Featured from...

DANCE CARIBE PERFORMING COMPANY Preserving through dance, the cultural diversity of the Caribbean

(Previous)

Anslem Douglas

World-renowned & Soca Sensation

Toronto

Anslem Douglas' musical journey took root with his admiration of the folk performers, in the local community centre in his native village of La Romain, Trinidad, along with the influences of his older sister, who impressed upon him with her talents for writing and creating poetry.Anslem's musical development began to flourish in the local Pentecostal Church singing in the choir. At the age of sixteen, he formed his own group called Exodus; this gave him his first real taste of stardom. The band became popular and they were often requested to perform at various venues around Trinidad.However, in 1984, Anslem enlisted with the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard in Trinidad, where he served for six years. During this time he continued to sharpen his vocal skills, performing with the Coast Guard institutional band at local venues. From there he moved on to singing various genres of music and eventually discovered the Soca music culture.He recorded his first song in 1988 with Fireflight, and then joined the band Atlantik giving audiences a taste of his unique, husky yet sultry sound.His musical influences includes such artists as Blakely and the late, Lord Kitchener, to the honey tones of R&B greats like Peabo Bryson and Stevie Wonder.Douglas released hits such as "Good Music to Dance" and Who Let the Dogs Out which was a great party hit in the Caribbean islands. Other releases include "Soul Island" from the Friend CD and "Abuse" from his 2000 CD Sir Anslem Douglas.