‘Take Me With You’

Joanne Foster: She first stepped into the entertainment spotlight in 1988 as a vibrant young teenager, immediately announcing her potential by being awarded ‘Best Soloist & Dancer’ at the San Fernando Arts Festival for Schools. The following year she placed second in the National Teen Talent Show.

In 1994 Joanne Foster emerged as one of COTT’s (Copyright Organisation of Trinidad & Tobago) National Song Festival Winners. She made her 1995 debut at the Spectacular Forum, copping the National Carnival Commission (NCC) award for the ‘Most Promising Female Calypsonian.’ Joanne was also a Calypso Fiesta semi finalist in her first appearance at that Skinner Park event.  She would make five subsequent appearances at the Semi Finals: 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008.  Additionally, from  2003 she was in the South Monarch Competition finals for eight consecutive years.

A background vocalist attached to the Junior “Ibo” Joseph Dancing Dread Studio for many years, Joanne has sung background vocals for many of the top calypsonians in Trinidad and Tobago. In 2012 she made her debut in the ‘Pan Tune’ genre with an exciting tribute to Pan women everywhere called Pan Woman Jammin’.

For 2013, the 50^th anniversary of Panorama, Joanne delivered a stirring, uptempo, pulsating tribute to Steelpan tuners the world over with More than an Oil Drum, another collaboration with Don Clarke and “GB” - with which she won the 2013 Calypso Queen title in Trinidad and Tobago. The versatile vocalist is back again here in the ongoing collaboration for 2014, this time singing Take Me With You.

Don Clarke’s entry into the world of composing music for the steelpan took place in 2004, when he composed The Bomb vocalised by Edwin Ayoung aka ‘Crazy.’  Celebrated Pan arranger Robert Greenidge arranged the song that year for Pan Knights as their Panorama selection.

Don has composed a number of pieces for the steelpan - the likes of Pan Mamaguy, Delgado – a musical tribute to the deceased iconic Pan maker Lincoln “Delgado” Noel, River Lime,  Momentum and Pan Woman Jammin’.

An Atlanta, Georgia, USA resident - Don makes the annual pilgrimage to his homeland to immerse himself in the intensity of the steelband Panorama and to keep grounded with developments within the steelpan community in Trinidad & Tobago.

For 2014 the awesome foursome of Don Clarke, Gregory Ballantyne, Junior “Ibo” Joseph and Joanne Foster have again come together to produce two exciting compositions for the Pan:  On De Drag and the track featured here, Take Me With You.  The latter is dedicated to the late Cyrus Busby (of Despers USA and D’Radoes steel orchestras), who choose the title (Take Me With You) not long before his passing.

Gregory “GB” Ballantyne began composing professionally in 1986, when he collaborated with Len “Boogsie” Sharpe to pen Pan Rising and Dis Feeling Nice sung by Denise Plummer. In the ensuing years he would co-write winning Panorama selections for Desperadoes, and again for Phase II.

In Trinidad, GB’s compositions have won the National Calypso Monarch (Senior and Junior) Young King, International Humour, National Queen, Unattached Monarch, South Calypso King and East Zone Monarch.  His works have placed artistes like Rikki Jai, Devon Seale, The Mystic Prowler, Aaron Duncan, to name a few, into winner’s row.

GB’s credits also include National and Regional Calypso Monarch titles in Antigua and Anguilla, as well as Chutney hits such as ‘Tassa-Man’ sung by Rooplal Gidharie and the perennial favourite ‘Ribbons’ sung by Marilyn Williams.