David Rudder has transformed his performances from jam session to worship and praise in the holy temple of soca more times than we can remember. We’ve been there and we’ve done that. How could we not? Since his meteoric rise to the top of the calypso world in 1986, Rudder has been a household name. His work has gone beyond the boundaries of Carnival culture, touching a global audience that has given the world a peep into the souls of his beloved people. His legendary performances have been etched into our collective memory.

But, this time, it promises to be different. Billed as a 70th birthday celebration, on May 6, Rudder will transform The Sound Forge in Woodbrook into something we have not yet seen from him...a retrospective of where he has been, an acknowledgement of where he is now, and a look to his future.

[caption id="attachment_1009988" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Iconic calypsonian David Rudder says his birthday concert, Rudder 7.0, promises to be a retrospective, a history lesson, a commentary, and a party. - David Reid[/caption]

A career spanning six decades has moulded Rudder’s art into his own unique form, one that marries performance with music, thought, and introspection. As always, he looks inward to find the answers to questions regarding this concert, and with each answer, we get the sense that there’s more to it than just a birthday party.

After two and a half years of lockdown, Rudder is ready to celebrate. “Covid was difficult for everyone. Musicians could not perform...could not travel...couldn’t reach the people in a tangible way. For most of us, that is what feeds us...our families, our creativity, our souls. But it’s not just the music fraternity, it’s everyone. We have all lost family, friends, and to some extent, life as we knew it. For this birthday, I want to shed the heaviness that we’ve all felt and give thanks for what we still have. Yes, it’s my birthday but I want to celebrate the living...the livingness of life.”

The loss of long-time drummer Barry Howard and musical director, writing partner and friend Wayne Bruno, has necessitated changes in the band’s make up. “I have the group that has been recording and travelling with me over the past 25 years, but I have also called on some old friends and brought a few new people into the mix. In a sense, that in itself will be a tribute to Wayne. His dream was to re-interpret the music we made with the input of young musicians. We’ll be doing that and playing some of his favourite songs. The opening riff of High Mas’ was Wayne Bruno but there are songs that he loved to hear...Club Hysteria and Ministry of Rhythm come to mind.”

Rudder 7.0 promises to be a retrospective, a history lesson, a commentary, and a party. The music itself can take many forms. For others, a body of work can be described as “The many moods of …" For David Rudder, it takes the shape of a question; What’s going on in his head right now?

He said, “We’ll touch on the usual suspects but also dive into what my daughter refers to as ‘the deep cuts’ of