Lord Kitchener’s former Manager,
Errol Peru recounts his first
encounter with the Grandmaster
ERROL PERU
Kitch and I: How a Song Changed My Life
The year 2022 marks the 22th anniversary since the death of The Grandmaster Kitchener. Born Aldwyn Roberts in Arima, Trinidad on April 18th, 1922 and hailed as one of Trinidad and Tobago’s most gifted musicians — with a record of 11 Road March wins – the kingdom of calypso lost one of its most cherished sons in February 2000 at age 78 after a battle with multiple myeloma. In commemorating 22 years since Kitchener’s passing, Wave reached out to former manager and friend, Errol Peru to share some memories of meeting The Grandmaster for the first time, and becoming the icon’s personal manager for 11 years until his passage in 2002.
ERROL PERU: I always have to laugh when I am asked that question (of meeting Kitch for the first time). It was 1990. I was on my way to work at McCaan-Erickson Advertising Agency and stuck in heavy traffic on the way. While the traffic crawled along, the car radio was on and playing Christmas music: it was the station’s 90 Days of Christmas promotion, and the deejay put on Kitchener’s Drink Ah Rum and Ah Ponche Crema. It hit me right then.
I said, “Whoa! This could make a great jingle for Angostura rum. I am thinking this because advertising was my job and Angostura was one of our clients. So while stuck in traffic, I started jotting down some minor changes in the lyrics he sang. I got to the office and went to my GM who was also` the account executive for Angostura. And before I could finish my pitch, he interrupted and said, “Errol, go by Kitchener and sell it. We running with that.” Well, you could imagine the look on my face, because the only time I would have seen the great Kitchener was onstage or on TV.
It took me close to a week to build up the courage. All I could see is little Errol going to big Kitchener. My GM after a day or two realized that I wasn’t coming back with anything, so he went to the chairman of the company and told him, “Errol has this idea for a campaign using Lord Kitchener, but he’s sitting down on it.” The chairman summoned me to his office and said, “Either you go get Kitchener and sell the idea or I will fire you.”
Another four days passed and on a Sunday morning around half past two, I turned restless in my bed and said, ‘You know something, Errol, I’m going by Kitchener this morning, I’m going. But I also told myself, I will go after I ate, so if I have to get boof, at least I would have a full stomach.”
I had breakfast, and then lunch, and headed down to Rainorama (Kitchener’s home) in Diego Martin. At the gate is this big bell with a string. I rang and waited. Nobody came out.
I rang again. And after about five or six minutes, I saw someone peep through a curtain, I realized it was a woman and the curtain closed back.
Another two or three minutes passed. So as I am ready to bounce my starter to leave, I saw Kitchener coming out; he came out on the porch and down the steps in a pair of grey trousers, merino and slippers. He is walking down to the gate and by then, I’m trembling: What am I going to tell him?
“You know something Errol, I’m going bY Kitchener this morning,
I’m going. But I also told myself,
I will go after I ate, so if I have to get boof,
at least I would have a full stomach.“
As he approached, I said, “Morning, Mr Kitchener.” He answered, “Yeah boy, what you want?” I say, “Well, Mr Kitchener, my name is Errol Peru. I work at McCaan-Erikson Advertising Agency and I have an idea to use your song ‘Drink Ah Rum and Ah Poncha Crema‘ for an Angostura ad.” I think was all he wanted to hear. He said (with his stammer), “Come boy, come.” He opened up the gate and walked me straight into his music room, and said, “Sit down, boy.”
I again explained what I wanted to do. And then with a serious face he said, “All right, sing it for me!” So I nervously be began, “De fete is grand, bottles of all description . . .” He stopped me. “Nah, nah, nah, sing it like me.” This time I put a little more energy. He stopped me again. “Get up,” he ordered, “Get up and sing like me and dance like me.” I said to myself right then, I have to sell this or I have no job because my chairman sounded serious.
I got up, pushed back the chair and began, “De fete is grand, bottles of all description/ get yuh glass in hand, and join in de celebration/ everybody drinking White Oak and Tonic Water,’“and I kicked my foot twice in the air as he would. He exclaimed, “Good, good, good, boy!”
He didn’t say yes or no, but he kept me for close to two hours chit chatting about music and England and I left with a sense of comfort. That was the Sunday.
Monday morning bright and early, the operator at the office called me, “Errol,” she said, “Lord Kitchener is outside to see you.”
I was in shock. He never told me if he was doing (the ad) or not doing it.
But here he was, the great one with his guitar in one hand and a cassette player in the next. And he said to me, “Yeah, boy, I have de thing for you.”
I took him to the conference room and he played the cassette. I called the Angostura Rum Distillers’ account executive Lee Johnson and played the cassette.
Of course, I felt it was my chance to get back at Kitch; I said, “Sing it for me.” And he did. Lee Johnson on hearing it turned to me and said,
“Go and record it now. One time!”
I picked up the phone and called producer Kenny Phillips and booked the studio that very day. And so it was done. We recorded it, and went on Kitchener Street in Woodbrook and did the video.
It was a huge, huge hit.
That was Christmas 1990. In 1991 my agency submitted the video for the CLIO Awards, which is equal to the Grammy in music, or the Oscar in film. And out 27,487 entries from advertising agencies across the globe, all the advertising gurus from all over as judges, the ad placed in the first 10 internationally.
And that was the beginning.
After a couple of days, my phone was ringing off the hook and people were saying, “Mr Peru, Kitchener told me to call you, because I want to book him and he said you are his manager.”
I had never asked to manage Kitch. He didn’t ask me if I would. He just handed the assignment to me and for 11 years until his death I proudly served as his manager.
As told to Dawad Philip by Errol Peru
