David Rudder
| David Rudder | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | David Michael Rudder |
| Born | 6 May 1953 |
| Origin | Belmont, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Genres | Calypso, soca |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, producer, song-writer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Labels | Sire/Warner Bros. Records (1986–90) |
| Website | www.davidmichaelrudder.com |
David Michael Rudder (born 6 May 1953) is a calypsonian from Trinidad, one of the most successful calypsonians of all time.
Career
Born in Belmont, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, one of nine children, Rudder spent much of his early life with his grandmother, a devout Baptist.[1] He began singing with a calypso band at a young age, and in his teens sang backup vocals in a calypso tent run by Lord Kitchener.[1]
In 1977, he joined Charlie's Roots, a leading band in Trinidad and Tobago, and spent many years as one of the band's vocalists. In 1986, he came to prominence on Andy Narell's album The Hammer, which produced two big hits: "The Hammer" (a tribute to the late pannist Rudolph Charles) and "Bahia Girl". This was followed in 1987 with "Calypso Music", a brilliant encapsulation of the history of calypso. In 1988 Rudder released what is widely considered his best album to date, Haiti, which included the title track, a tribute to the glory and suffering of Haiti;[2] "Engine Room", which captured the energy of the steel band; and "Rally 'Round the West Indies", which became the anthem of West Indies cricket. In 2008, Rudder did a Soca collaboration with fellow Trinidadian Machel Montano, "Oil and Music" on Machel's 2007 album Flame On. His music is heard all over the world from Panama City, Panama, to New Delhi, India.
Discography
| Year | Album | Peak positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. top 200 | UK | ||||
| 2001 | The Autobiography of the Now | - | - | ||
| 2000 | Zero | - | - | ||
| 1998 | International Chantuelle | - | - | ||
| 1998 | Beloved | - | - | ||
| 1996 | Wrapped in Plain Brown Paper | - | - | ||
| 1995 | Tales from a Strange Land | - | - | ||
| 1995 | Gilded Collection—Volume 1 | - | - | ||
| 1994 | Lyrics Man | - | - | ||
| 1993 | Here Comes the West Indies | - | - | ||
| 1990 | 1990 | - | - | ||
| 1987 | Haiti (with Charlie's Roots) | - | - | ||
References
- 1 2 Craig Harris, "Artist Biography", AllMusic.
- ↑ "‘Haiti’ sung by David Rudder", In 1991, four tracks performed by Rudder were included in the soundtrack of the film Wild Orchid: "Dark Secret" (two versions), "Children Of Fire (Call Of Xango)", and "Just a Carnival", which includes Rudder in the final scene in the movie "performing" in the beach. When Steel Talks, 2008.
External links
- David Rudder's Official Web Site
- David Rudder's Official MySpace Page
- Joy Mahabir, Rhythm and Class Struggle, "The Calypsos of David Rudder", Jouvert 6(3), 2002.