'Rudder 7.0': Soca legend David Rudder gives a 70th birthday concert to remember
The soca star announced the show would be his last on that scale following a Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis
In the worlds of calypso and soca, few names loom larger than David Rudder.
The Trinidadian singer has been a pillar of Caribbean music since the mid-'80s, when definitive hits like The Hammer and Calypso Music delivered his congenial voice, bright brassy arrangements, and irrepressible rhythmic thrust to wider audiences.
Since then, his music has reverberated far beyond the islands, turning up everywhere from the soundtrack to '90s erotic thrillers to, more recently, Donald Glover's rap-biz dramedy Atlanta, which not only featured Rudder's 2003 anthem Trini 2 De Bone in its third season last year, it named the episode after it. He's especially revered by Canada's Caribbean diaspora — thanks in no small part to the fact that Rudder has called Toronto home for many years.
LISTEN | David Rudder's Trini 2 De Bone:
This past Saturday, Rudder celebrated his 70th birthday with a massive concert — dubbed "Rudder 7.0" — in his homeland of Trinidad and Tobago. But while Rudder turned in a triumphant four-hour (!) performance, the occasion was bittersweet.
Last month, Rudder revealed that he has Parkinson's Disease, and he said that this show would be the last major event he plays. To discuss the significance of this event, and reflect on Rudder's groundbreaking career, Elamin sat down with Canada's foremost soca DJ, Dr. Jay de Soca Prince, who attended last Saturday's show vicariously through its global livestream.
We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow the Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud podcast, on your favourite podcast player.
Elamin: For those who are maybe not familiar with David Rudder's musical legacy, what can you tell them about his early rise?
Dr. Jay: He started with a band named Charlie's Roots in Trinidad and Tobago, back in the late-'70s/early '80s. Back then, it was all about the bands — even in pop music, you think about Motown and it was about bands. But then you started to see solo artists come through, and David Rudder was one of those solo artists that was different — in the way that he wrote, and just the way he carried himself. Because a lot of people in the Trinidadian culture like to drink, we like to hang out, and he wasn't into that. He really represented himself and the culture very, very well, so I think he was marketable in a lot of ways and his music definitely transcended the twin island of Trinidad and Tobago.
Elamin: What's your favourite David Rudder song?
Dr. Jay: Speaking of when he rose to the top, there was a year [1986] that he kind of took over the whole Carnival. So if you think about the Grammys, and somebody wins best album, best record, best video — like, everything, clean-sweep — that's what he did with a couple of songs: The Hammer, and my personal favourite, Bahia Girl. When you listen to it, it's not the typical soca beat that you would think of, but it's so catchy, you have to dance. And the story he tells through this record just resonates. I love it.
LISTEN | David Rudder's Bahia Girl:
Elamin: You streamed his last major show this past Saturday. How was it?
Dr. Jay: It was incredible to watch him, and to see a lot of the guest artists come out and support him as well. It was crazy, because when I thought the show was gonna be over, he was like, "Yeah, all right — we're gonna go for a small intermission." And I was like, "What?" He had performed for, like, two hours already!
Elamin: This show lasted four hours—the youngest, most-fit performers don't even go that long, right?
Dr. Jay: Exactly. There were a couple of notes that I know he's accustomed to hitting and couldn't necessarily hit them at the same pace. And I saw that they brought a chair for him, [because] he's not supposed to be standing as long. But he pushed through. He really gave people a performance of the ages and it was good to witness. I loved it.
Elamin: Now, of course, I want to be careful here, because I don't want to get into the territory of eulogy. He's still alive. He has gone public with this diagnosis of Parkinson's, but he actually has no plans of retiring from music anytime soon. It's just that the idea of putting on a show at that scale, that's what he's going to step back from. But he still wants to keep working. With all of that in mind, what does that leave you thinking about?
Dr. Jay: We were blessed during the height of the pandemic to pull off a show at CityView Drive-In, which is in the parking lot of [nightclubs] Rebel and Cabana [in] downtown [Toronto]. So the backdrop is the CN Tower and the skyline. We were able to do a show called Big People Fete and it featured David Rudder. So, you know, during the pandemic, you have the cars, everybody has to be spaced out, we're all worried about social distancing. And I remember talking to him about doing the show, and checking in on the rehearsals at his home, and he was just happy to be able to give the musicians some money because it's obviously been hard, and a lot of people haven't been able to work.
WATCH | Rudder Celebrates 70th Birthday With Concert:
And during the performance, his wife pulled my mom and I aside and told me at that time — which was two years ago — that he had recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's. So obviously, I didn't disclose that prior, because it's up to them when they want to release that to the public. But it made me emotional at the time, because you don't really know how his Parkinson's is going to affect him. And so to see this show two years later, for him to be onstage like that, and to know that it might be one of his last shows of that scale, it just really makes me [think about] even my own mortality, right? Like, you think about yourself, you think about your family and friends, and my dad's getting older ... you start thinking of these things. Seeing [David] on this level of greatness was incredible to watch, and hopefully we get to do another show in Toronto with him where we can give him his flowers here as well.
You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.
Interview with Dr. Jay de Soca Prince produced by Ty Callender.
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