‘EL (Ellie)’

Dr. David Michael Rudder was born in Belmont, Trinidad on May 6, 1953. One of nine children, he spent much of his early childhood with his grandmother, a spiritual Baptist, growing up near a pan yard and a Shango yard, in a neighbourhood where boys dreamed of being entertainers. It was at school that he discovered how much art, painting and sculpture really interested him. Rudder began singing at the age of 11 with a group called The Solutions. In 1977, he joined the brass band Charlie’s Roots and began charting his musical career.

In the early days, Rudder acquired a reputation as a back-up singer in the calypso tent run by Lord Kitchener, while earning his living as an accountant with the Trinidad Bus Company. Rudder’s first big break came when Christopher “Tambu” Herbert, lead singer with Charlie’s Roots, fell ill after an exhausting tour of Guyana and suggested his friend Rudder as a temporary replacement. Rudder stayed on as a co-lead singer, and built a reputation for his scintillating performances. His exposure to Shango and the Pan Yards influenced his music, he was also influenced by Jazz and African artists such as Yossou N’Dour, Alpha Blondy. He is known as one of the few band singers who wrote all his own songs.

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Jeff Narell is an internationally known steel panist, Afro-Caribbean percussionist, educator-clinician, and recording artist who has dedicated his life to promoting the artform and expanding the musical range of the steel pan.

Jeff was initiated into the world of steel pan at the age of eleven by the very first West Indians to arrive in New York City with authentic knowledge. Pan became his passion and a gift that he has passed down to new generations. In schools from elementary through university, and through music programs under the auspices of the San Francisco Symphony Education Department, Jeff has introduced tens of thousands of students to steel pans.

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