Kevin Lyttle & Matt Houston

Watching the local Calypsonians marching by from his mother's shoulders and then going home and watching Michael Jackson perform "Billie Jean" on television was an influential mix for the seven-year-old Kevin Lyttle, a mix that stuck with him. Soca was the predominant music in Lyttle's native island of St. Vincent, but it was the R&B ballad "Shower Me With Your Love" by Surface that was the first song Lyttle sang on-stage at the age of 14. With his family surviving on modest means, Lyttle worked a variety of day jobs, saved some money, and cut demos when he could afford it. So...