Born and raised in the rural south-western community of La Brea, Vaughnette Bigford still resides there, a five-minute drive from where she was born. “I am a born and bred country girl with no desire to be a town girl,” confessed Bigford. “I love it.”
Born to “young parents” (Anthony McEachnie and Esther Bigford), Bigford was raised by her maternal grandparents. “I came from a large family as my grandparents had eight children of their own so I am the ninth of the children they raised. As a child I did a lot of girlie things and was raised somewhat sheltered. Outside of school, I rarely did anything that involved community activities.”
Bigford credits her love of singing “from a little girl” for her success in the entertainment field.
“I was seven-years-old for my first performance at Naparima Bowl. I sang a calypso and acted for Brighton Anglican School of La Brea. Actually, I received my first award, Best Actress, in the primary school category of SanFest, at the age of seven. I remember the name of the play was And a Little Child Shall Lead Them, written by my primary school teacher and my role was that of a young child who had two younger siblings that became orphans when their parents died,” she recalled.
“All through primary and secondary school I continued singing, but my real love was singing calypso. As a school girl I liked Sparrow and Kitchener. At that time, in the household I grew up in, not a lot of local music was played, but my grandfather loved those two calypsonians, as well as King Austin. I won the calypso competition at Point Fortin Senior Secondary every year I entered. I retired after a time. The school choir also played a major role in my development. After secondary school that was it. I just stopped singing.”
Bigford decided that education was the better option for her development so she took a hiatus from the stage to concentrate on books.
“I began in accounting, got certificates in Business Management and then switched to Occupational Health & Safety, which I practice til this day, working with a local oil and gas company. I have been working for 16 years with the same company and I am passionate about my job and simply adore it,” she said.
So, how, when and why did Bigford rediscover her beautiful singing voice?
“It happened just like that. One day while I was singing in the bathroom when my husband asked: ‘Vaughnette why don’t pay attention to your voice and focus on some music, seriously’? I began looking at the options and signed up for some voice training, completing a couple programmes. I also recorded a demo CD which I gave to Rudy Thomas, who was on the committee of the San Fernando Jazz Festival. Rudy hooked me up with Carlton Zanda Alexander and that’s when I began singing professionally, doing so with Zanda. The rest is history,” Bigford said.
“I remember clearly that my first concert was with Boogsie Sharpe and Phase II Pan Groove at Petrotrin Staff Club at QRC’s Pan Royale. I was scared—after all, this was my first concert and I was performing with a big artiste like Boogsie. I believe that Boogsie is a genius who is different and passionate. He really blew me away that night.”
With Zanda’s band, Bigford did a number of performances at jazz festivals. She subsequently stepped up her game to do a number of solo performances, in Point Fortin, at the Naparima Bowl and the San Fernando Academy for the Arts.
“My favourite and most satisfying performance was a production named Sisters in Song, staged at Central Bank. It featured Mavis John, Chantal Esdelle and myself. I loved this one because I was able to connect the most with my audience. A lot of credit for this should go to the competence of the sound engineer,” Bigford said.
Bigford has been married 13 years and has a son, Isaiah Miles, “going on three.” When not working or being a wife and mother, Bigford likes to stay home and watch movies.
“I have no social life outside my singing. I love romantic comedies. I have watched Pretty Woman with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts about 765 times. I also love dining outside with friends, but I don’t experiment when it comes to food. I am a very safe eater.”
Bigford is the headline act at Trini Love, to be staged on Holy Thursday (March 24) at Kaiso Blues Cafe, Newtown, at 8 pm.
“This show is one in the Listening Room series of shows produced by Terry Shaw, Gerald Hutchinson and Foreday Morning Entertainment,” she explained.
“What makes this show unique is that I will be doing different interpretations of local compositions. I am dedicating my performance that night to the late Raf Robertson. One of the last conversations Raf and I had, he expressed the sentiment that my interpretation of local songs is the direction in which I should take my career.”