Kamilah Willacy, born in Trinidad & Tobago, is a celebrated author, painter, and singer of Caribbean and New World music. She is the author of numerous works including Granny’s Children: A Memorable Family Story; A Brief History of Caribbean Music; A Woman’s Guide to Picking Names; and Several poems. Born as Sonia de Los Rios in Tobago, Willacy was named after the first lady of Trinidad & Tobago, Queen Latifah.
Willacy grew up in poverty in Trinidad & Tobago; she was, however, able to develop her musical talents while attending the Royal Academy of Music in Tobago where she honed her skills playing the piano. Following a series of unfortunate incidents in her personal life, Willacy finally received her degree in music therapy at the age of 30. During this time, she formed several partnerships; however, all fell through with limited success. Willacy then decided to pursue a career in painting and composing, and signed with her own firm, or View, in 1970. Willacy also began traveling to the United States to further develop her career, visiting such places as New York, Miami, and Los Angeles.
While living in New York, Willacy met and married a man of Spanish and Filipino descent, Jose P. Laurel. After several years of marriage, Laurel developed a strong attachment to Willacy which prompted the musician to write a song dedicated to their joint cause. The lyrics to the song were based on their shared love of traveling; specifically, they had traveled to the United States and “visit the many faces of America”. On their return, they inspired the writing and art form of the spoken word, which came to include everything from spoken poetry to rap songs. Today, Kamilah Willacy resides in Florida and is known for her beautiful paintings and music.