Ellie Matt & The G. I'S Brass

Ellie Matt began his career in 1971 on the birth of National Carnival and said he was influenced by Joey Lewis of Trinidad and Tobago. His first official composition was ‘Play Your Mass All Over Town for Carnival’ in 1971. Now he suffers from kidney problems and is currently awaiting a matching donor for a future transplant operation. He was first introduced to music by steel pan, by his eldest brother Joseph (Boy Blue) Esdaille. He was tutored in playing the guitar by the Bertie Brothers and Sammy Watts in St. Kitts, but learned to play the keyboard and bass guitar on his own. Nero is an accomplished musical arranger, composer, band leader, calypsonian and has travelled extensively throughout the Caribbean, North America, Europe and Japan. Ellie Matt led his own band, ‘Ellie Matt and the GI’s Brass’, to three successful brass aroma titles and played in Trinidad carnival for 10 consecutive years. He and his band also played frequently in Antigua, St. Maarten, British and US Virgin Islands, Toronto, New York City and Aruba. They won many trophies for best visiting band in Vancouver, Trinidad and the USVI. Ellie Matt provided back-up music for the Mighty Sparrow, Calypso Rose, Shadow, Arrow, King Short Shirt, Swallow, King Obstinate, David Rudder, Lord Nelson, the late Lord Kitchener and many other big names on the music scene in the Caribbean. He was also employed by the London Arts Council as music director for a West Indian-based play called “Glory” and also conducted both brass and steel bands simultaneously in Stockholm, Sweden. He has also toured 10 cities in Sweden as bandleader with the Mighty Sparrow and later with Lord Nelson, Allrounder and Lady Wonder. He has produced over 20 albums and CDs and has chart-busting hits like “Patsy”, “Shang Shang”, “Jamback” and versions of ‘Shake Your Booty” and Wheels”. source: http://www.islandmix.com/backchat/f16/quick-biography-ellie-matt-215637/