‘Road Recipe’

What do veteran calypso artist Garth David and fine wine have in common? Like fine wine, Garth gets better and sweeter with time. Garth’s musical “brew” was concocted in 1978 when he launched his career as a vocalist. For the past 20 years he has been patient; “maxing and relaxing” and waiting for the right time to pop the cork off his career. Now his time has come! In his own words he says: “This is the high point of my career. Now that I’m on my own, I'll be going for the top.”

Garth has been an ‘up front’ and center stage performer and lead vocalist with a number of bands. His acclaim came in 1978 as a lead vocalist with Volts Express, staying 12 years with the band and releasing two records along the way - Brang-a-Dang Time in 1988 and We Come to Party in 1989. Five years ago he came to North America where his career was rejuvenated. He has since performed with well-known bands such as KC and The International and Impak 40.

His mentors are performers of the highest caliber: Sparrow, Shadow, Stalin, Rudder and Baron. A versatile performer, Garth is proficient at singing ‘anything’ but his personal calypso genre is social commentary “spiced with a party flavor.”

Garth has reached the pinnacle of his career as he teams up with gifted musician Vincent Harry for a soon-to-be released CD compilation, where Garth has also finally put his songwriting ability into full gear for two of its songs. Currently, Garth is the lead singer with The Brass Circle, led by soca pioneer Ed Watson. He is also a lead vocalist with Clarence Curvan and currently plays with Hometown Squad, New York.

PERRY MARTIN:  From his early teens Perry Martin would gather around with his friends to sing ‘Picong’ on hot, lazy summer vacation days and nights. They marveled at the genius of ‘Saga,’ their favorite singer and his unique ability to improvise and extemporize - as each took turns in rendering their own compositions or favorite calypsos. They were all students of the historic “Arima Boys’ Government School” from which the likes of the grandmaster himself Lord Kitchener, Brigo, possibly Cypher and the Lord Melody came.

The impact was evident: so much so, Perry Martin, one who never seemed to have craved the so called lime-light became a ‘shadow-writer’ in his late teens and early twenties … writing for a few striving singers at a time when the latter would not have even been considered true calypsonians if it were to be discovered that they were not writing their own songs. After an over-extended Sabbatical, he allowed himself to be persuaded by a long time personal friend, Holly, and is now delivering his first come-back song, Road Recipe.