Profiles
Profile:Mr. Dale
By pyramidartists.com
Jan 30, 2008, 6:08

Acknowledged as an artiste of exceptional quality, Dale “Mr. Dale” Rudder blasted onto the Barbados soca stage in 1998 with the self-penned hit single “Kaylaylay”.

The single dominated the number one spot on all local radio stations during the Crop Over season of that year, and critics agreed that the young artiste was destined to be a force to reckon with, not only in his native Barbados but also in the international music arena.

They were not far off the mark, “Kaylaylay” took over the charts throughout the Caribbean and was number one song for three weeks on 1190 AM WLIB radio station in New York. It later became a major dancehall hit throughout France and most of Europe and a huge party hit in the 1999 Trinidad & Tobago Carnival. The popularity of “Kaylaylay” saw Mr. Dale touring extensively to Europe, North America, Venezuela, and to Guadeloupe and Martinique where his tremendous popularity made him a household name.

Mr. Dale’s obvious God-given talent quickly attracted the feverish attention of many producers in the region and he soon joined forces with ace producer Chris Allman of Slam City Records. The two immediately forged a singer/songwriter/producer bond and together have been a major force to date.

As a songwriter, Mr. Dale has already penned for such regional luminaries as Alison Hinds, T.C, RPB, John King and Arrow. He was recently acknowledged as song-writer supreme when his Keisha Christian-sung composition “Love Zone” was awarded Best Raggasoka (female) at the inaugural 2005/2006 Barbados Music Awards and his Tiffany G-sung composition “Change” won the Junior Calypso Monarch.

Mr. Dale was again the go-to songwriter for 2006/2007 with his compilation CD entitled Soka Titechoonz Vol.1. This CD contained numerous hits including the Alison Hinds/Mr. Dale collaboration “Just Because”, Miguel White’s “Cutie Girl”, TC’s “Til de Morning” , Natasha’s “One More time” and Barry Chandler’s “Flames” to name a few. Mr. Dale capped a successful 2006 by winning the coveted “Songwriter of the Year” award from the National Cultural Foundation for his vast contribution in 2006. His most recent Chris Allman produced track “Born Fuh Dis” is now enjoying major international airplay and is keeping the artiste extremely busy and in demand in North America.

As a performer, Mr. Dale has become a perennial finalist at both the Pic-O-De-Crop and Party Monarch competitions.

A shy, behind-the-scenes personality off stage, it still remains a mystery to many how this artiste literally transforms from the moment the bright lights hit the stage. It is this mystique, his natural gift for penning quality songs and the distinctive, sweet yet powerful voice that make Mr. Dale stand out from the crowd.

Considering that his musical influences include Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, the Mighty Gabby and Jackie Opel, it is easy to tell where Mr. Dale gets the musical depth that is way beyond his mere twenty-something years.

Crop Over 2007 has been the pinnacle of Mr. Dale’s career, his groovy track “Soka Junkie” earned him both the People's Monarch and Road March Winner titles and his placed 2nd in the Party Monarch Finals.

“Music is my lifelong mission and I was ordained by the highest High to entertain and uplift the people.” That’s Mr. Dale!