BIG UP, LYTTLE

Kevin Lyttle was welcomed back home last Sunday evening in a triumphant way that he may never have believed possible on his home turf.
When finally the LIAT craft landed at 8 p.m. taxied to a stop and then Kevin emerged all hell broke loose. The multiple flashbulbs were blinding but then the screams from the thousands of persons outside the secured airport area were deafening. {{more}}
This was a marked contrast to the last time he visited home. True his mega hit Turn Me On had long been making waves on the regional scene and was being embraced by European audiences. But at home the song, released in 2001, just refused to go away and Vincentians recognized that something big was happening.
What happened Sunday evening at the E.T. Joshua shocked Kevin, indeed shocked a lot of the media personnel gathered to cover the Soca superstar’s official welcome home. The crowds had begun to gather along the fence of the airport in anticipation of getting a glance of the hometown hero from after 6 p.m for the scheduled 7 o’clock arrival. The air was electric and growing more so even as word spread that Lyttle’s arrival was delayed. The Sion Hill Euphonium kept a steady momentum that had Tourism Minister Rene Baptiste and her staff do a gentle jig while they awaited
the man of the moment.
A visibly emotional Kevin Lyttle, sat inside the VIP lounge beside his mother Janice who had been on the tarmac to greet her son along with his uncles and other relatives. There were short addresses from CP Hall and Minister Baptiste, a champagne toast and then a moving response from Kevin, all broadcast live on radio to the rest of the nation.
The entourage, including Kevin’s sidekick, Jamaican artiste Spragga Benz, was taken on a motorcade to Calliaqua but not before they were mobbed by screaming Vincentian fans, openly showing their admiration and love for the homegrown international superstar. The motorcade made pit stops at Calliaqua and Sion Hill before converging on Heritage Square. The response was the same at each venue, Kevin was mobbed by excited Vincentian well wishers.
On Monday evening, Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves and his wife Eloise hosted a cocktail at the official residence, with Kevin as the guest of honour. Tributes were paid to the Soca Superstar by several dignitaries before Kevin was given two plaques and then there were stellar performances from Mint the popular young calypsonian who is a cousin of Kevin’s.
Uncle Angus Martin, who serves as Kevin’s local manager also read a bio of the singer that traced his origins in the entertainment business.
That cocktail was attended by many persons who crossed paths with the singer since he began his career here in St. Vincent.
Though Kevin said he was passing through “for three days rest” his time spent here was reportedly very busy.