TotallyBarbados.com attended the Barbados Music Awards 2008 and caught a couple of renowned musicians on the red carpet as they made their way into the awards ceremony.
Our first interview was with international pop star and living legend Sir Cliff Richard and then Barbados' own up and coming star Hal Linton.
Sir Cliff Richard was born to British parents living in India in 1940. He moved to England when he was eight, and by the time he was fifteen he first sang in public in a school production. In 1956 he first heard Elvis Presley, which changed his life and made him chase his own dream of becoming a rock and roll legend, which he has accomplished selling more singles than any other singer in the world!
For his sixteenth birthday his father bought him a guitar and he formed his first band The Drifters, which would later become The Shadows. In 1958 he was signed to Columbia Records and released his first single 'Schoolboy Crush/Move It', which went to No.2 in the UK Singles Chart. When he made his first TV appearance the British press deemed that this boy was too sexy for television!
His first album reached No.4 in the UK Album chart and in 1961, he had his first No.1 hit with 'Living Doll', which went on to become his first gold disc as well.
Sir Cliff is a devout Christian and works on many worthwhile causes to help others and was one of the first public icons to renounce his Christianity.
In 1962 his hit 'The Young Ones' entered the charts at No.1. He has appeared in numerous films and created many firsts including the first ever chart topping Gospel album.
This year, 2008 marks Sir Cliff's 50th anniversary in the music business and during that time he has been credited with hits such as 'Summer Holiday', 'Congratulations', 'Devil Woman', 'We don't talk anymore', 'Some People', 'Wired for Sound' and his all time Christmas classic 'Mistletoe & Wine'.
He has performed all over the world, again creating many firsts such as concerts in Russia, South Africa and Bangladesh. For his 30th anniversary in music he filled Wembley Stadium to capacity with over 90 performers gracing the stage to pay tribute to this great living legend.
In 1995, he was on the Queens Honours List and became Sir Cliff Richard. These days Sir Cliff is still very involved in his charity work and religious causes and spends a lot of his free time at his home in Barbados.
TotallyBarbados.com asked Sir Cliff what he thought of Barbados having it's own music awards. He said, "This is the first year that I have attended, and I know how much Barbadians love their music so this is a great event to reward these local artists."
We also asked Sir Cliff where he would recommend to go in Barbados and he said, 'I love Oistins Fish Market, the food is great and the music is wonderful. I can be in one part of the fish fry enjoying listening to Reggae and dancing to Hip Hop, then I can move to another part of the market and listen to some Englebert Humperdink!"
Finally, we asked Sir Cliff what he thinks of Barbados and he said, "Barbados is perfection - I would recommend it to anyone!"
Sir Cliff Richard attended the event with Barbadian Jazz artiste Rosemary Phillips, who was nominated as Jazz Artiste of the Year.
Hal Linton is a twenty-two year old singer, performer, writer, and producer, and he is about to become Barbados' next major export to the international music arena.
Hal grew up in the St. Barnabas area of St. Michael and attended Charles F. Broome Primary School, and went to Ellerslie Secondary School in Black Rock. Then he pursued a Bachelor's Degree in Design at the Barbados Community College. He is the only son of singers Cheryl & David Linton. His mother is an opera singer, who still performs and records in New York.
Hal's degree is in creative art and this has taught him to be creative in life, and it was a natural progression to combine his creativity with music, which is why he likes to write all his own material. Since the age of 16, he has been expressing himself through poetry, which he then turns into song. He is inspired to put his views in to his music especially if he sees a social imbalance.
Hal believes that growing up in Barbados has really influenced his style and that the Bajan language is so unique and works well in soul music.
For the 2007 Barbados Music Awards Hal was nominated in eight categories. He spent much of 2007 in New York writing and working with his new management, music industry executives Horace Madison and Dwayne Husbands.
TotallyBarbados.com asked Hal how he is finding life in the USA and Hal said, "To be honest I have been so busy writing that I am holed up indoors most of the time, so I haven't really noticed!"
We also asked how he is coping with life in a different country and he said, "I have been travelling up and down to New York all my life with my Mum's career. So I don't really feel like it is too much of a change."
When asked if we can expect an announcement about his signing to a major record label Hal said, "There is a lot of interest in my career from the international scene and that is something that my management team are still working on."
Hal performed at the Barbados Jazz Festival 2007 and gave a great performance that night at the Barbados Music Awards 2008, where he was nominated as Pop R&B Artiste of the Year.
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