BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – VETERAN calypsonian ‘Turkey De Gun’, remembered for his own inimitable style on stage and for his controversial lyrics, has since been missing from the entertainment arena for quite some time. But where in the world is he now?
Locating the one of a kind musician took us half way around St. Kitts from Basseterre to a village called Newton Ground, where our search began. After a few attempts and enquiries, we finally met with ‘the Gun’ who was still firing as he did in the past.
In his small house located on a plot of land where he mostly plants flowers and herbal trees, Turkey De Gun was asleep but woke up to talk to this publication about his life as a calypsonian and the hardships he faced while a musician.
Born Ruben Lake, Turkey De Gun said he was the son of a Kittitian-born woman who married his Colombian father. With a diverse parentage, the former singer said that he learned to play the guitar from his father who was also a musician.
Lake said that growing up in Newton Ground he was always fond of writing and singing Calypsos. He added that as an ‘A’ student in school his mother never welcomed the idea of him being a singer.
“They had some days I would be in the yard and I would hear a Calypso song come over the radio and I would get by the broom, imagining it was a microphone, and start to sing very loudly. But my mother never use to like it,” Lake said.
Still reminiscing, he noted that one day while in the house, a particular song was playing on the radio and he turned it up to the highest volume and started to sing again. “She (mother) hear me singing loud and she pick up the broom and chase me out the house and say, ‘You ain’t got anything to do? Go clean the yard.’”
Lake said that after he became an adolescent, the choice of his mother not wanting him to perform turned around after he excelled in school, both in academics and athletics. But entering a competition was not an option just yet.
The 59-year-old calypsonian said that apart from his ability to compose lyrics and his powerful voice, his teachers had encouraged him to participate in athletics.
“I was a sprinter. I remember I use to go to school sports and win all the races. But I can still do it now,” Lake said while showing off his physique.
Lake explained that as he got older and began to manoeuver in the labour force as a contractor, he would still listen to music sung by world renowned singers such as the Mighty Sparrow, Kitchener and King Arjue.
In addition to the construction field, Lake was also a singer and musician in the Grand Masters Band, travelling to countries such as St. Maarten, Anguilla and St. Thomas. He was also an MC with the Ellie Matt and the GI’s Brass Band before it had separated.
This is just Part One of our exclusive interview with Turkey De Gun. In Part two, which will be published shortly, the former calypsonian speaks about the occasions when he was physically attacked for the songs he sang and where he is now.
Editor-in-Chief's Note: SKNVibes solicits suggestions from the public in identifying other individuals who have made significant contributions to the Calypso art form in St. Kitts and Nevis. Feel free to email us at newsroom@sknvibes.com or call us at (869) 466-9242 or (869) 662-3901 and pass on the relevant information.
