Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

David Rudder is a favourite of the famed Trini posse, which is a staple at Queen's Park Oval in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. ? Dellmar Photo

'Trini to the bone', David Rudder is one of the top calypsonians of his generation, known for his clean and fun-loving music.

Rudder spent most of his early childhood with his grandmother, growing up near a pan yard and a Shango yard in a neighbourhood where boys dreamed of being entertainers.

"I wanted to be a musician ever since I knew myself. I've been doing this professionally from the age of 10. I listen to everything that makes musical and/or artistic sense. I listen to life, life is the finest musician," Rudder told The Sunday Gleaner.

Rudder began singing at age 11 with a group called The Solutions. In 1977 he joined Charlie's Roots, one of the top bands in Trinidad and Tobago. He spent many years as one of the vocalists with the band. In 1986 he burst into prominence with his album The Hammer, which produced two big hits, The Hammer and Bahia Girl.

With a diverse background, Rudder was equipped with musical variety to make his music unique.

According to Rudder he was baptised three times, as a Baptist by his grandmother, as an Anglican by his mother and as a Catholic when he started school.

"I grew up in a place called Belmont, a place where one could experience Hinduism, Islam, diverse Christian belief patterns and pure African Yoruba or Arada ceremonies in one fell swoop. A lot of these things come out in my music, especially the West African rituals," he said.

This is seen in his album Haiti, the title track being a tribute to the glory and suffering of that country, Engine Room, which captured the energy of the steelband, and Rally 'round the West Indies, which became the anthem of West Indies cricket.

Although he describes himself as a very self-contained person who couldn't hurt a fly, that has not stopped Rudder from accomplishing great feats. According to Rudder, his first big break is one that has not been surpassed by any other artiste.

Won titles

"I could say in 1986, when I won every title in the carnival of that year, something that has never been matched to this day. But I also feel that my true answer is when I first stepped on stage at Belmont Boys' RC School when I was nine years old, and knew then that this was my calling," he said.

It is a calling that brought him to Jamaica on numerous occasions, having played an integral part in Jamaica Carnival. "I was there from the inception. My band Charlie's Roots was the very first band that Byron Lee invited to help kick-start the Jamaica carnival. It was quite interesting. I was eager to see how Jamaicans would react to something that people in Trinidad, Brazil and New Orleans take for granted," Rudder said.

"The people were curious at first, but look at them now. I feel like I helped build that, and as a Caribbean man that makes me feel good inside. It's the same with cricket," he said.

Loving the sweetness of the music, Rudder has no problems collaborating with Caribbean artistes. He states, "That's one of the ways that we learn from each other. I've always loved not just reggae, but ska and rocksteady ... Dancehall, I'm more picky with; I like some, some not enough sweetness. I guess that as many of the youth lose the melody in their lives it is reflected in the music that they produce."

In May 2001, Rudder got married. He and his wife Christine have three children, Adam, Sarai and Noah. He lives in Canada with his family and tours in North America and Europe extensively.

"My songs usually come from everyday life, things that I hear, read about or experience. I used to read andpaint quite a lot and was trained as a sculptor. I don't get to do much of that now, except the reading part. I have a new album out now, it's called The Cricket Chronicles, a history of West Indian cricket over the past 25 years or so. Hopefully, it will help to galvanise the region, and by extension the team, so that late into the evening of April 28 we'll be celebrating," he said enthusiastically.

Unity in the region means a lot to Rudder, hence Trini to the Bone, which reflects his nationality pride. "Caribbean people as a whole should move further than we already have. We reflect who and where we are through our music and sports, especially our team sports," he said.