About Roger Gibbs

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 Roger Gibbs 

About Roger

Roger Gibbs is a Barbadian-born singer/guitarist and recording artist who composes, arranges and performs Caribbean Acoustic and Calypso. 

He started at age fourteen with the Merryboys and then was lead singer for the Sandpebbles, a popular 70’s dance band in the Caribbean. Roger has performed across Canada and the Caribbean and since 1995 a singer/percussionist with COBA (Collective of Black Artists). 

He has released three CDs: 'Spirit of Calypso', 'Calypso Classics on Guitar – Vol. 1' and his latest with band Shak-Shak titled 'Hot So'. 

Roger was the Musical Director for Theatre Archipelago’s productions of ‘I Marcus Garvey’ (2010 and 2011) and a co-Musical Director of the Professionals Calypso Tent. 


Roger teaches hand drumming and guitar in Toronto. 

www.spiritofcalypso.com   roger.gibbs@rocketmail.com



Roger grew up in a musical family and began his career in Barbados singing with Caribbean dance bands in the 1970’s. He joined as lead singer of the Sandpebbles (brother John played with them), a popular Calypso band that had a string of hits, recorded three albums, several singles and toured extensively throughout the Caribbean, Canada and USA. He shared the stage with many Caribbean stars such as the Mighty Sparrow, Lord Kitchener, Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, Johnny Nash, Tomorrow's Children, Kalyan, the Tradewinds, the Merrymen (his older brother Chris' group), and many others. Roger studied music theory through the Associated Boards of the Royal Schools of Music and has pursued a life-long interest in traditional music of the Caribbean. He worked in the late 70s as a Cultural Affairs Officer (Music), Ministry of Education & Culture (Barbados) and served as the head music programmer for Carifesta 1981, a pan-Caribbean festival of the arts that featured hundreds of top artists from over 30 countries.

 

Moving to Canada in 1986, Roger has worked freelance with a wide variety of artists such as Anne Lederman (Canadian fiddler), Achilla Orru (Ugandan lokembe player), Moka (Latin & Calypso quintet), La Petite Musicale and the Heritage Singers (Caribbean folk choirs), Mo’Banja (a cappella Caribbean quartet), Kobena Aquaa-Harrison (African guitarist), Franc Mosbaugh (pop singer/musician), the Liquidaires (ska/reggae/funk/jazz band) and Abbey North Drummers (World Music drumming ensemble).  From 1993 until 2013 he was a performing member of COBA (Collective of Black Artists), one of Canada’s leading Black dance/theatre companies.

 

Roger has recorded two CD’s - ‘Spirit of Calypso’ and ‘Calypso Classics on Guitar – vol. 1’. In 2012 released third CD titled ‘Hot So’ with his band Shak Shak, a collaboration with ethnomusicologist Dr. Chris Wilson. He describes his music as Caribbean Acoustic, a contemporary blend of his Calypso and folk Caribbean roots. Their newest album is titled SHAK SHAK PARTY!. Shak Shak has been the house band over the past five years for TLK's Professionals Calypso Tent, a 4-weekend music series that offers all new work by top Canadian calypsonians.

 

He was Artistic Director of Worlds of Music Toronto (1998–2000), coordinating biannual series of workshops and concerts of traditional music from around the world. In 2001-2002 he returned to Barbados’s National Cultural Foundation to design strategies for music development and establish a music archives. Roger co-produced the first two Barbados On The Water festivals held at Harbourfront Centre and was the originator and producer for 'Calypso Stars' at Harbourfront Centre's popular Island Soul festival.

 

He has written and produced several musical productions, including ‘Calypso Calabash’ for Luminato’s Carnivalissima and ‘Caribeats’ for the Island Soul Festival at Harbourfront Centre. In 2012 he received a special award from Toronto Caribbean Carnival Festival for his contribution to calypso in Canada. Roger currently produces for Caribbean Community Engagement, a non-profit arts organization devoted to the Caribbean Carnival Arts. They produced three new festival events in 2016 - CARNIVAL VILLAGE at Daniels Stectrum in Regent Park, Toronto, Niagara Caribbean Festival - a collaboration with the Niagara Parks Commission, and Halibana DrumFest in Haliburton, ON


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