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The Supertones Band is a West Indian band specializing in Chutney music, which is a very popular Caribbean music style with Indian influences.
Being the most toured international Chutney-Soca band based in the U.S., Supertones has toured the U.S., Canada, Guyana, Suriname, The Netherlands, Spain, and England. [1] They are the first Chutney-Soca band to launch an app in the iPhone and Android markets. They are also the first West Indian band to play off-Broadway. [2] The Supertones Band has performed at Caribbean Carnivals, such as Miami Carnival, Tampa Carnival, Minnesota’s Twin Cities Carifest, Toronto’s Caribana, etc. They also opened or headlined other Chutney and Soca events being sponsored by the largest promotion group in the industry, Soiree, based in Orlando, Florida. [1]
Avinash Singh is also the leader of the band on stage, playing the keyboards and programmed arrangements.
“Princess Anisa” Singh, is the lead female vocalist. [1]
“King Raj” Singh is the lead male vocalist.
Although they specialize in Chutney music, The Supertones Band also records and performs a wide range of other genres, including soca, reggae, dancehall, Bollywood, and reggaeton. Their hit song, “Tek Sunita” by Princess Anisa was ranked among the top Chutney songs on music charts in Guyana, Canada, Trinidad, US, Suriname and the Netherlands. [3]
The Supertones Band's music can be heard on many albums, but they have also produced their own albums:
- BombaTrax (2000)
- Avi and The Supertones Band (2003)
- Blazing Chutney Dance Mix (2005)
- Blazing Chutney Dance Mix, Volume 2 (2006)
- Red Hot Supertones Band (2009)
- Carnival On The Road (2011) [1]
The Supertones Band has received many Certifications of Excellence or Appreciation from many cities in the US, such as a Proclamation from Jersey City, NJ, but their Awards include:
2009 West Indian Music Award for:
- “Best Performing Stage Band”
- “Best Recorded Band”
- “Best Crossover Band”
2011 West Indian Music Award for:
- “Video of the Year” (for Princess Anisa's hit song, Tek Sunita.)
2013 West Indian Music Award for:
- “Outstanding Contribution to Music”
- “Female Singer of the Year” (Princess Anisa)
- “Best Music Director” (Avinash Singh) [4]
Soca music is a genre of music defined by Lord Shorty, its inventor, as the "Soul of Calypso", which has influences of African and East Indian rhythms. It was originally spelled "sokah" by its inventor but through an error in a local newspaper when reporting on the new music it was erroneously spelled "soca"; Lord Shorty confirmed the error but chose to leave it that way to avoid confusion. It is a genre of music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago in the early 1970s and developed into a range of styles during the 1980s and after. Soca was initially developed by Lord Shorty in an effort to revive traditional calypso, the popularity of which had been flagging amongst younger generations in Trinidad due to the rise in popularity of reggae from Jamaica and soul and funk from the United States. Soca is an offshoot of Calypso/Kaiso, with influences from East Indian rhythms and hooks.
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Laxmichand "Babla" Virji Shah and Kumari Kanchan Dinkarrao Mali-Shah were an Indian husband-wife musical group best known for work in the chutney music and Desi Folk music genres. They performed together for forty years until Kanchan died in 2004. Babla Shah is the younger brother of famous music director duo Kalyanji Anandji.
Drupatee Ramgoonai is an Trinidadian and Tobagonian chutney and chutney soca musician. She was responsible for coining the term "chutney soca" in 1987 with her first album, entitled Chutney Soca, which included both English and Hindustani versions of the songs. She had her biggest hit the following year when her "(Roll Up the Tassa) Mr. Bissessar" was a Road March contender. She was instrumental in tassa and chutney soca finding its place in Carnival and her efforts later led to competitions such as Chutney Soca Monarch.
Sundar Popo HBM, born Sundarlal Popo Bahora was a Trinidadian and Tobagonian musician. He is credited as being the father of Chutney music, beginning with his 1969 hit Nana and Nani.
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Caribbean Hindustani is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by Indo-Caribbeans and the Indo-Caribbean diaspora. It is a koiné language mainly based on the Bhojpuri and Awadhi dialects. These Hindustani dialects were the most spoken dialects by the Indians who came as immigrants to the Caribbean from India as indentured laborers. It is closely related to Fiji Hindi and the Bhojpuri-Hindustani spoken in Mauritius and South Africa.
Ravi Bissambhar, also known as Ravi B, is a Trinidadian chutney musician.
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Heeralal Rampartap is an Indo-Trinidadian entertainer. He has repeatedly produced hits and has won numerous awards both locally and internationally. He is a three-time International Chutney Soca Monarch — in 1997, 2003 and 2005 – and the National Chutney Monarch of 2002 and 2003. He has also taken first place in the Indian Cultural Pageant for three consecutive years and won the first Tuco Chutney Monarch in 2005 followed by two further wins in 2006, 2007 and 2008. He received the National Humming Bird Silver Medal for Culture in Trinidad and Tobago in 2005.
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