The first time Lu Wilson heard about Kenny Rogers, it was the mid-1980s. At that time, the American singer was riding high with a string of hits that brought country music into the pop mainstream. One of them was Lady, written by Lionel Richie.

Lu Wilson, who lives in Martinique, recently covered the sensuous ballad, giving it a reggae flavour. His version is produced by Pineapple Records.

In an interview with Observer Online, the singer recalls legendary bass guitarist Jaco Pastorious giving him a T-shirt with ‘Kenny Rogers Tour ‘83’ on it. That exchange came after a show Pastorious did in Martinique over 40 years ago.

“I didn’t really know who Kenny Rogers was at the time, so I started looking into him. And that is how I discovered Lady,” said Lu Wilson. “The lyrics, Lionel Richie’s melody and the emotion of Kenny Rogers’ performance completely touched me. There was something incredibly powerful in that song.”

His interest in the song grew when he heard a reggae rendition by Wayne Wade, which was released in 1988. That version fared well in The Netherlands and Sweden.

When Lu Wilson finally reimagined Lady, he was determined to put his stamp on it.

“Lady wasn’t just another cover for me. There was a whole personal story behind that song and I absolutely loved singing it in the studio,” he said.

Born in what was then the Ivory Coast (now Côte d’Ivoire) to parents from Martinique, Lu Wilson has also lived in France and the United Kingdom. In each country, he was part of reggae communities which spurred his appreciation for Jamaican culture.

The Gladiators, Dennis Brown, Freddie McGregor, Sugar Minott and Hugh Mundell were some of the artistes whose music inspired him.

In 1977, he formed Sion, a band, in Martinique which developed a following throughout the French Caribbean. Lu Wilson was also a member of Raggamuffin Tortual Gang, a collective that promoted reggae artistes in Martinique.

– Howard Campbell