Born and raised on the island of
Trinidad. (Walter Alan Shields) aka Waltah PPK, vocalist/songwriter was involved
in music from an early age.
Strongly influenced by his mother’s passion for music, he began giving
performances as a pre-teen on the steel drum, piano and singing in
choirs.
Waltah migrated to the US as a
young adult, where he completed his college studies. During this time the island of his birth
had become infested with violence, corruption where many still fall victim to an
unjust political system. This turn
of events called him to return to the stage driven and compelled to be a voice
of awakening, inspiration and truth.
In 2004 Waltah was an original
member of The Elementals, a local MPLS band that infused reggae, funk, rock and
soul to create a sound that was new to the Minneapolis/St. Paul music
scene. Always delivering music with
a positive message, the band gave performances with international reggae
superstars Lucky Dube (R.I.P) and Yellowman as some of their most notable
highlights.
In 2008 the Waltah PPK band was
created. Pocketed in traditional
Reggae and Dancehall riddims and original lyrics, the message is clearer then
ever. Love, Equality and
Justice. A hip shaking collection
of fresh songs, with lyrics that inspire the listener, packaged in a
debut
solo album titled "Love Above All"
Asccompanying him
are band members:
Ryan Ward (Fly Ry)
- Guitar
Keith Raney (KMan) – Bass
Andy Deckard
(Randy) – Drums
Together the band delivers
passionate grooves that target the soul, move the body and inspire the
mind.
Waltah’s vision is simple and
clear:
"A world extraordinary with
beauty, covered with compassion for bredrin and sistrin, where love supercedes
all notions of envy, greed, anger and hatred. Where judgment is discharged from
it's current rank, so that we can watch the line of division, simply disappear.
The heart that beats as ONE is finally realized by ALL.”
