Although still in his mid-twenties, this young singer,
composer and producer is presently riding a crest of success that is
shipping him to genuine international recognition.
But his story begins at birth. The middle of seven siblings, Sherwin's
arrival into the world is nothing short of a miracle. His mother had fallen
ill where doctors feared she had cancer. Thankfully tests turned up negative
but it was discovered that Mrs. Gardner was 20 weeks into a pregnancy she
was unaware of. She was advised to abort the fetus for fear that it would
jeopardize her life or the baby would been born deformed. Despite several
warnings from doctors, she refused to abort and Sherwin was born healthy and
whole.
By the time he was five-years-old, he was singing and had taught himself the
lyrics to Michael Jackson's, We are the World. From there his uncle, Kenny
Patterson, took him in hand to prepare him for the stage. Sherwin made his
public concert debut at the Himalaya Club, singing the Church classic He
Touched Me.
That proved to be the launching pad for a music career that continues to hit
new highs with every project Sherwin undertakes. Sherwin began touring at 16
and has since visited most of the Caribbean islands. At 17-years-old Sherwin
produced and released his first album entitled Power in the Name. There
followed 100% Sold Out, I Rather Jesus and a compilation One Step Closer to
Zion featuring artistes produced by Sherwin as a joint project with fellow
gospel artiste, Monty G of the Bahamas.
The big turning point was his 2002 release Leaning (Lion of Zion) which
arguable was responsible for breaking Sherwin on international charts both
in gospel/mainstream and projected him to a wider audience. The following
year he established his own label Flow Masters Records building an exciting
roster of Trinidadian talent. Out of that new-set up came Sherwins second
international release Closer producing the No. 1 radio single He Died For Me
(Hamalhamadla) which spent a staggering 21 weeks at the top spot on numerous
Caribbean radio charts. That very same song also earned him Gospel
Songwriter of the Year 2004 by the Copyright Organisation of Trinidad &
Tobago (COTT), the islands most recognised music industry body.
Sherwin made a huge impact at the 2004 Marlin Awards, the Caribbean's
official Gospel industry association. With his record-breaking 22
nominations he eventually picked up five awards including Ethnic Recording
of the Year, Foreign Language Recording of the Year, Engineered Recording of
the Year, Calypso/Soca Recording of the Year and Reggae Vocals of the Year
marking the first time a non-Jamaican has ever won this category. Amongst
the other accolades Sherwin has received he was awarded Most Impacting
Artist at the 2002 Barbados Flame Gospel Awards.
As a producer he has stamped his mark on an impressive list of artists like
Carlene Davis, Chevelle Franklyn, Pierre Sisters, Monty G, Tiko & Gitta,
Vanessa Briggs, Shiselon, Spiritual Ninja and Jadee. As an artist he has
shared the stage with many of the gospel greats: Kirk Franklin, Fred
Hammond, Donnie McClurkin, Yolanda Adams, BeBe Winans, CeCe Winans, Vickie
Winans, Ben Tunker, Stitchie, Papa San, TD Jakes and others.
With his latest release Who I Am Sherwin professes the album as his most
personal to date and uses the project to show a more eclectic side fusing
R&B, Praise & Worship and Soul with more familiar island sounds Reggae, Soca
and Dancehall. The album also marks a new direction as he penned an
international management and licensing deal with growing UK label UB1 Music,
making London his new international headquarters. Off the back of the new
London agreement, his album Who I Am picked up Best Reggae/Dancehall album
at the 2005 Urban Gospel Industry Awards.
The journey is only just beginning as he continues to break into as yet
uncharted territories. More than just a singer or producer, Sherwin is a
young man whose heart is focused on spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ.
