Rocking back to Electric Avenue

Caribbean music legend Eddy Grant is back in the UK this summer for his first tour of the country in more than 20 years, making a welcome stop in Wolverhampton along the way.

From as far back as the 1960s, Grant has been a leading pioneer of soulful, upbeat Calypso music, spinning out instantly-recognisable hits from Electric Avenue to I Don't Wanna Dance to Gimme Hope Jo'hanna.

Originally from Guyana, he grew up in London and formed the multi-racial group The Equals, landing the coveted number one spot in 1966 with the song Baby Come Back.

After moving back to Guyana and embarking on a successful solo career, Grant Ice Records to launch his own releases and promote a spectrum of talented artists spanning the Caribbean music genre, from classic calypso and soca to Eddy's own genre, Ringbang.

As he prepares to bring the colourful sounds of the Caribbean to the West Midlands with a Civic Hall performance on July 5, we find out what he's been up to...

Q. You're about to embark on your first UK tour for over 20 years. How do you feel about coming back to Britain?

A. I'm looking forward to singing and playing for my British fans who haven't seen me perform for a long time. They have always been loyal to me, since my early music-making days with The Equals until now. That's a long time in some cases, and I'm eternally grateful.

Q. Tell us about the tour - what can we expect?

A. The tour really kicks off with The Mandela 90th Birthday Celebrations in Hyde Park on June 27, then Glastonbury. You can expect great music from one side of my very long career to the other. I've just returned from Johannesburg where I've been in rehearsal with my new backing musicians - who are quite special, as you will see at the gigs.

Q. How do you see Soca and Ringbang music influencing today's UK music scene?

A. The music currently being called Soca is really Ringbang music, much as in the same way that people used to call it Calypso in the 70s and 80s, and in some cases still. By virtue of being the last unexplored English language ethnic music, it's almost inevitable that these sources will be mined by pop and other artists looking for inspiration. It is only a question of time and it may have started already.

Q. Tell us about some of the talent Ice Records has nurtured over the years?

A. Ice records has had a hand in nurturing almost every significant black artist out of London during the 70s - and in some cases the 80s - in some form or other. The same can be said for the West Indies.

Q. Which artists are you most excited about at the moment, and who have you most enjoyed working with over the years?

A. I am hoping to have Gabby do a number of shows with me during my World Tour as he is the most significant male talent I've worked with consistently out of the Caribbean over the last 20 or so years. His female counterpart is an artist named Indra, also from Barbados.

Q. You've been a pioneer in terms of popularising calypso music - do you try to inspire the same passion for the genre in the emerging artists you work with?

A. Because of my passion for Classic Calypso it is only natural that anyone who comes close enough to me, in an artistic capacity, gets the bug and eventually come to appreciate the greatness of the genre.

Q. What's an average day like for you?

A. I wake up, go for a five-mile bicycle ride, shower, eat breakfast of oats and banana, answer my e-mails and telephone calls from abroad, then at about 5pm I'll go into the studio for the rest of the day.

Q. Are your children musical, and are any planning to follow in their father's footsteps?

A. All of my children are musical in some way but none of them have so far shown any inclination towards being like me! They are mostly interested in the business side of music.

Q. Do you still keep in touch with your fellow Equals?

A. When time and situations allow, we communicate.

Q. You live in idyllic surroundings - do you find the pace of life in Barbados more conducive to creativity and songwriting than when you were based in London?

A. I find that living in Barbados allows me more time for myself and therefore probably enables me to think a little clearer. But in terms of songwriting, I write whenever and wherever the inspiration comes.

Don't miss Eddy at Wolverhampton Civic Hall on July 5 - for tickets and further information, visit www.wolvescivic.co.uk or call the Box Office on 0870 320 7000.

* Eddy's latest album The Very Best of Eddy Grant is out on June 30 *

By Lara Page