Emile Straker

Straker was born on 31 March 1936 in Bridgetown, Barbados. He grew up in Queen’s Park and attended Harrison College. When he was 20, he joined the Purina Boys Steel Band. He also played with a group called the Calypso Bandits, with three Trinidadians. == Career ==

Straker returned to Barbados some of which recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London England. The group played around the world including in Bermuda at the Tennis Stadium on April 16, 1966, in London at Royal Festival Hall and Royal Albert Hall, in Toronto at the Superdome, in the United States at Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden, and in the Netherlands. The band broke up temporarily in 2013. == Awards and honours ==

Straker was awarded an honorary doctorate in law from the University of the West Indies. The orator described him as "a legend from the world of Barbadian music, a man whose unforgettable songs have formed a soundtrack to our lives for nearly fifty years, a man who has done more than anyone else to bring the very best of Caribbean folk arts and culture to a global audience". In 2019, Straker was knighted at a ceremony at the Kensington Oval in Barbados by the Governor-General Sandra Mason. == Personal life ==

Straker married Joyce Irene Johnson on 18 November 1961. The couple had three children. His wife died in 2021. In 2023, Straker published his autobiography, "My Island and Me". As at 2026, Straker lives in Barbados with late-stage dementia. ==References==