Adisa Andwele

Adisa Andwele
Born Michael Richards
Rockhall, St. Thomas, Barbados
Occupation Poet
Nationality Barbadian
Genre Rhythm poetry
Notable awards Barbados Poet of the Year (1991)
Author of the Year (Barbados) (1992)
Children 2

Michael Richards, better known as Adisa Andwele, is a rhythm poet from Barbados.[1]

Biography

Born in Rock Hall, St. Thomas, Richards first found fame in the late 1970s with the poetry collection Whispers in the Spirit.[2] He began working with musicians, incorporating Caribbean rhythms with his poems, and appeared with the Re-emergence band.[2][3] A second collection, Rhythm an' Roots, was published in 1989, and Richards became the first poet to stage a solo performance in Barbados in 1990.[2] In 1991 the album Mike Richards and the Re-Emergence Band Live was issued, and Richards was named Barbados Poet of the Year.[2] A third collection of poetry, Black Distant Voice, was published in 1992, winning him the Author of the Year award.[2] That year he adopted the stage name Adisa Andwele.[2]

His second album, Conscious, was released in 1993, and he began performing in the US and Canada.[2] He signed to Eddy Grant's Ice label in the mid-1990s and released the Doin' It Safe album in 1990, recorded with the band Jamari.[2]

More recently, Andwele has acted as coordinator of the 'Soca Royale' competition.[4]

Publications

Discography

References

  1. ↑ Best, Curwen (2012) The Popular Music and Entertainment Culture of Barbados: Pathways to Digital Culture, Scarecrow Press, ISBN 978-0-8108-7749-8, p. 107
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Thompson, Dave (2002) Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, ISBN 0-87930-655-6, p. 21-2
  3. ↑ Habekost, Christian (1993) Verbal Riddim: Politics and Aesthetics of African-Caribbean Dub Poetry, Rodopi BV, ISBN 978-9051835496, p. 36
  4. ↑ "Preparations underway for soca battle", Nation News, 3 July 2010, retrieved 10 September 2012