To highlight the upcoming New York appearances by soca master David Rudder, this week’s “Best of The Beat” will fill you in on the story of this much-beloved Trinidadian Calypso Monarch. African music historian Gary Stewart interviewed the articulate singer for The Beat in 1988.
David Rudder began in the mid-‘70s with the Charlie’s Roots soca band, and burst into international renown with his 1986 hits, “The Hammer” and the samba-flavored “Bahia Girl,” that won that year’s Calypso Monarch competition at Trinidad Carnival. He has released at least 16 albums to date.
Notable for his pan-Caribbean and African consciousness, Rudder paid a tribute to the history and resilience of the people of Haiti with this song:
“The Hammer” is a tribute to the inventor of the steel drum, Rudolph Charles.
He is slated to perform along with Calypso Rose and the Kobo Town band on Aug. 30 at Stage 48 in Manhattan, and at the Brooklyn Carnival Dimanche Gras concert on Sun., Sept. 3 at the Brooklyn Museum, where Calypso Rose and the legendary Mighty Sparrow, Calypso King of the World—and many more—will also take the stage.
READ OR DOWNLOAD PDF: Beat7#6DRudder
MORE ON TRINIDAD CARNIVAL FROM “BEST OF THE BEAT ON AFROPOP”
