randolph.