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