Global - WITCO Desperadoes Steel Orchestra, and by extension Pan Trinbago Inc. T.C., mourns
the passing of Ralph MacDonald
on the morning of Sunday December 18 in Connecticut, USA, at age 67
after a battle with lung cancer.
MacDonald was a Grammy-winning percussionist, songwriter
and producer of Trinidad & Tobago heritage. Among his
best known hits are “Just the Two of Us,” “Where Is The
Love” and “Calypso Breakdown.”
Ralph MacDonald proudly points to his beloved
Desperadoes
In addition to his international collaboration with
multiple music legends such as Roberta Flack, Harry
Belafonte, Quincy Jones, Miriam Makeba, Bette Milder,
Paul Simon, Luther Vandross, Amy Winehouse and Jimmy
Buffet among others, the ‘local’ celebrity always found
time to visit Trinidad & Tobago particularly around
Carnival time to be with ‘his band’ “Despers.”
The great Dennis “Tash” Ash on
double seconds,
with Ralph MacDonald on congas in Despers’ engine room
In fact, many patrons
attending the annual National Panorama
competition in Trinidad would catch a glimpse of Ralph on stage at
the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain, on congas in
WITCO Desperadoes’ engine room.
Music lovers will also remember MacDonald’s performance
at the jazz oriented “Hill to Hill Concert” with the
Lydian Singers and Robert “Robbie” Greenidge in 2009.
Both pan extraordinaire
Robbie Greenidge and
Ralph
MacDonald played alongside Jimmy Buffett and his Coral
Reefer Band.
Multiple-time National Panorama Champion
Desperadoes Steel Orchestra extends condolences to
MacDonald’s wife Grace, his step-daughter Nefra-Ann, son
Atiba and family.
Ralph will be sadly missed.
