Lord Rhaburn Combo 1965
Gerald "Lord" Rhaburn is a Belizean calypso, soca, reggae and brukdown musician. He became famous when performing with the Lord Rhaburn Combo in the 1970s and 1980s.
He has has toured frequently abroad promoting Belizean music, and in 2004 he hosted the first Lord Rhaburn Music Awards, an annual Belizean music awards show.
Lord Gerald Rhaburn was born March 3rd, 1936. He is known as Belize’s Calypso King. He formed the Lord Rhaburn Combo in Belize City, Belize on August 6, 1959. The band became famous while performing in the 1970’s and 1980’s. At first they played only native calypso music, giving many concerts in Belize. Within a year they had become the foremost group in Belize. Later he expanded his repertoire to include soca, reggae and brukdong music. Their first trip outside of Belize was to Guatemala City, Guatemala, where they were enthusiastically received. They made appearances on TV, in the theater, and at dances - later acquiring a style all of their own, playing three types of music - Caribbean, Latin American, and American. He has toured frequently abroad promoting Belizean music. He is a very good composer, and on the stage he is a versatile showman and a flamboyant dresser. In 1981, he wrote “You Bahn Deh” which became an overnight hit for all Belizeans worldwide. Lord Rhaburn has received countless local and international awards and recognitions including the Teen Lifetime Achievement Award in Chicago, 1999; the MBE Award, and was welcomed into the International Reggae and World Music Hall of Fame in 2005. In December 2004, the first annual Lord Rhaburn Music Awards was held to a sold out audience at the Bliss Centre for the Performing Arts. The show was produced by Lord Rhaburn himself, in an effort to showcase and honor Belize’s best talents from both at home and from abroad.
“From I started my career, I have been doing things behind the scenes for my people and country. I was the first person who entertained the first set of tourists that land at the airport in Belize; the first set of tourists who came by barge from the ship, of course we nuh have the growth we have now. I believe that in life when you give you will receive back” – Lord Rhaburn.
Lord Rhaburn Belizean Brukdown Musician, interview 2022
Lord Rhaburn - Belizean Calypso, Soca, Reggae and Brukdown Musician
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