Any interview with veteran ska artist Lord Creator will always touch on his love for Jamaica. Six decades have passed since he wrote and recorded Independent Jamaicathe song documented as one of the first on the iconic Island Records label founded by Chris Blackwell and the one that marked the historic occasion of the island gaining Independence from the British empire.
Now, in 2022, the artist hailed as one of the forefathers of the ska genre, introducing ska elements into local culture, was honored for his contribution to the development of Jamaican music and service to the community. Lord Creator, born Kenrick Patrick, was awarded the Order of Distinction in the rank of officer at the National Honors and Awards Ceremony held on Heroes’ Day, and he couldn’t be happier.
“It’s a great feeling,” he said Sunday meeting. “I’ve always felt great things in Jamaica because even before I came to Jamaica, I was involved in the music industry, but I never played an instrument. When I came here, I was motivated to play the guitar, but my hands and fingers hurt. [so] I turned it down.”
Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago both achieved independence in 1962. Jamaica gained Independence on August 6, while Trinidad and Tobago, the artist’s birthplace, gained independence on August 31. The following year, Lord Creator recorded another hit with Vincent ‘Randy’ Beard titled Don’t stay out late. Other hits included Big bamboo, Little Princess, goodbye jamaica, AND Kingston Citywhich Grammy-nominated British band UB40 re-recorded in 1989.
With the success of the music he recorded here, the Trinidadian calypsonian made connections with local musicians, producers, “and because I like it so much, I even married a Jamaican … I made her my wife,” he modestly shared as he threw a glance. Neseline Patrick.
“You have to be mine,” were the words he used to win Neselina’s heart, she said as she recalled how the two met more than 30 years ago at Hole In The Wall in Montego Bay, where she worked. His wife continued: “He came to buy paint for his house. I had no idea who he was and was skeptical, but when I was younger I used to listen to his music, but I didn’t know who performed it. Later, I would see an old Honda with the name Lord Creator on top of the hood of the car.
She revealed that the Creator God was a charmer and would visit her at work with gifts. He continues to exude that energy, Neseline said. Today, the two “are living happily in Golden Grove in Hanover. And I say live because it is not unusual for people to say that God the Creator [has] passed. I often hear that my husband is not alive”, she said.
Lord Creator suffered his second stroke in 2007. The first stroke occurred in the early 1970s. He also recently underwent surgery, his wife said, and therefore requires the use of a wheelchair.
The two are still as much in love today, and Neseline couldn’t be more proud of her husband’s legacy. “What’s good about my husband is that he understands me, and I understand him [him]. We don’t have children together, but we’ve raised our families, and he’s made his mark on Jamaica and the music industry, and we’re honored that he was able to receive the Order of Distinction honor,” she said.
