ROGER GIBBS

Roger Gibbs is an acclaimed ethnomusicologist, performer, and arranger who began his career

in Barbados as the lead singer and guitarist for The Merryboys and The Sandpebbles. He later

served as Music Secretary for CARIFESTA 1981 before relocating to Canada in 1986. A leading

authority on Caribbean music, Roger's research led to the rare preservation of a Barbadian folk

chant in UNESCO's Memory of the World register in 2017.

In Toronto, Roger has served as Artistic Director for Worlds of Music Toronto and the Toronto

Caribbean Carnival. He was a long-time performer with the Collective of Black Artists (COBA),

musical director for major theatrical productions like I, Marcus Garvey, and founder of OCPA's

Calypso Stars.

A dedicated educator, Roger has spent seven years conducting the Caribbean Acoustic

ensemble program for the Canadian Caribbean Association of Halton, alongside sharing

instructional calypso guitar videos online. He is currently completing a Master's degree in

calypso rhythms at York University. Roger leads the Caribbean acoustic band Shak Shak and

has released five albums, including Bim – Folk Songs of Barbados and Shak Shak Party.

rogergibbs.email@gmail.com