My name is Kennedy Calliste better know as REGGAE/SOCA artist: KennyC, My navel string cut and buried in “CHOCOLATE CITY”; Paradise in “BIG PARISH”; St Andrew, Grenada. I am the first son of my late mother Lula Calliste thirteen children and born into tough times – being the first , I became a great help to my mother caring for my other younger brothers and sister and assisting her however I can with the struggle to make ends meet. As a young man I witnessed my mother getting abused so many times by her husband (not my father)– that’s a hard thing for a young man to live down and it’s only through my deep faith in God taught to me by my mother that kept me from getting rid of this man who repeatedly abuse my mother in my presence. The man himself saw fire burning in me belly so he started to confront me “what you looking at? What you gonna do about it? I come very near to sinning my soul many times. And so at an early age my mother agreed that I should go and live with my Grandma Jappee.
My late grandmother Jappee taught me all the lessons in life I needed to survive. She was a very wise woman and she had a big heart. She was my closest ally for many years. We went to the garden together, she would have one shot of Dumferline for the gas most days and as I got older she would give me a shot too when we come from the garden, I would light her pipe and me and my grandmother would sit and talk for hours. She had a lot of rules but she showed me so much love that it gave me courage to abide with the rules. She helped me to forgive my mother for staying with that evil man but I never forget.
I was well know in the neighbor hood, always helping people and moving about freely. I took to two things: AGRICULTURE and MUSIC. I would sing while I’m working in and around the neighborhood. Singing while I’m trimming hedges, singing while I’m cutting grass, singing while I’m cooking, singing while I’m attending to my crops and getting the crops to market . Singing all the great Bob Marley classics. They started to nickname me “Bob Marley” they would say that this man is the only one that could sing “Dem Crazy Bald Head” just like Bob.
I could never forget one day Lorraine Ramdhanny : (a renowned Grenada musician and music teacher) picked me to appear on the radio to sing on a program – she loved my voice and gave me great encouragement and was probably the first person that made me feel that it is possible to take this love I have for music to a further place. Later on Caldwell Taylor, former ambassador to the UN – my early neighbor in Paradise wrote a calypso for me to sing. I sang backup for African Teller and appeared in other singing shows. I also sang in a band in Paradise with the late Timpo. They gave me another nickname” Dreadlocks” which some of my closest friends still call me today
I also produced fancy mass bands in St Andrew and St Patrick and played pan for several years with Ramdhanny Volume II.
Singing help me to get hate outta me heart and focus on the good side of life. I thought about my mother all the time while away and hoped the man would not kill her – I went and visit her regularly. Eventually Revolution come to Grenada and I joined the army to protect my country and my mother too. The first opportunity I got after I went through training is to pay a visit to this man now as a soldier not the little 13 year old boy he used to chest up to. I looked him square in the eye, (he’s eying the ammunition on my body with the same fear my mother had each time he leggo blows on her) and let him know how his end would be if he ever lay hands on my mother again. Is a lucky thing for all of us too that my uncle heard down the road that I headed up to the house and ran and put a shield between me and this man, he knew I was armed and he knew this man had it coming. To make a long story short that was the day my mother abuse ended. I have learned through my mother’s pain to never ever lay a hand on a woman and it bothers me every time I hear a man abusing a defenseless woman.
Revolution come and gone in Grenada, I eventually became a rural officer on Bathway Beach . Life moved on for me I became a father of two wonderful children: Karen(Solanche) Roberts and Kevon Williams.
One night on my way home I was ambushed from behind and left for dead. It was not my time – I had extensive damage to my jaw which was later pinned with clips to keep in place. Up to this day no one knows who attacked me but the general consensus was that I was attacked as a result of my job. Someone needed me out of the way from guarding the seashore at that moment for whatever reason. I was not able to sing for a couple of years after that
I migrated to Canada in 2000 and did all sort of general labour jobs to survive. They say what’s for you in this life would come to you but they also say surround yourself with good people and your life will begin to improve and I could say both the sayings are true for me. I met a true friend – my best friend, Carol, who gave me great encouragement to pursue my music. One night we went to a karaoke bar in Etobicoke and I went up on the mic and belted out Lionel Ritchie “Easy Like Sunday Morning”. Big applaud – encore encore from the crowd. An American lady from Detroit was in the bar, she rushed up to me at the end of the song and asked me if I’m signed to anyone and that she would like to pursue the prospect of working with me and gave me her card. My friend gave me the “I told you so” look.
Carol and I locked it down and we move to Oakville, ON. I opened a landscape company and although I sang for enjoyment, I still resisted music as a career because of the uncertainty in earning an income. I was enjoying landscaping and the prospect of prosperity when one night on our way home from Hamilton – on the QEW, a car ran into our SUV and pushed us under a tractor trailer. My second huge brush of death – again it was not my time. Thankfully we survived but with enough damage to prevent me from continuing my livelihood and with little or no compensation I went into somewhat of a depression. Somewhere inside that time of darkness I just started to sing my own songs – songs I had written in my head for several years – the singing was helping me more than the daily therapy.
One day Carol’s friend, Ifield Joseph (Paco Music Production)came to visit as he heard we were banged up and me meeting him for the first time telling this man “man I don’t even feel like a man I feel useless – all I can do is sing” he replied, “well drop by the studio when you feel well enough to move around and show me what you go”. The irony is we did not know this man was a musical genius who worked with so many Reggae/Soca greats. Carol knew him under a different discipline. To make a long story short: This man was essential to the beginning of my rebirth and what God has in store for me. I did not only show Ifield what I got – we were able to produce an entire album and he is responsible for some of my biggest hits: SWEET GRENADA, FEEL SO GOOD, RUN KIRANI RUN, SOCA BOAT.
Since that first album appropriately called: LONG TIME COMING, I’ve produced another album; LIVE LIFE – boosting hits such as “Thank You Jah” with lyrics that explains my existence (I man never envy what another man got…….i man love to live my life clean – you don’t try to come in between you never know what me been through what’s the matter wrong with you?”).
I have achieved a successful international tour, my songs are played on radio stations in America, Germany, England,The Caribbean and am continually trying to get it played more in my home-town Toronto. I am thankful that more and more people are loving my vibes and contracting me to perform at their events.
I’m currently working with three great producers: (Ifield joseph, Dason Charles (King Beats Studio-Brooklyn and Dr Radford Ettienne) to complete my third album: INFECTIOUS. Already I have hits such as
JUST WHAT I NEED, GIVE ITTO DEM, BODY BLANKET and TOO MUCH POVERTY from this album. Through many up and downs and very dark moments in my life – like my song JUST WHAT I NEED says: I’ve been through some things, Only Jah know how I’m living, I’ve been through some stuff, Only Jah knows how rough, it was tough”. music seem to be my saving grace. I have embraced it as a career and am very serious about it. I have written so many songs waiting to come to life – my songs are coming from a very deep protective place within me. It’s not just a story it’s the story of KennyC ‘s life
My motto is: What God Bless No Devil Curse and my passion is to follow my music career until the end of my time. My manager Carol (Sista C) remains my best friend and together we intend to make a positive dent in the music industry. I am Kenny C and #iamgrenadian.
