Gene Lawrence, 75, is hailed as one of the Caribbean’s most versatile and accomplished musicians, and every musical thread he has woven throughout his illustrious career has turned into gold.
Born in St Vincent, he has the unique pleasure of being a citizen of T&T, St Lucia and St Vincent. Lawrence, who has been married to Katherine Buxo for 51 years, is the father of Barry Lawrence and Jodi Phillips.
Lawrence has fond memories of his childhood in St Vincent and in Trinidad, an experience which endears him to both countries. “I left St Vincent at the age of nine,” said Lawrence this week. “My family owned Brighton & Connery estates up in the country in Georgetown, but we lived in Kingstown. I lived close to a place named Victoria Park where all the major sporting activities on the island took place, like football and cricket so, as a child I enjoyed the things all boys enjoy. When the family migrated to Grenada I attended Presentation College where I wrote GCE.
“Most of my holidays were spent in Trinidad but I came to live in Trinidad around the age of 16. A lot of guys remember me from school holidays and think that I was Trinidadian. I grew up with guys like John Henderson, Syl Dopson, Willy West and John ‘Buddy’ Williams, all good musicians. The steelband and guitar were my big entry into music.” Lawrence recalled playing pan in St Vincent and subsequently adopted the guitar as his instrument of choice.
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