John Andrew King (born May 10, 1964, in Birmingham, England) is a Barbadian politician and entertainer. He currently serves as a senator in the Senate of Barbados since January 2022.[1] He has also served as a Member of Parliament for St Philip West.[2]

John Andrew King
Senator in the Senate of Barbados
Assumed office
January 2022
Prime MinisterMia Mottley
Member of House of Assembly of Barbados
In office
January 2018 – January 2021
Minister of the Creative Economy, Culture, and Sports
In office
27 May 2018 – 26 May 2021
Personal details
Born (1964-05-10) May 10, 1964 (age 60)

Early life and education

edit

John Andrew King was born on May 10, 1964, in Birmingham to Barbadian parents. He attended Ebenezer primary school. After his primary education, he obtained a degree in Social Work from the University of the West Indies.

Musical career

edit

King has had a long career as a singer, primarily in the calypso and soca genres. He made his singing debut at Crop Over in 1985, initially using the stage name Johnny Ma Boy.[3] He is a two-time Barbados Calypso Monarch and has released six solo albums, he won the Caribbean Song Contest which was held in Trinidad and Tobago in 1992 with "Hold You In A Song" which he did with Alison Hinds https://www.caribbean-beat.com/issue-47/standing-for-something King has also written songs for other artists and bands, including Atlantik.

Political career

edit

During the 2018 Barbadian general election, King ran for the House of Assembly of Barbados and was elected. He was elected through the Barbados Labour Party replacing David Estwick who was a Minister of Agriculture.[4] In May 2018, he was appointed Minister of Creative Economy, Culture, and Sports in the Mia Mottley administration.[5]

Honors

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "One of two Baje to the World semis on Saturday". Barbados Today. 2022-03-23. Archived from the original on 2022-03-23. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
  2. ^ "John King not seeking second term". www.nationnews.com. 2021-10-17. Archived from the original on 2022-01-03. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
  3. ^ https://www.caribbean-beat.com/issue-47/standing-for-something
  4. ^ "Minister King pays tribute to Barbadian filmmaker Menelik Shabazz". Barbados Today. 2021-06-29. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
  5. ^ "Showbiz A-Z to host Barbados' Minister of Creative Economy, John King - MyJoyOnline.com". www.myjoyonline.com. 2020-07-17. Archived from the original on 2021-02-25. Retrieved 2022-03-26.