Can a person be destined for music? Bryan Paton believes he was as he came from a line of singers and music enthusiasts. Bryan, who goes by stage name ‘Militant’, rose to fame in 2001 with his popular soca hit “Hot and Groovy”. He has been living in Trinidad, the mecca for soca, for many years now.
The second of four children, Bryan was born on July 21, 1971 in Georgetown. He grew up singing in church with his mother and grandmother. His grandmother was a lead singer in church. His late mother, Hazel Downer (then, Hazel Downer-Paton) was the lead vocalist of a popular band in Georgetown back in the 1970s. Hazel’s moves in the music business led to her touring and eventually settling in Trinidad. Bryan remained in Guyana, living with his grandmother at Roxanne Burnham Gardens until he migrated when he was 12 years old to live with his mother.
He had begun learning to play steel pan when he was six and he had fever for music. In fact, when Bryan was not singing in church, he played the pans or listened to calypso music on the radio. But that was still not enough. He spent his break and lunch periods, while attending St Pius Primary School, drumming on the desks and dreaming of the day when he would be holding a microphone and performing in front of a crowd.