While he has written many songs during his 40-year career, Martiniquan singer Lu Wilson also enjoys covering classic tracks. Putting his stamp on them gives him personal satisfaction.
His latest cover is ‘Lady’, originally done in 1980 by Kenny Rogers. His reggae version was released in May by Pineapple Records.
“For me, covering a classic has never simply been about copying the original. It is about respecting the song, keeping its soul alive and then bringing my own reggae identity, experience and feeling to it,” said Lu Wilson.
He first heard about ‘Lady’ nearly 10 years after the song went number one in the United States. Written by Lionel Richie, it is one of the ballads that gave Rogers an audience outside of his country base.
Lu Wilson first heard of him when he was given a Kenny Rogers T-shirt by legendary bass guitarist Jaco Pastorious who performed at a festival in Martinique in the late 1980s. It was ‘Lady’ that introduced him to Rogers’ formidable catalog.
“I love interpreting great voices because for me, when a truly great vocalist sings you can feel something intimate from the person behind the voice. I believe that kind of voice is connected directly to the soul,” said Lu Wilson, who previously covered Bob Marley’s ‘ ‘Bend Down Low’ and ‘My Number One’ by Gregory Isaacs.
Born in what was then the Ivory Coast (now Côte d’Ivoire) to parents from Martinique, Lu Wilson also lived in France and the United Kingdom. Some of his biggest reggae influences are The Gladiators, Dennis Brown, Freddie McGregor, Sugar Minott and Hugh Mundell.
