Roger Gibbs & Shak Shak (Trinidad / Canada)

Roger Gibbs is a singer and guitarist from Barbados who is devoted to the classic sound of early calypso and soca music. Gibbs grew up in a musical family and began his career singing with Caribbean dance bands in the 1970s. After studying music theory, he continued his versatile musical journey after his move to Canada in 1986, where he began collaborating with artists from various genres, including Latin, calypso, and world music. He sang and played with COBA (Collective of Black Artists) from 1993 to 2013, a leading Black Canadian dance and theatre company. Currently, Roger teaches a Caribbean Acoustic music program in Oakville, Ontario, and is pursuing a MA in Interdisciplinary Studies on calypso rhythms at York University.

Featured Songs:

With his band Shak Shak, Gibbs has released two albums of Caribbean acoustic music, Hot So (2012) and Shak Shak Party (2017). Featuring the flowing melodies of a flute and rootsy Caribbean banjo rhythms, “Fitzroy” is a laid-back instrumental tune that echoes styles of music popular in the Caribbean in the early 20th Century.

The Caribbean Cruise track “Mastife,” reworks the classic Trinidadian calypso “Carnival Celebration,” originally released in 1956 by Small Island Pride. Rather than harmless revelry, the lyrics reference real rivalries, challenges, and physical clashes associated with the stickfighting (kalinda) traditions of early Carnival in Port of Spain.“Well, I waiting for this Carnival / Is to jump up with these criminals / I’m going to arm myself with a big stick / Any man I meet in town, that is real licks.”

Artist Website

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