Ask Rudolph Benjamin what matters in his life and he’ll tell you about his family, his bodybuilding and his music.

The music came first.

“There was always a piano playing in my house,” the 75-year-old said. “I don’t know who in my family liked music but me and my brother Joe sing pretty good. I always liked group singing.”

He remembers regularly singing “soul music” with a group of neighbourhood friends sometime around the age of six.

They called themselves The Diamonds and would hold their practises at his Pembroke home.

“I stayed around the Curve, Smith’s Hill it was then called,” he said. “We used to rehearse at our house. We sang soul music — the Five Satins, the Flamingos. I liked singing and I liked to entertain.”

He put his heart into every song he sang, Mr Benjamin said. When he was younger, it helped that women found his voice appealing.

“I like to sing for women,” he said. “I used it to pick up women. One time I was singing down at Clayhouse Inn and this guy wanted to fight me because his friend was paying too much attention to me. It didn’t bother me at all. I’m used to fighting.”

His parents were Enid Elizabeth Matthews Benjamin and George Edward Benjamin.

“Everybody knew her as Lucy and they called him Big Ben,” Mr Benjamin said.

From his early start with The Diamonds, he went on to perform with numerous groups including The Cahows, The “Mighty” Keynotes and The Starlights.

The latter band gave him the most stress only because he was called in as a replacement after Gene Steede quit.

“I had mighty shoes to fill because Gene was very, very good,” he said. “We sang songs like Stardust, the Bells and many other songs and for me to come after Gene, I had to be at the top of my game.”

The band performed across the Island — at Clay House Inn and the Rosebank Theatre on Bermudiana Road; western performances were at PHC field, Loyalty Inn and Rollers, a venue near what is today the MarketPlace at Heron Bay.

At their peak of popularity, The Starlights put out a record. Mr Benjamin sang the lead on the B-side song, Clap Your Hands.

“The Apageos backed us up,” Mr Benjamin recalled. “We had Jimmy Landy, who was a great guitarist and Tiny Burgess who was a great bassist. Doc Simons played saxophone and we had [the late] Don Bussey.

“What made us guys so great was that we had four lead singers; our harmony wasn’t weak. The leads were good. “

Mr Benjamin wasn’t able to travel with The Starlights to New York City in 1961. Calix Darrell took his place as the group went up against other talented singers at Brooklyn’s Fox Theater. Mr Benjamin was as excited about their success as if it were his own: “They came third or fourth,” he said. “They met Bobby Darin. He liked them so much he wanted to sign them to a contract.”

International stardom didn’t work out for The Starlights.

Mr Benjamin moved on to join the Esso Steel Band in 1968.

Meanwhile, he married Eleanor Hill in 1961 at Bethel AME Church in Hamilton Parish.

“I’ve been pretty fortunate in my life. I had five children. I met [her] when I was 17 and she was 32. I married her when I was 21 and she was 36.

“We had four lovely children — Lucinda Benjamin, who lives in Buffalo, New York; Rudell Simons, who works at Colonial Insurance; William Rudolph Benjamin who works for government’s pest control and Vicmon Benjamin. I also have a daughter, Ebony Sousa, who was born in ‘86.” Mr Benjamin’s wife died in 1984. He remarried an American woman in 1986 however their union ended in divorce.

“I have four grandchildren — She She Benjamin, Justin Easton, Chardale Simons, Dante Sousa and Isis Spencer. I also have two greatgrands — Va Va and Ne Ne.”

Only two incidents ever caused him to take a break from performing.

The first happened in the early 1960s. “I got locked up in 1960 or 61,” he said. “In those years GIs and locals used to fight all the time. We went up to Pontoons in a truck; there were six or seven of us. As soon as we got there something broke the windscreen and we heard gunshots. Everybody ran for cover.”

A fight broke out and because he had a history, the officers assumed he’d played a part.

“The next night police came to my house and said they heard that I was there the night before. Two of us were charged. I won’t mention the other man’s name. I used to fight a lot but I swear I had nothing to do with this one. I was jailed for nine months.”

The tragic death of his son Vicmon in 2010, kept him “a hermit” for many years.

He spent the last few years of his life paralysed as a result of a road traffic accident in 2004.

“He was on a [motorbike] pushing his mate who was on a push bike,” Mr Benjamin said. “They were coming towards town and their wheels hit. The impact flung him in the path of a car travelling to St George’s and he was paralysed. He wasn’t the same after that.”

Dale Butler got Mr Benjamin back to performing. He asked him to help out with a play he’d written, We Are Climbin’ Jacob’s Ladder. Mr Benjamin received a standing ovation for the song, Never Walk Alone.

“Dale came to me and somehow we got to talking about different things,” he said. “I mourned for four years after my son died. I didn’t go anywhere; I was a hermit. [With Dale’s encouragement] I came out of mourning and did the show last year.”

Mr Benjamin returns to the stage to reprise that role next month as a fundraiser for St James Church. See the sidebar for details. After singing, his second love was fitness. Mr Benjamin took off his shirt for The Royal Gazette; his body could be mistaken for that of a 30 year old’s.

“I always liked bodybuilding,” he said. “I’ve won five or six trophies and my last competition was last August.”

As for his music, he’s decided to start performing on his own.

“I’ve always liked singing but sometimes the guys weren’t reliable. I prefer doing things by myself. Get in touch with Dale if you’re interested in hearing me!”