Mathures Paul

There are three ways to get close to the King ~ listen to his music, visit Graceland and meet a tribute artiste. Stephen Kabakos visits Kolkata to belt out the King’s greatest hits, writes Mathures Paul ‘Yes sir, I will try to answer your queries.’ Dressed in a loosely fitting suit, hair neatly combed, Stephen Kabakos made his entry into the room. He reminded one of the many youngsters who went head over heels listening to Elvis Presley, caring little for the revolution that would strike America a few years later ~ The Beatles. Instead of calling himself an impersonator, he likes to be known as a ‘tribute artiste’ and he indeed presented a great show. Prior to the concert, we found him practising wearing a flaming orange top, belting out Don’t Be Cruel with Presley’s trademark smirk. He followed it up with Love Me Tender, his voice longing to match the King’s. “But I will never be the King. There was, is and will be only one King ~ Elvis Presley,” he told The Statesman later. After a f...

When Trini Lopez first heard The Beatles, he thought the group would not become a phenomenon. Popular for hits like Lemon Tree, La Bamba, Shame and Scandal and If I had a Hammer, the singer takes a break from working on his 63rd album to walk down memory lane with Mathures Paul No Western music request show on All India Radio is ever complete without a song from Trini Lopez. The poor boy from Dallas, Texas, sold lemonade to earn a living. After his father caught him “hanging around the wrong kind of kids”, a spanking followed. Trinidad Lopez Sr. was saddened by the incident and bought him a guitar with $12. The rest is history. Two generations grew up on songs like If I Had A Hammer, La Bamba and Perfidia. But why, since the 1980s, do we hear less from Trini Lopez? Like other artistes, not everyone can stay on top all the time. But the primary objectives are to be around and be heard once in a while. Even when a singer dies somebody would play the person’s records once in a while. Bein...