Kaiso to Kingdom Music

“This Party Is It” in 1988 and “Free Up” in 1989 helped him rule the soca kingdom.

But, in 1991 Herbert had an experience that made him turn his back on Carnival and towards Christianity.

Herbert spoke about his experience and the other calypsonians who have come into the faith during an interview with Sunday Newsday last week.

He recalled that in 1991 he went on leave from his job as a policeman to attend the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, United States to pursue his Bachelor’s in music with a major in music education. While there he began attending a church, World Gospel Temple, and became introspective. In his quiet moments he began to reflect on who he was and what he was becoming.

“I realised that the life I was living, even though I had no real knowledge of God, but because of the conscience I knew that that was not the life,” he explained.

The church had a prayer meeting for a month and Herbert decided to attend “because the picture I was seeing in my mind of who I am...it was not too attractive”.

“I was seeing a man kind, approachable, loving but void of character. And when a man is void of character his lifestyle reflects that,” he said.

Herbert recalled that on the final night of the prayer meeting, after praying all day and reading scriptures, he felt nothing. He began to argue with God that he had not filled him with his Spirit as the preacher said he would.

“I say, ‘You and all reject me. I must be something else’,” he recalled.

The pastor asked a young man to pray and Herbert recalled him praying “Lord lift us up higher”.

Then he felt two fingers, “a feather touch”, on his forehead and a “surge of current began to flow through my body” and he fell on the ground. He heard them saying “he will never be the same again”.

Then he began speaking a language he did not know which he later found out was “tongues”. He remained on the floor for about an hour and had to be assisted to get back up.

“When I got up something fundamental seemed to have changed in me and about me. I did not know what it was but I knew that I felt different,” he recalled.

On the drive home he questioned the speaking in tongues and believed it was him and not God. He passed his home and ended up at a supermarket. There he asked God to prove that it was Him. He began to weep and worship God and recalled that the language “burst out” of him and though he tried aggressively to speak in English he could not “no matter what”.

“I said, ‘Yes Lord. This is real.

This is you’,” he recalled.

When he returned home he began to tear up his road march songs and his secular music. He was crying and did not know why at the time but realised in hindsight that it was the end of that phase of his life.

“To date I never had the desire to return to that (calypso) arena,” he said.

From King to Suffering Herbert returned to Trinidad in 1994 and expected to resume his job in the Police Service. However he was told that he was sent home indefinitely but was not provided with any documentation or any reason. He remained home and out of work for almost a year and it was the “most difficult, challenging and anxious year” for him.

He noted that people were awaiting his return and expecting that, if he had excelled with his music before, now that he was more music literate he would produce even better music. When Herbert told people that he would not be singing calypso any more and was serving the Lord people “cussed” him and even blamed him for the direction the music was trending.

He recalled that if he had to turn back from Christianity it would have been that year.

“I had nothing. I was disrobed,” he recalled.

Those in the calypso fraternity gave him two to three months to return. One artiste told him they served God for 14 years and then returned to the calypso world. But for Herbert that belief did not “settle in his spirit” and he decided to stay the course. He was offered a jingle that year paying more than $24,000 — a lot of money in 1994 — and though he wanted the money he had to say no. He noted the difficult part of the financial situation was “not having” when he was accustomed to having. He recalled he would be walking around town and people would shake his hand with and leave a $5 for him.

“I had thousands of dollars (before).

But I needed (the $5) because I (didn’t) have,” he said.

He recalled on one occasion in a maxi with his daughter she had to sit on his lap because he could not afford to pay for two seats. His financial situation got so bad he almost lost his house.

“That was a season in my life.

Like being sifted by the devil to determine the level of seriousness and commitment I said I would have for the new cause,” he said.

He now believes the Lord was “mashing up” his pride. Herbert noted he understood the privileges he had as a notable performer and the access to various environments but all those doors were shut to him.

“People love you when you upstairs but have a challenge associating with you when you go back downstairs,” he pointed out.

Herbert later found out that he had been sent home from the service because he had overstayed his time in the United States. He recalled they wanted him to return two months before the completion of his degree and his request for additional leave had been refused.

After nine and a half months his information went to the Chief Personnel Officer who said that it was “utter foolishness” and instructed that he be reinstated immediately and paid retroactively. Herbert remained in the Police Service until 2001 and then began teaching at St Joseph Secondary School. He has remained there to this day and and plans to leave next month.

