Kenneth Lara, stage name Lord Laro, was born in Claxton Bay, Trinidad on February 29, 1940 and now lives in Jamaica. He had a short stint in calypso, but has created an indelible name for himself in the industry. The last time he performed in Trinidad was at the original Young Brigade back in 1975.Without a day's formal training, he became the star on the local talent programme for children at the age of 12.He then entered the calypso tent arena, and by 1961 he had joined the regiment and became known as "Singing Soldier."
His battalion was sent to Jamaica that year for further training at Harman Barracks where the wheel of fortune stopped in his direction. He met a lovely Jamaican girl, Norma, and fell in love. In that same year his record, Referendum, became the number four song on the Jamaican hit parade, and remained on the chart for 18 weeks.He married Norma and returned to his homeland in 1961, following the dissolution of Federation and, continued his army life until 1968. He eventually became one of the top calypsonians and a full time professional entertainer.Lord Laro was nearer his dream, but the memories of Jamaica lingered and he longed to return. So, when he got an offer to perform at the Yellow Bird club, in Montego Bay, he didn't hesitate.
Lord Laro became the talk of the town, and soon his diary was full of appointments to sing at such prestigious night spots on Jamaica's north coast.The going was good ...Jamaicans and tourists loved his shows ... so he and Norma decided to set up their home in Montego Bay. But there was something missing ... Lord Laro had "so many ideas in his head, the lyrics and music were flowing," but he didn't know how to put them together.So in 1969 he registered at the Federal City College (now the University of Washington DC) to study composing and arranging for two years. At the end of the course he returned to Banana Boat club in Montego Bay, and The Little Pub in Ccho Rios sounding better than before.In 1975 while performing at the Ferry Inn, in Kingston, Lord Laro wrote and recorded Foreign Press, which was an instant hit and stayed on the Jamaican charts for several months. Lord Laro has a long list of compositions, some of which he will perform at the Voices of Love on April 30 at the Queen's Park Savannah.