PAYING HOMAGE

Trinidadian-born, Canadian singer, songwriter and entertainer Anslem Douglas sang the praises and serenaded 13 phenomenal women Saturday evening during the 10th Annual Phenomenal Woman Awards at the Queens Museum of Art.

Brooklyn resident Douglas brought the house down, with “Too Sweet,” “Ohh Ahh” and “Who Let The Dogs Out,” his original and signature masterpiece, during the gala affair, organized by the Far Rockaway, Queens-based La “V” en Rose Productions.

Haitian-born Rose Guerrier, founder and president of La “V” en Rose Productions, shared the role of Master/Mistress of Ceremonies with her cousin, Jacques M. Leandre, an attorney.

“In my 34-plus-years on stage, performing from Antigua to Zimbabwe, I still find the most pleasure in performing to a well-dressed seated audience,” Douglas told Caribbean Life exclusively afterwards. “On Saturday, the 16th of March, at the Queens Museum, that was perfection. The venue, the occasion and the audience, dressed to the nines, placed me in a Heaven on earth.

“The 10th anniversary of Phenomenal Woman Awards was an amazing event, as we all came out to pay homage to the women in our community who have done and continue to do amazing things,” he added.

“I felt very privileged to be one of the performers to shower them with praise and serenade them with a few of my songs,” Douglas continued. “Thank you Rose (Guerrier) and your committee for blessing me with the opportunity to perform to such an elegant audience and community-oriented awardees.”

Douglas, who was born on July 23, 1964, in a small village in Southern Trinidad, said music has always been the core of his being.

He said he was introduced to the artform at a very young age, with exposure to performances at the local community center, combined with his older sister’s influence, who, at the time, was a talented young poet.

The singer said his sister served as “the inspiration and foundation” for his musical development.

Douglas said his vocal talent flourished while singing at his local Pentecostal Church.

Anslem Douglas serenades phenomenal women during the 10th Annual Phenomenal Woman Awards at the Queens Museum of Art.  Photo by Nelson A. King

At 16, he said he and several of his church friends formed a band called “Exodus,” which quickly gained popularity and provided him with a glimpse of stardom.

Douglas said he enlisted in the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard for six years and continued to hone his vocal skills while performing in the Coast Guard band.

His diverse musical influences included Caribbean star Blakie and Lord Kitchener, and R&B vocalists Peabo Bryson and James Ingram, which led to his performing various musical styles with the band.

The appeal of bigger stages and brighter lights eventually led Douglas to Trinidad and Tobago’s vibrant soca and calypso music scene.

Douglas said it didn’t take long for him to become recognized as a leading talent. He performed with some of the biggest bands in the region, including Fire Flight and Atlantic.

He said audiences were drawn to his husky, yet sultry, sound, adding that it was during this time that he delivered mega-hits like, “Ragga Poom Poom”, “Good Music To Dance”, and his internationally-acclaimed, GRAMMY-winning hit, “Who Let the Dogs Out.”

Several of Douglas’ other songs also rose to prominence, such as “Friend,” from his Soul Island album, where he takes listeners through a range of human experiences; “Ooh Aah,” a Smooth-Jazz hit off of the same record; and “Abuse” on the “Sir Anslem Douglas” album that speaks of social outrage relating to domestic violence.

In 2013, Douglas released the powerful soca track “Bacchanal,” along with a neo-calypso song “Dancing with You,” and “I Want To Know.”

The following year, he released “Boom,” “Broughtrupcy,” and the velvety reggae track “It Wasn’t You.”

In 2018, Douglas recorded “Irie Tonight,” followed by “Make It Clap” in 2019, and the single “Back It Up,” which he released for carnival that year.

Douglas said he wrote the song “Break That Cycle” to heighten awareness surrounding the issue of domestic abuse and the need to “break the cycle.”

He said his musical accomplishments have been acknowledged outside of the Caribbean. He was awarded Best Caribbean-Style Artist at the 2014 Black Canadian Awards, among other recognitions.

For the past several years, Douglas said he has continued to perform, record and write songs, while also focusing on other pursuits, including writing his first children’s book, The Adventures of Spin & Scratch-The Relocation (Author House Publishing, 2019).

Douglas said his forthcoming music project is an R&B/Soul album recorded in New York City in 2019/2020 with one of Brazil’s top producers, Sandro Albert. It is expected to be released later this year.

You can reach Douglas at Anslemmusic@gmail.com.