Adisa Andwele
| Adisa Andwele | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Michael Richards Rockhall, St. Thomas, Barbados |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Nationality | Barbadian |
| Genre | Rhythm poetry |
| Notable awards |
Barbados Poet of the Year (1991) Author of the Year (Barbados) (1992) |
| Children | 2 |
Michael Richards, better known as Adisa Andwele, is a rhythm poet from Barbados.[1]
Biography
Born in Rock Hall, St. Thomas, Richards first found fame in the late 1970s with the poetry collection Whispers in the Spirit.[2] He began working with musicians, incorporating Caribbean rhythms with his poems, and appeared with the Re-emergence band.[2][3] A second collection, Rhythm an' Roots, was published in 1989, and Richards became the first poet to stage a solo performance in Barbados in 1990.[2] In 1991 the album Mike Richards and the Re-Emergence Band Live was issued, and Richards was named Barbados Poet of the Year.[2] A third collection of poetry, Black Distant Voice, was published in 1992, winning him the Author of the Year award.[2] That year he adopted the stage name Adisa Andwele.[2]
His second album, Conscious, was released in 1993, and he began performing in the US and Canada.[2] He signed to Eddy Grant's Ice label in the mid-1990s and released the Doin' It Safe album in 1990, recorded with the band Jamari.[2]
More recently, Andwele has acted as coordinator of the 'Soca Royale' competition.[4]
Publications
- Whispers in the Spirit (1979)
- Rhythm an' Roots (1989)
- Black Distant Voice (1992)
- Riot in the Land
- Antiquity (2002), Peepal Tree
- Crop Over (2003), WOW Caribbean
Discography
- Mike Richards and the Re-Emergence Band Live (1991)
- Conscious (1993)
- Doin' It Safe (2000), Ice
References
- ↑ Best, Curwen (2012) The Popular Music and Entertainment Culture of Barbados: Pathways to Digital Culture, Scarecrow Press, ISBN 978-0-8108-7749-8, p. 107
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Thompson, Dave (2002) Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, ISBN 0-87930-655-6, p. 21-2
- ↑ Habekost, Christian (1993) Verbal Riddim: Politics and Aesthetics of African-Caribbean Dub Poetry, Rodopi BV, ISBN 978-9051835496, p. 36
- ↑ "Preparations underway for soca battle", Nation News, 3 July 2010, retrieved 10 September 2012