He is a steel drum player, percussionist, composer and teacher born in Success Village, Laventille, Trinidad, whose uncle, Carl Greenidge, was an arranger and tuner known for his work.
He began by playing for the Savoys Steel Orchestra when he was eight years old and by the time he was fifteen he was a member of Desperadoes who were an award winning steel orchestra in Trinidad. The following few years saw him embarking on international tours that took him to Africa, Europe, Great Britain and Canada and in 1970 he was chosen as a soloist of the Trinidad National Steel Orchestra.
Relocating to the United States in 1971, he worked at the Third Street Musical Conservatory in New York where he began composing and arranging music and he then began arranging, performing, and touring with the Music Makers Steel Orchestra in Los Angeles, California, where he would settle in 1974. Beginning to get his name known among artists in the field of popular music, he has since been called upon to work with artists such as Earth Wind & Fire, John Lennon, Taj Mahal, Barry Manilow, Harry Nilsson, Ringo Starr, Grover Washington Jr and Brian Wilson .
He returned to Trinidad in 1978 to work with the Desperadoes Steel Orchestra and Rudolph Charles who had created new types of drums. While there, he appeared in the Trinidad Carnival in 1979, which he has performed at every year since.
He began recording with Jimmy Buffett in the early 1980s as a member of his Coral Reefer Band and since that time he has recorded many albums and appeared on tour with them. He is also a member of he group Club Trini with Michael Utley from the Coral Reefer Band .
During the course of his successful career so far he has appeared on albums such as his own From the Heart, Power Light and Love Songs by Earth Wind & Fire, Double Fantasy by John Lennon , Mad Music and Margarita Cafi: Late Night Live with Club Trini, Be As You Are by Kenny Chesney , Another Passenger by Carly Simon , Street Talk by Steve Perry, Love Songs and Winelight by Grover Washington Jr ., Barry by Barry Manilow, That’s The Way It Is by Harry Nilsson, One Particular Harbor, Christmas Island, Last Mango in Paris, License to Chill, Off to See the Lizard and Floridays by Jimmy Buffett , Addictions Vol.1 by Robert Palmer and Rotogravure by Ringo Starr . Bringing his art to the world of television and movies, his work has featured in the soundtracks of Commando, Working Girl, Hard to Kill, 48 Hours, Cool Running and Clara’s Heart and on the TV shows Jackson Five Special, Saturday Night Live, Love Boat, The Fall Guy, Dynasty, Fantasy Island, every year since 1987 on The Tonight Show either with Johnny Carson or Jay Leno and in commercials for 7up, McDonalds, and with Taj Mahal for Corona Beer.
In musical education he has given clinics and workshops at the Northern Illinois University, University of North Texas and Brooklyn College, New York.
Here he is doing a solo performance on the steel drums…
Sources:
- http://www.robertgreenidge.com/biography.html
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Greenidge
- http://www.steelisland.com/robert_greenidge.asp
- http://www.margaritaville.com/index.php?page=greenidge
- http://ecaroh.com/pan/robertgreenidge_fromtheheart.htm
- http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Robert%20Greenidge:1927065299
- http://www.buffettnews.com/bandmember90.html