Guyana-born singer Dave Martins and his Tradewinds band are set to be inducted into the SUNSHINE Awards Hall of Fame next month.
The Tradewinds Band was founded by Martins in 1966 and became one of the most revered groups in the Caribbean. Their first hit, `Honeymooning Couple,` was penned by Martins six months after the band was formed.
Following that success, Martins` song-writing ability kept the band at the forefront of Caribbean popular music for decades with other classics like, `West Indian Alphabet,` `Wong Ping,` `Where Are Your Heroes,` `Old Time Calypso` and `In Guyana.`
Other Hall of Fame inductees will include Trinidad and Tobago nationals: Calypsonian, singer, comedian, dancer, painter, visual artist, writer, and poet, Bill Trotman; steel-band player, agent, storyteller, researcher, writer, radio and television host and lecturer/historian, Norman Darway Adams and steel-band pioneer of the 1940s, Alfred `Sacks` Mayers.
The SUNSHINE Awards organization will host its 22nd Annual Awards on Saturday, October 23rd at the AXA Equitable Center, 787 Seventh Avenue in New York City.
Co-founder of the SUNSHINE Awards Hall of Fame and Chairman of the Nomination Committee, Dr Hollis `Chalkdust` Liverpool says, `It is always an uplifting and proud moment for me to release the names of those unsung heroes for recognition by the SUNSHINE Awards organization. I am proud and excited to continue what we have done annually since 1989.`
The 2010 award nominees are Guinea, West Africa Xylophonist, Famoro Dioubate; Dancin Africa of Barbados; Yves Joseph of Tabou Combo, Haiti; Dorbrene O`Marde, a playwright, Director, producer, and songwriter from Antigua; Calypsonian Sonny Blacks, based in England; Chutney Queen Drupatee Persad of Trinidad & Tobago and performer Ramiro Crawford of Costa Rica.
The SUNSHINE Awards was founded in 1989. It was designed to recognize, honor, and pay tribute to the creators, performers and promoters of Caribbean music, art, poetry, dance, and culture. Special features of the program are the SUNSHINE Awards Hall of Fame and the SUNSHINE Awards Student Recognition Program which was started in 1998.
Courtesy – Allison Skeete, CaribWorldNews New York
