KYLE PETERS’S name pops up quite often as the featured guitarist on popular local tunes.
Even if you don’t check credits, you’re probably familiar with his work through songs like Mical Teja’s DNA and Runaway, Peace of Mind by Voice (Aaron St Louis), Anxiety by Patrice Roberts and Carry It by Bunji Garlin (Ian Antonio Alvarez), among others.
With a love of music spanning over three decades and a journey grounded on persistence, Peters continues to excel.
Love at first string
Peters, 39, was raised in Palo Seco in south Trinidad and attended the Siparia Boys’ RC Primary School and St Benedict’s College in La Romaine.
He told Newsday his mother, Denise Jones-Peters, played guitar and he was always in awe when he saw her perform. She also sang.
She told him he would try to pick up her guitar to play it around age four.
He too tried out singing and did “a couple of duets” with her at special church events, he recalled, laughing.
“She was the choir mistress at Los Bajos RC Church…So anything pertaining to music, she would have been leading.”
Recognising his strong interest in music, she enrolled him in Joseph’s School of the Arts in Siparia at seven.
“My teacher was Mr Ashford Joseph and he was actually (my mom’s) teacher as well.”
[caption id="attachment_1126643" align="alignnone" width="683"] - Lincoln Holder[/caption]
Joseph, who died in 2016, was a musician and composer who taught many local musicians and artistes including Machel Montano.
Admittedly, as a child, young Kyle looked forward to spending his Saturday mornings unwinding from the school week and watching cartoons on TV. So he was not too thrilled when he learnt he had “more school” to attend then.
“But I had the passion for it and I enjoyed it,” he said.
He started with the cuatro and then moved to the guitar.
“Mr Joseph was a phenomenal guy ... He was big on discipline, and I think he saw something in me that I probably didn't see in myself. He always pushed me, and there was always that driving force from him.
Peters also learnt to play the steelpan, piano, and drums.
“I played the tenor pan, I did a couple of grades in piano, learnt trapset and African drums ... and now I play the acoustic, electric and bass guitars.”
Opening for a legend
While at St Benedict’s College, he started a musical ensemble that went on to perform at local competitions like Sanfest and the TT Music Festival.
“One particular year at Sanfest, I arranged a song (Dr Macumba) by Earl Klugh, one of my favourite guitarists, and we won that year.
“One of the adjudicators, when he was handing me the certificate, was like, ‘I don’t know what allyuh smoking at that school, but that was phenomenal.’”
To this day, Peters finds the interaction hilarious.
He said the late legendary South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela was in TT for a show that year at Atherly’s Restaurant and Bar in San Fernando.
“They invited us to open for him.”
Asked if he or his group members knew who Masekela was at the time, he admitted they initially had no clue.
