Solo act

The sweet sound of Natalie Yorke's voice has been around for decades. From lead vocalist with the band Blue Ventures, to singing background vocals for Carol Jacobs, and calypso greats like Slinger "Sparrow" Francisco, the late Winston "Shadow" Bailey, and the late Aldwyn "Lord Kitchener" Roberts, Yorke's voice has taken her around the world.

She told WMN, "I have always loved singing. Growing up I sang with the St Anthony's choir," at mass in the Petit Valley church, where she still commits her time and talent.

Now 52, after adding her spark to the performances of so many other artistes, Yorke has decided to test the waters as a solo artiste, using a show on August 3, at Kaiso Blues Café in Port of Spain as a springboard to launch her solo act. "The show is entitled Musical Montage and it will be an evening all about love. I will try to incorporate all types of music into the show. There will be R&B, soca, jazz, Samba. I'll be doing the music of Anita Baker, Sergio Mendes, Nadia Batson, Nailah Blackman. I want to see how people react to it," she said, before she considers going to the studio to record her own music.

Yorke told WMN she has never had any formal voice training and from as young as eight-years-old she had dreamed of being a vocalist. This reality of her dream began to unfold when musician Noel Aming asked her if she wanted to sing with Blue Ventures. "I was 18 then and I sang with the band for five years. I then moved on to sing supporting vocals for Carol Jacobs." While recording with Jacobs at Leston Paul's studio, Yorke said Paul was very impressed with what he heard, and this resulted in "a lot of work."

"After that I did background for Sparrow, Kitchener, Shadow. I toured with Kassav," the Sony France-signed Zouk band. She has also worked with a number of local artistes, among them David Rudder, Machel Montano, Aaron Duncan, Destra Garcia, Ella Andall, Kimba Sorzano, Fay-Ann Lyons, and international performers like Jamaican dancehall musician Shabba Ranks, Toni Tony Tone, Pitbull and Mighty Dow. She has performed with steel band greats Phase 2, Desperadoes, and Exodus, and was part of a local three-girl band called Shades of Black, singing all of Kassav's hits in English and touring France, Africa, Cannes, Guadeloupe and Martinique.

Last year, hers was the sweet background voice in the parang soca Waiz da One, sang by Blaize Valentine and recorded and produced by the late Ryan Romany at his World Beat Recording Studio, in Tunapuna. "I really enjoyed doing background and it's good money. I still had my eight to four administrative job, though. My mother never wanted me to be a performer, so I had to make sure and complete my studies. But I did tell her my voice would take me all around the world," she chuckled. But for her, background vocals is also much more than the money. "It gives you the opportunity to make a lot of good connections. It's like a calling card."

Yorke said even way back when she had left Blue Ventures, the desire to go solo had been there. "Through networking I met Shabba Ranks, who was doing a show here in Trinidad. His lead female vocalist was sick and I filled in for her. I got a taste of it and liked it." And although she had been doing soca for years, she admits it isn't really her passion. "Soca is a vibe that I really like and appreciate, but it doesn't challenge me enough. I really love R&B, pop, ballads." Some of the people who inspired her along the way were Ray Conniff, Andy Williams, and The Carpenters. "When you listen to different genres of music and you like what you hear it's easy to pull out the parts you hear and work with it."

Yorke had hoped the prevalence of jazz events taking place in TT and the region would have generated more of the type of work she loves, but she realised that wasn't going to happen unless she took action. "It's not as if they don't know me and my voice. I sat around waiting for a while, then decided, you know what, you all don't want to give me work so I'll create work for myself. I don't like to sit back and wait for other people."

Although this is her third solo show, she said the previous two were not as heavily advertised. "They were more of a word of mouth kind of thing. But this is the one," she said with fingers crossed.

Joining her on stage will be performers Francis Prime, Marilyn Williams, Heather Ann Guerra and Candice Antoine. "These are people I know. Some of them may not be well known, but they are good. They will be doing solo performances, and will also be doing my chorus."

For more information visit Natalie Yorke's Facebook page.