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Orchestre Tropicana d'Haïti
L'Orchestre Tropicana d'Haïti est issu de l'Orchestre Caraïbes qui avait pris naissance dans le nord du pays à la fin des années 1950. C'est en mars 1963 lors d'une réunion à laquelle assistèrent quelques musiciens et fans de Caraïbes au Yanvalou Night Club qu'est venu l'idée à Bazile Cobty de rebaptiser le groupe Orchestre Tropicana d'Haïti, nom tiré d'un night club à Cuba que Cobty avait l'habitude de fréquenter.
La première répétition de l'Orchestre nouvellement formé a eu lieu le 24 mars 1963 dans une maison appartenant à Cobty. À cette époque, la musique française et la musique latine étaient très populaires en Haïti, et déjà dans le Nord il y avait un autre groupe très influent, l'Orchestre Septentrional.
Sept ans après sa formation soit en 1970, l'Orchestre Tropicana d'Haïti a produit son premier disque où on retrouve des titres comme Zoklo et Ti Zo chanté par Giordany Joseph sous la commande du maestro Emmanuel Turenne.
Webert Sicot
Webert Sicot (1930 – February 1985) was a Haitian saxophone player, composer and band leader. He is recognized as one of the creators of compas also known as compas direct, a style of Haitian music born in the 1950s that he named cadence rampa after he left Nemours' band to differentiate himself in 1962 in the spirit of competition.
Sicot was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 1930. He took his first musical lessons from Augustin Bruno. He made his debut as professional with Claudin Toussaint's Jazz Capois. He also worked with the groups Jazz des Jeunes and the Saieh Orchestra, in the second half or the 1950s.
He founded with Nemours Jean-Baptiste the Conjunto Internacional and took part in the Citadelle orchestra and Casino Internacional Band. With Jean-Baptiste, he created the compas direct, a variation of the Haitian méringue. In 1961 he commenced a solo career and became one of the pioneers of cadence rampa. He played several instruments as trumpet, bass, piano and drums. Because of his frequent Caribbean tours with his brother Raymond in the Caribbean, cadence became very popular in Dominica and the French Antilles of Guadeloupe and Martinique.
Sicot died in February 1985 and is considered as one of the most influentials band leaders in Haitian popular music.
Emeline Michel
Emeline Michel, born in Gonaïves, is a Haitian singer who has been called "The Joni Mitchell of Haiti." Her songs merge native Haitian compas and rara music with jazz, pop, bossa nova, and samba. She is a well accomplished dancer, versatile vocalist, songwriter and producer. She sang a version of Jimmy Cliff's "Many Rivers to Cross" at Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief.