Corie Sheppard Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Episode Description : In this episode, we sit down with pianist, singer, and producer Johanna Chukaree — better known as D Piano Girl — for an honest and uplifting conversation about creativity, healing, and purpose. Johanna shares her journey from early classical training and national music festival wins to a corporate career in engineering and HR — before finally stepping fully...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Lou Lyons shares the journey from growing up in a strict Tobago household with no TV to co-founding Freetown Collective and becoming a voice for cultural introspection. We talk about his early love for vinyl, the creation of Full Disclosure, and how the pandemic pushed him deeper into music and self-discovery. Lou reflects on the spiritual responsibility of artist...

Send us Fan Mail After that conversation with Kenny Phillips, we had to do this! Here’s a special bonus episode featuring the actual music he spoke about—Machel, Baron, chutney soca beginnings, and more. Enjoy! #coriesheppardpodcast #kennyphillips #soca #calypso #trinidadandtobago #bonusvibes #wackradio

Send us Fan Mail This week on The Corie Sheppard Podcast, we sit down with Kenny Phillips — legendary guitarist, producer, studio owner, and the cultural force behind WACK Radio. From playing with Kitchener and Singing Sandra to mentoring a young Dexter Simmons (who went on to engineer for Beyoncé and Michael Jackson), Kenny shares the untold stories behind soca, calypso, chutney soca, and ragga s...

Send us Fan Mail This week on The Corie Sheppard Podcast , we sit down with Glen Niles, founder and president of the Down Syndrome Family Network. What started as a deeply personal journey—navigating the unexpected birth of his son Tyrese with Down syndrome—evolved into a national advocacy movement challenging outdated systems, stigma, and silence. Glen shares the emotional rollercoaster of diagno...

Send us Fan Mail This week we welcome the ever-relevant, ever-fierce Kurt Allen — calypsonian, social commentator, and one of only three people who have won both Calypso and Soca Monarch.  From his early days as a teen composer to leading Roy Cape All Stars and shaking up Skinner Park with hard-hitting commentary, “The Last Badjohn of Calypso” holds nothing back. We talk competition politics, gett...

Send us Fan Mail On this week’s episode of Corie Sheppard Podcast, we sit  with Muhammad Muwakil — poet, performer, and frontman of Freetown Collective. From his early childhood in Carenage to growing up at the Jamaat al-Muslimeen compound on Mucurapo Road, Muhammad shares a deeply personal account of life before, during, and after the 1990 attempted coup.  He opens up about community, and what ju...

Send us Fan Mail On this week’s episode of The Corie Sheppard Podcast, we sit down with Colin Lucas — the voice behind “Dollar Wine” and a pioneer in soca and band culture. From the foundation of Sound Revolution to his corporate leadership roles at the Port Authority, TTPost, and NCC, Colin reflects on a life that moved between big stages and boardrooms. He shares the true origin story behind “Do...

Send us Fan Mail We finally get a chance to catch up and talk about the election results and some other matters at hand. Enjoy!

Send us Fan Mail This week on The Corie Sheppard Podcast, we link up with friend of the show, Kiegs - one of the best voices in Soca Parang and the life of many a wedding. From his early days performing at company competitions and house to house parang to becoming one of the most sought-after hosts in T&T. Kiegs shares the heart, hustle, and humour and the stories behind the journey. We talk m...

Send us Fan Mail In this unforgettable episode, we sit  with the legendary David Michael Rudder—poet, prophet, and one of the most powerful voices to emerge from Trinidad & Tobago. Rudder speaks openly about his journey through music, from the early days with Charlie’s Roots to his solo classics that became anthems for the Caribbean spirit. He shares deeply personal reflections on living with...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Corie Sheppard Podcast, I reason with the one and only Ozy Merrique — entertainer, producer, author, and visual artist whose fingerprints are all over Trinidad and Tobago’s creative landscape. Ozy takes us back to his early start on Party Time, shares the hilarious story of how he borrowed (and somehow never returned) David Rudder’s classic 1986 Calypso Mona...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode, we sit with legendary sculptor and visual artist Ben Gayah — joined by his wife Janine — for a powerful conversation on art, legacy, and love. Ben shares how he got started as an artist, the challenges of making it in Trinidad and Tobago, and the stories behind his massive sculptures at St. Mary’s Fete and the mural on the Parliament building. With Jan...

Send us Fan Mail This week we sit with Adrian Scoon, CEO of wOw Events, the company behind Spirit Mas, Soaka, Iron Park & Mecka. Adrian dives into the business of Carnival, creativity, and cultural innovation. From the origins of Soaka to the launch of Travel Haeven, a new travel planning platform designed to help the global Carnival chaser curate their Trinidad Carnival experience. Adrian wal...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we sit with Conrad Baird , founder of Affordable Imports Studios , for an inspiring deep dive into grit, growth, and creative entrepreneurship.  After being ousted from an accounting job he loved, Conrad pivoted hard — starting off by buying and selling equipment, then quickly expanding into audio-visual rentals. What began with selling out of a van in Uncle Beddo...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we welcome the legendary Duvone Stewart, one of the most revered steelpan arrangers and musical minds in Trinidad and Tobago. From his humble beginnings in Tobago and moving to Nelson Street, to commanding global stages with his unmatched talent, Duvone takes us on a journey through his love affair with the pan, the evolution of his craft, and the discipline that...

Send us Fan Mail What else could we name episode 222? This episode is full of Kaiso about....you know what -  and a heavy dose of cemetery kaisos of course as we were just as shocked as everyone else with 'influencer' Gabby Fequire popularly known as Gabby Fe's carnival stories. If you missed this you're under a rock and you better off staying there unless you see her coming. C...

Send us Fan Mail We're joined today by Traffik lead singer, Eddie Charles. Eddie is the last man standing from the era of the brass band lead singers. Eddie has brought big band Traffik back on the road and he tells us about his gigs for the 2025 season. We got into the difference between today's artists singing with backing tracks vs using his own vocals and back up singers. Of course w...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode we join the silly season with the rest of the country. The election date is here, Rowlers' handover is complete and Stuart Young is now the jefe. He done establish dominance with a. cabinet reshuffle like a true top dawg. Somehow we had him down as a softy after seeing him fall off the stage what day but who knew he was a bully in his school days....

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode we're fortunate to be joined by Franka Philip for customary canaval wrap-up. Franka is a journalist and media consultant with 25 years experience in online, radio and print with specialist skills in digital media. We do a mini review of the fetes we attended during the season and we hear Franka's expert opinion on the elements that make for a...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode we're joined by the legendary Sistaron. We get into her beginnings in the industry and her classic Sistaron ah Come alongside the great General Grant. We get into the classic No Compromise album featuring, Ghettorians, Kindred, General Grant & Sistaron with production by Sheldon '$hel $shok' Benjamin that birther the Kiskidee Karavan...

Send us Fan Mail This week we’re joined by the oldest breakout artiste in the history of Trinidad & Tobago – Jungie.  If you don’t know Jungie, just know that your favourite artiste knows him. He’s been around since the days of Kisskidee Caravan and has worked with and around some of the biggest names in the industry and 2025 he ketch a length with his breakout tune – Drinking Rum. If you’re o...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode we're joined by Zan Zan is a young veteran in the soca industry and we get into some of his hits over the years, his time working as part of Machel Montano's HD band and his current role as the lead singer of The A Team Band. We talk about his friendship and working relationship with Tony Chow Lin On, Shal Marshal, Tim Tim & Kernel Roberts...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode we're joined by friend of the show Mistah Shak. We talk about some of his classics in the Kaiso arena and his new classic Brand New Lover. Much to our surprise Shak didn't make it to Skinner Park this year and he tells us he isn't surprised. We talk about the state of Kaiso as we see more and more mainstream soca artistes and popular pers...

Send us Fan Mail This is a special episode as we are joined by a long time contributor and friend of the show Omari Ashby, a man who wears many crowns and wears them in style! We get into the forming of Kindred and the origins of Kiskidee Caravan.  We also get to talk about his entrepreneurial side and his clothing line, Saga Boy Culture and why he decided to get into the academics as he pursues h...