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October 1st 2004Contact: Kanchan Paser For Immediate ReleaseThe Caribbean Sunshine Awards Announces 2004 Hall of Fame NomineesTeaneck, New Jersey, USA, October 1st 2004….The SUNSHINE Awards™ organization today issued the following statement:By Kanchan Gilfillian The 2004 Awards, which will be preceded by a cocktail reception, will be co-hosted by Gil Figaro, Sr., the founder and chairman of the Caribbean Sunshine Awards, and well-known actors, TV producers and comedic entertainers, Nikki Crosby and Errol Fabien from Trinidad and Tobago. The Caribbean Sunshine Awards has recently gained the support of the Caribbean corporate giant, the Colonial Life Insurance Company (Trinidad) Ltd., (CLICO) as the major Platinum sponsor for the 2004 Awards. CLICO teaming-up with the Awards program is seen as an acknowledgement of the major contribution to Caribbean culture, which the Caribbean Sunshine Awards have made over the years. An important part of the Awards Program is the annual induction of outstanding musicians and performers into the Caribbean Sunshine Awards Hall of Fame. This segment of the Awards Program will be hosted by the Hall of Fame co-founder, Dr. Hollis ‘Chalkdust’ Liverpool, the well-respected historian, author and calypsonian. This year’s Hall of Fame nominees include calypsonian Percy Simon (Lord
Ziegfield} of Grenada, steelband pan tuner, Lincoln Noel of Trinidad and Tobago,
and calypsonian Paul Richards (King Obstinate) of Antigua. The late steelband
pan tuner, Alan Gervais, of Trinidad and Tobago is being nominated for
posthumous induction. Percy Simon (Lord Ziegfield) was born in Mayo Village in South Trinidad. He made his name as a calypsonian during the 1940s -1960s, and was considered one of the best extempo performers and guitarist in the 1950s. He performed with many other notable calypsonians, and toured throughout the Caribbean and the United States with greats such as Kitchener, Killer, Pretender, Zebra, Small Island Pride and Sir Galba. Lord Ziegfield is 83 years of age and currently resides in Grenada. Lincoln Noel is considered the top steelband pan tuner in the Caribbean. His skills are unmatched, particularly his use of the hammer and his ability to insert harmonics in the high and low tenor notes on the pan. Noel is also known for his great skill in blending. This is the technique, which ensures that the notes are not flattened either by the elements of nature or by pan enthusiasts who strike the pan heavily instead of using a gentle touch. While he has been responsible for the sweet tones of the Desperadoes band over the years, Noel has also traveled extensively throughout the Caribbean, the United States and Europe, tuning for all the top bands. The world of pan has greatly benefited from his remarkable skills. Paul Richards (King Obstinate) is one of the top entertainers in the business today. He has established himself as an excellent singer, a good raconteur and is particularly skilled in the art of rendition. He has recorded hundreds of calypsos, traditional songs and gospel music. King Obstinate is also well known for the humor in many of his calypsos. He has won the Calypso Monarch title of Antigua on several occasions, and has toured extensively. Despite having suffered a stroke a few years ago, King Obstinate continues to record calypsos and gospel music. When Allan Gervais of Trinidad and Tobago died in 1977, the world of pan truly lost one of its most influential pan tuners. Allan Gervais is a name that is still uttered with great respect by all pan men. In the 1960s, Gervais revolutionized the sound of the pan with his unique tuning methods, which he used to create a new tone. He was able to transform the previously flat tone of the pan, particularly the lower tenor pan, into a ringing tone, which greatly enhanced the sound, and transformed the pan into an instrument of world music. Gervais was a wizard at tuning with speed and accuracy and is known to have tuned eight pans in one afternoon for the National Steelband on tour in Michigan in the 1960s. The world of steelband music owes a great debt to the skills and creativity of the late Allan Gervais. Tickets for the Sixteenth Annual Caribbean Sunshine Awards can be obtained from its office at 201-836-0799, Fax 201-836-4440 or from the website www.sunshineawards.com. Sponsors of the Sixteenth Annual Caribbean Sunshine Awards are Colonial Life Insurance Company (Trinidad) Limited, Hennessey, Brooklyn Public Library, Discovery Channel, Continental Airlines, BWIA, Air Jamaica, Carib News, Travel Span Vacations and RumJungle. |
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