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Chuck Gordon... - continued from Wah Yuh Doin’
....In 2014 he became the second-youngest winner of the National Calypso Monarch competition, repeating the feat in 2015 with a political commentary entitled “The Rose” and a patriotic call for national unity in “I Believe.” Calypso greats Atilla the Hun, Lord Melody, Striker, Sparrow, Duke and Chalkdust (on two separate occasions) also previously recorded back-to-back wins during the competition’s storied history.
Gordon’s two national titles followed a string of consistent appearances in the finals of the National Calypso Monarch (four times) and International Groovy Soca Monarch (five times) competitions.
In 2012 Chuck won his first title, the Lord Brynner Independence Calypso Monarch competition.
The Red Boyz-produced “Take Me Home” formed the title track for his 2015 European tour through six cities including: Aalborg, Copenhagen, Oslo, Amsterdam, Paris and London. Chuck Gordon has also traveled throughout the Caribbean diaspora, participating in Carnivals across North America. He was nominated in the Best New Male Artist category at the International Soca Awards in New York and toured extensively in 2016.
The Laventille-based artist has also consistently contributed music to his country’s national instrument, the Steelpan, with his 2008 calypso Thunder Coming being voted Pan Song of the Year after dominating the Panorama competition.
For the 2016 Panorama season, Chuck did admirable work on Breakthrough, the song of choice for Supernovas Steel Orchestra. It was co-written by the band’s arranger Amrit Samaroo.
“Whey Yuh Think,” and “Wedding of the Century” aka The Wedding (Shaadi) were Chuck Gordon’s songs when, at age 26 in 2014 he became that second-youngest winner in the history of the Calypso competition. Only Slinger “Mighty Sparrow” Francisco, was younger when he first won the competition at age 21 in 1956.
Gordon said, titles aside, his main focus remains the development of his brand of calypso music, which he has called Jiggy Calypso, which is danceable, melodic and content-based.
“Titles are great, but for me the work is much more than winning a crown. I want to say things. My purpose and vision through Jiggy Calypso is to assist in the process of developing a single Trinbagonian identity,” he concluded.
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Ray Holman... - continued from Wah Yuh Doin’
....In the United States, Ray has delivered key performances, including at the Madison Square Garden and the Lincoln Centre in Manhattan; he was a Visiting Artist in Seattle at the University of Washington. In Canada, he started the first Steel Pan Programme at the University of Manitoba. Ray Holman continues to travel and teach internationally.
In
Trinidad and Tobago,
he founded the Ray
Holman Band, a small
group of talented
musicians whose
repertoire is varied
with a touch of
Jazz. He continues
to arrange for steel
bands nationally,
regionally and
internationally. He
has also been recognized as one of
the 50 Music Icons
of Trinidad & Tobago
when the country
marked its 50th
Anniversary of
Independence.
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