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Welcome to the wonderful world of Calypso. Welcome to the glorious panorama that is Soka. TopShelf Productions Inc. is pleased to present a young artiste of exceptional quality. An artiste whose debut into the musical arena heard critics stating that he will indeed be a force to be reckoned with, both in his native Barbados and on the International musical landscape. This artist is Dale R. Rudder, more popularly known as Mr.Dale
This obvious God-given talent quickly attracted the feverish attention of many producers in the region and he soon joined forces with ace producer Chris Allman of Slam City Records. The two immediately forged a singer/songwriter/producer bond and together have been a major force to date.
In 1998, Barbados saw Mr. Dale entering the soka arena with a bang when he penned and recorded the hit single “Kaylaylay”, which dominated the number one spot on all local radio stations for Crop Over of that year. This song moved on to take over the charts throughout the Caribbean and was number one (1) for three (3) weeks on 1190 AM WLIB radio station in New York. It was a major dancehall number throughout France and most of Europe and a huge party hit in Trinidad’s Carnival 99. The popularity of this song saw Mr. Dale touring extensively to Europe, North America, Venezuela, Guadeloupe and Martinique. Gaining extreme popularity especially in the latter-mentioned French territories of Guadeloupe and Martinique where he has become a household name.
As a songwriter Mr. Dale has already penned for such regional luminaries as Allison Hinds, T.C and Arrow. He was recently acknowledged as song-writer supreme when his Keisha Christian sung composition “Love Zone” was awarded Best Raggasoka (female) at the inaugural 2006 Barbados Music Awards.
As a performer, Mr. Dale has become a perennial Finalist at Both the Pico-O-de-Crop and Party Monarch competitions and placed a commendable 4th and 3rd respectively in these events in 2005. A shy, behind-the-scenes kinda guy offstage, it still remains a mystery how this artist transforms the moment the bright lights hit the stage. It is this mystique, his natural gift for penning quality songs and the distinctive, sweet yet powerful voice that make Mr. Dale stand out from the pack.
Listing Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, Sparrow, Gabby and Jackie Opel as his musical influences, one can tell where he gets the musical depth that is way beyond his mere twenty something years. To quote Mr. Dale, “Music is my lifelong mission and I was ordained by the highest High to entertain and uplift the people”.
It is with utmost pride and confidence that we welcome you to the new voice of soka. Welcome to the future of Caribbean music. Welcome to the wonderful world of Mr. Dale.
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