Hilton Samuel: A pillar of the community

When I got to Hilton Samuel’s home, a gentleman greeted me at the door.

“Hi, I am here for Hoplin,” I said. He asked for a last name, and I provided it. Then he asked if I had the name written down.

I took out my notebook, and upon looking at my notes saw the name of the person interviewing was named “Hilton,” not “Hoplin,” as I had said!

I embarrassingly admitted that I had gotten the name wrong, and the gentleman told me it was not a problem.

He then got me a chair, and brought me into a den, full of awards. He sat across from me, and I asked him how he knew Hilton, he then said: “I am Hilton!”

I burst out laughing! “I am so sorry,” I said, and we both had a good laugh.

That story is a testament to the kind of man Hilton Samuel is. He was not upset that I got his name mistaken, or did not recognize him. He describes himself as very laid back, and down to Earth, and I have to agree.

He got his start singing in Tobago, where his mom always sang in the house. He and his siblings were all musically inclined, and when they were young, they sang in a group.

When he was 15, he performed for the first time in front of an audience, and when he was 20, he won the competition, Scouting for Talent, on the island.

After winning the competition, Samuel’and his sister were recruited to come to a music school here in the United States. The school failed to materialize, but lucky for us, Hilton decided to stay.

Hilton Samuel outside of his home, with two of his lifetime achievement awards. Photo by Ebony Prescod

Samuel’ has always stepped up and volunteered in the community, performing for the 67th Precinct Concert, church events, and the Yvette Clark Circle for years.

Because he won the Scouting for Talent competition in Tobago, he has been very involved in the Trinidadian & Tobago community here in the US, performing at events such as the National Tobago Alliance Scholarship Award. He has even received a lifetime achievement award from the Trinidad & Tobago Ex-Police Association and the Victoria St. Clair Academy. But, he said he does not sing to get awards. “I just do it because I love it,” he said.

He sings a great variety of music from r&b to calypso, funk, and a little Spanish. In the past few years, gospel has become one of his favorite genres to sing. A testament to his commitment to the community, Hilton sings at funerals when he is asked, and it is there where he sang his first gospel song.

Samuel’ feels moved to sing songs that inspire hope, and move people. He recalled a time where he did a show with an orchestra, and someone came up to him afterwards and told them they were moved to tears.

He chooses his songs very carefully. Although he does not write songs, he takes his lyrics very seriously. He will only perform a song if he feels moved by it, because he strongly feels that if it does not move him, it will not move his audience while he performs it.

“Good lyrics,” he said, “can change a person’s inner self, their thinking, and their outlook on life.”

Samuel’ has been singing for more than 30 years, and has no intention of stopping. He plans to retire next year, but continue to sing and uplift the community at events for the rest of his life.