Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine October 2017 | Page 624
David Michael Rudder was born in Trinidad in 1953. Growing up close to a steel band “yard”, where music from the steel drums punctuated the airwaves almost daily, it is easy to understand why he was drawn to music. His entry into the music arena started at the tender age of nine, the same year Trinidad gained its independence from Great Britain and, although he cannot pinpoint anyone in particular who influenced that musical interest, he knew even then that he wanted to be a singer. He said, “I supposed everything that I heard on the country's only two radio stations did shape my development.” At the age of 11, he started singing with a local calypso band, The Solutions, and at various times throughout his teenage years, he was also a background singer in the calypsonian Lord Kitchener’s calypso tent. His talents did not go unnoticed and at 24, he was given the opportunity to join the then popular Trinidad and Tobago brass band, Charlie’s Roots from where his genius blossomed. Over the years, the world has been treated to a wide range of music from the legendary song writer and performer. At times, a touch of African, jazz, soca, blues and pop have been infused into his songs, resulting in a new style of music which was difficult to overlook. The world noticed and Rudder was catapulted beyond Trinidad and the Caribbean into North America and Europe. “Not since the early days of the Mighty Sparrow has a calypsonian been able to sell out his every performance in a country that is not prone to personality cults,” wrote Jan Murray in the English newspaper, The Observer. Rudder continued to receive rave reviews: Barbados Nation newspaper: “His name will never be forgotten!” The Guardian in England: “It is fascinating to analyze his success story in London. Perhaps it all started with a four-page spread entitled “King David” in the Sunday Observe magazine, a privilege very few British pop stars enjoy.” Wayne Brown: David Rudder “. . . made an entire culture redefine itself, in the evolution of any culture there are moments that offer the opportunity for self-definition . . . the emergence of David Rudder . . . seems to me, one such moment.” Rudder has won many awards throughout his career and was made a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in 1996. He has performed in many festivals and with