SHADOW'S UNTOLD
STORY
By Essiba Small
Entertainment For
You
Trinidad Guardian
February 18, 2000
Page 3
He is an artiste few can put their finger on. And somehow that's what makes Winston Bailey
the Shadow.
Contrary
to popular belief and kaiso lore, Shadow was born in Trinidad, but grew up in
Les Coteaux, Tobago, with his grandparents.
It was his grandfather, a choirmaster, however, who noticed that his
nine-year-old grandson had an ability to sing and started to nurture his voice.
Shadow's
parents however wanted their son to be a pilot, doctor, or lawyer, anything
considered conventionally acceptable, but he had already made up his mind that
he'd be a singer.
"I
was born with a lot of music in me," Shadow said in his interview in Rudy
Ottley's book, Calypsonians From Then to Now.
"From
as early as I could remember, the first time I heard music I was stuck on
it."
The
"fellas on the block" made up his first audience and from 1974
onwards the world came to know of a man whose songs are bassline-dominated and
his lyrics deep and thought provoking.
A
look into the songbook of Shadow reveals songs like "Bassman",
"I Come Out to Play", "King From Hell", "What is
Life", "Crazy Computer", "Jump Judges Jump",
"Children Ting", "Dingolay", "Poverty is Hell",
"Tension", "Pay de Devil", and "Snake in the
Balisier"?
Going
to the forest and mountains with his guitar to meditate has been Shadow's
primary source of inspiration for his songs.
He
said: "Nature is the spice of life; it has always been my pastime. I believe in nature. I think this is where the inspiration for my
song "My Belief" originated."
Shadow
is also spiritual and thinks his spirituality comes out in his music.
"I
see God bigger than anything. A good
man doing good things."
"My
music is deep and high. So high that it
is not considered or understood by the judges."
Shadow's
wearing of black clothes by the way has nothing to do with obeah, voodoo or the
occult.
"I
feel good in black," he said.
"I
feel like Shadow. I was born with
something special - music just flows. Every
year I come with something good."
This
year is no different. With a CD titled Am
I Sweet or What from which comes the popular tracks, "What Wrong With
Me", "Jumbie Rhythm", "Angel" and "Scratch My
Back". Shadow is enjoying one of
his strongest years in the calypso tent, performing at Kaiso House. From the tent's premiere, Shadow has been
receiving no fewer than five encores nightly for "Scratch My Back."
Shadow
considered his fans as the most valued asset for a performer. Despite never being crowned national
monarch, the 1974 Road March champion says, "It's the people that matter
most."