He is also an ordained pastor and preaches at House of Truth Assemblies in Port-of-Spain.

Asked about singing for the Lord, Herbert said, “only that which a man does for the Lord abides forever”. He said with popular artistes the focus is about them and they get the glory but when you sing and minister you “point people to gaze upon the Saviour and the redeemer of humanity”.

Herbert, together with other calypsonians turned Christians King Luta (Morel Peters), Denyse Plummer and Franz Lambkin (Delamo) sang at “Monarchs Sing to the King” at Faith Centre Ministries in San Fernando last September.

Nothing wrong with Calypso Lambkin, speaking to Sunday Newsday, said the show was “immensely successful”, was sold out and they are contemplating bringing it to Port-of-Spain in 2016. He said the common thread among calypsonians who have embraced Christianity is that “we have never regretted the change”.

“As a matter of fact sometimes I lament I had not done it earlier in my life,” Lambkin noted.

It was in August 1995, more than a decade ago, that he decided to turn to Christianity.

After composing such hits like “Ah Cyar Wine,” “Sodom and Gomorrah,” and “Let The Children Play” he said he was inspired to get out of mainstream calypso and concentrate on anointed, gospel music.

Lambkin said he would have conversations with the Holy Spirit and it was revealed to him that not enough songs of indigenous praise were reaching up to Him in the “high heavens” and he was called out to do this. He noted the only sings gospelypso (a calypso and gospel fusion) and no other genre and if God wanted him to sing reggae or R&B he who would have been from Jamaica or the United States. “I have raised you up in Trinidad to manifest Trinidad music for the kingdom,” he explained.

Lambkin recalled he had been notorious in the calypso fraternity for being a womaniser, and many could not believe he had changed.

Like Herbert, they gave him a few months to turn back.

Lambkin noted that after a year they stopped, realising it was not a fad or gimmick and “started to respect that I seriously made a change”.

“What exists now is not just a calypsonian but a man of God. (I had) enhanced esteem among other calypsonians. They respect the fact that I’ve made a change and stayed with it,” he said.

He noted he is also a People’s National Movement (PNM) councillor so he sings “for the PNM and God”. Asked how his life changed, Lambkin said he was always charitable but being a Christian he is no longer performing or doing things within his own limitations.

“I now understand I have the authority of the Holy Spirit. So I am more confident. I do not perform any more in terms of entertainment, I minister to people,” he explained.

Questioned whether a calypsonian who became a Christian could still perform at calypso tents, Lambkin said it is possible. He said he did not leave the calypso world because of calypso but because of the effect it had on him. He explained that being a philanderer it created a climate for him to “do wrong” and he noted the Bible says if your eye offends you pluck it out.

“So I have stopped because I am not strong. I applaud men like (gospel artiste) Sean Daniel who have the spirit to be out there and not be affected. It’s an indictment of Delamo and not calypso the artform,” he stressed.

Questioned how he felt about other calypsonians embracing Christianity — Peters in 2012 and Plummer in 2014 — Lambkin spoke about meeting Herbert at Ambassador Hotel years ago. Back then Herbert “rinsed out” his ears about Christianity but Lambkin could not understand his joy but now he can empathise. Lambkin said he felt the same way when his “twin” Peters came to Christ; the two share the first and only joint Calypso Monarch title from 1994.

“I felt as if the other half of me has come home,” he explained.

Lambkin noted he was excited about Plummer and was hopeful about others as well. He said though there were only four of them the Holy Spirit was doing his work through and time is irrelevant to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He added there is room for “all and sundry in the kingdom”.

Under God’s direction On whether you can be a Christian and still perform in the calypso arena, Herbert said is about the path the Lord has directed people to walk. He noted if God told him to go into the environment and declare His word he would do so without hesitation. He said the Lord would equip him and he would be successful but he will not do it just because it is a “good idea”.

He said for now he has washed his hands of the calypso world but if God called on him to return the message would be the salvation of the soul and for men to repent and be baptised. He noted the foundation of his writing is kingdom- based and his mind has been made up to allow Jesus to rule his life as Lord.

“The only way to get into the spiritual realm is through Jesus Christ. He is the door,” he said.

Herbert said he is thankful he experienced both the world and the kingdom of God. He noted that with the band Charlie’s Roots he travelled the world and visited places like Rome, Paris, London, Finland and Japan. He noted he has tasted of the world but prefers to serve Jesus.

“Come and taste and see that the Lord is God,” he said