Coupe Cloue

Gesner Henry, alias Coupe Cloue, was a professional soccer player before he began his musical career. He was indeed an awesome soccer player, he was one of the original members of the team "Aigle Noir" during the fifties. In fact, the name Coupe Cloue came from his ability for not wasting time with the ball. At the end of his soccer career, he joined the group "Trio Select" as a guitarist and singer. He later took the lead and renamed the group "Ensemble Select".

Coupe Cloue was without a doubt one of the greatest engaged singers in our history. During the iron rule of Duvalier, for example, he daringly and imaginatively pleaded the cause of the workers and their salary with the song "Shada". The message conveyed in "Shada" remains true today in Haiti "Mwen travay, mwen pa touche, koman pou mwen fe tounen nan peyi mwen".

As few will argue, the man was a prophet, a hero. He could be placed in our history next to Toussaint Louverture, Jn. Jacques Dessalines, who had successfully realized a revolution. He has realized the social and sexual revolution in the country. In these words "Juge juge'm bien, pa juge'm ici pa juge'm lot bo juge'm la ...", Coupe carefully questioned the sexual situation in the country, before, it was the end "socially" for a woman in Haiti to have pre-marital sex. As a prophet, he knew that few would take his message to a limit beyond the norm of our culture, he composed the song "Fem'm Kolokinte" in which he warned us that the exaggeration would not be accepted by the society "Fem'm Kolokinte, nou pa beswen fem'm konsa ...".

His style of Konpa "Konpa Mamba" was unique, and somewhat different from the style of Nemours Jn. Baptiste. Instead of using the wind section as prescribed by Nemours, he brought a unique flavor by adding the bongo. The Konpa beat "Mamba" is very catchy, and had made and continues to make the whole world dance eventhough they do not understand the lyrics.

Outside of Haiti, Coupe Cloue had enjoyed tremendous success, specially in Africa. The well known Camerounean soccer player "Roger Milla" testified during an interview that the only thing he knew about Haiti, is Coupe Cloue's music. He was indeed the ambassador of our culture our music to the old continent. As a matter of fact, he may have acquired the "King" title (Roi Coupe) during a tour in Ivory Coast. "Roi Coupe" was also the king of Konpa.

Coupe Cloue is immortal, as he often joked that he would never die. Coupe Cloue and his legacy will never be forgotten.