Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine October 2017 | Page 673
Caribbean Culture Around the World - Errol H. Renaud. Singer, Songwriter/Musician, Sydney Australia
Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Errol grew up in St. James and Cocorite, attending the Mucurapo Boys Roman Catholic and St James Secondary schools. Upon completion of school, he joined the community performing group, Ujamaa. “I have always wanted to be a performer, a singer, write songs, record and earn a living. I pursued until I succeeded.” he said. His first overseas tour was in 1973 to the Cayman Islands with Ujamaa’s troupe, then in 1975, the Amral Trinidad Cavaliers wanted a showman so they flew him to Australia to join the band which was already touring but needed something different on stage. Errol’s performance was the limbo dance which was well received. With the Cavaliers, he toured Papua New Guinea, The Solomons, Germany, Austria and Montreal, Canada. The Cavaliers touring lasted about 2 years. Errol then went to South East Asia and toured with Calypso Vibration and T&T Heatwave as a singer and bass pan player. They played gigs and shows in Hong Kong, Thailand, Macau, Taiwan, India and Sri Lanka. Errol moved to Sydney, Australia in 1980. After a short spell with a band called Un Tabu he formed his own bands, Creole, T - Vibes and Caribbean Soul, touring Singapore, Malaysia , New Zealand, Fiji, New Caledonia, Japan, The Sultanate of Oman, Egypt, China and Cuba. He continued with gigs Australia-wide and also cruise ships performances out of Sydney, Australia. Errol’s band was the first to present soca music, reggae music and the sound of the steelpan to audiences in parts of Australia, the Asian and Pacific regions. He has been a true pioneer for the Caribbean and its music. In some of the places he has toured, audiences had never felt Caribbean rythmns and they had no prior knowledge of the steel pan, had never heard of or seen a steel pan and it was this instrument that intrigued people the most. Many could not believe that such beautiful sounds came from such a simple looking instrument. While performing in some places in China, up-country Taiwan and Thailand where people had never seen a black person face to face they were intrigued, not only with the music but also with the performers, asking to touch their hair and take photogaphs of and with them. They truly loved the Caribbean rythmns and Errol and his team are to be commended for presenting Carribbean music and culture to many parts of the Australian, Asian and Pacific region. Errol explained, “Caribbean music is a genre that is widely accepted in Sydney. It’s not a commercially successful-type genre but it is well loved by those who have embraced it.” Errol leads his seven-piece band with his son, Jarrol Renaud as the bass player and musical director. They play mainly Caribbean music. Reggae is the most well known of all Caribbean music so there is a lot of Reggae in their performances. He also loves to play soca representing his Trinidad and Tobago roots but most of their music is a fusion of