Acclaimed Trini 2 De Bone calypsonian David Rudder is also Caribbean to the bone and has received the region’s highest award in the region to prove it.
Rudder, 69, was awarded the Order of the Caribbean Community on Wednesday, following a decision by Caricom heads of government to bestow the honor on him.
The Order of the Caribbean Community is an award given to Caribbean nationals whose legacy in the economic, political, social and cultural metamorphoses of Caribbean society is phenomenal.
It was initiated at the eighth Caricom Heads of Government Conference in 1987 and started to be awarded in 1992.
In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Caricom Affairs said the award was to be presented to Rudder at the 43rd Caricom Heads of Government Conference in Suriname in July, but Rudder was unable to attend.
At the awards ceremony at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Caricom Affairs Dr Amery Browne presented Rudder with the award for his outstanding contribution to culture and the arts, spanning over three decades.
While reflecting on some of his hit albums such as The Hammer, released in 1986, and the hit single that turned into “Rally Round the West Indies”, released in 1987, Browne praised Rudder as a cultural icon for Trinidad’s social fabric. and Tobago and the Caribbean as a whole.
Phenomenal talent
In a pre-recorded speech on Wednesday, the President of the Republic of Suriname and chairman of the Caribbean Community Chandrikapersad Santokhi also thanked Rudder for his outstanding contribution to calypso and the region.
Similarly, Caribbean Community Human and Social Development Assistant Secretary-General Allison Drayton praised Rudder for lifting the spirits of the region, noting that not only the locals, but everyone felt Trini to the bone as result of his music.
Honored with the regional award, Rudder thanked the government and the entire Caribbean community and called on the youth to keep learning and never give up.
This is not the first time Rudder has been recognized for his phenomenal talent.
In 2015, he was awarded a Doctor of Letters degree by the University of the West Indies in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Caribbean culture.
Giving us hits such as “Bacchanal Lady”, “Bahia Girl”, “Calypso Music” and “Dus in Dey Face”, Rudder began his music career at the tender age of 11, singing with a calypso band.
In his teenage years, he sang backing vocals in a calypso tent led by Aldwyn Roberts, better known as Lord Kitchener.
And at the age of 24, he became the lead singer of the brass band Charlie’s Roots.
In 1986, Rudder stepped into the spotlight as he made the decision to go solo calypsonian – and the rest is history. Over the years, he has traveled the world, sharing the music of calypso.
He grew up in Belmont, Port of Spain and is also known as a devout Baptist.
