Tony "Wild T" Springer is a
Trinidadian
Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The country is home to people of many different national, ethnic and religious origins. As a ...
/
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
blues-rock guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
ist.
Early life
Springer was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago; he played with a number of
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
and
calypso bands as a teenager.
Career
Springer later moved to Canada, settling in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
and playing local clubs in a
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
tribute band.
["One slow-cookin' Trade show". '']The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'', January 31, 1986. He joined
Rough Trade in 1986 as the band was becoming less active;
they broke up in 1988.
In 1990 Springer took on the stage name Wild T, and launched his own band,
Wild T and the Spirit. In 1992 Wild T was nominated for a Juno award as most promising male vocalist. Springer also appeared as a guest musician on
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
's 1993 album ''
Black Tie White Noise''.
Wild T & the Spirit had several lineups over the years, and released a number of albums, including ''Givin' Blood'', which was nominated for a
Juno Award
The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...
in 1994. The band toured in Europe, Canada and the United States,
["Wild T & The Spirit to Tour Europe"]
''Blues WebZine'', 3 April 2009 and continues to perform and record as of 2017.
"First Halifax guitar fest rocks Cunard Centre"
''Chronicle Herald'', Photos by ADRIEN VECZAN April 27, 2015
References
External links
Wild T
Wild T & The Spirit Official Myspace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Springer, Tony
Black Canadian musicians
Canadian blues guitarists
Canadian male guitarists
Canadian rock guitarists
Living people
Trinidad and Tobago expatriates in Canada
Trinidad and Tobago musicians
Year of birth missing (living people)
Rough Trade (band) members