Dexter M.

Dexter Mohammed was born in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and raised by his aunt in Mount St. George in Tobago. While in Tobago, he attended Mount St. George Methodist School until he was 14 years old, then migrated to the United States in 1979. 

Dexter’s passion for music began from his early childhood.  At times, he and his siblings would invent their own “microphone” by bending used electric wires, and pretending to have their own singing group. He listened to and enjoyed a variety of music. He reflected, we would sit on the veranda and vibe to numerous artistes such as Sparrow, Kitchener, Jim Reeves, The Temptations, Charlie Pride, Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton, just to name a few. 

At the age of 16, Dexter secured his first job at Bellitte Bicycle Store. There, he worked part-time while he completed his high school education at Andrew Jackson High School in Cambria Heights, NY. Later, he attended Queensborough Community College (QCC) where he studied Electrical Technology. 

It was during Dexter’s high school years that he realized his love for mentoring and volunteerism. He has been a volunteer swimming instructor at York College (YC), assisted with recreational activities at Queens Children’s Hospital, and performed volunteer work at many summer camps.  He is compassionate and likes to assist others, especially mentoring the youths who he considers the leaders of tomorrow. He continues to devote his personal time to helping and making a difference for others. 

Dexter is passionate about giving back to his community. For 26 years until 2017, he worked part-time as a swimming instructor at YC. In addition, he has held many positions at an agency that dealt with durable medical equipment until 2016, after which he decided to transition to a new field. Currently, he is certified as a pharmacy technician, a position he has held since 2018.  

Dexter is an artist who has been performing for over 25 years.  At the age of 19, his dad gave him permission to start DJing at house parties. As Dexter puts it, that was the ultimate thrill being able to move people in a way that would bring joy and excitement. In witnessing the power of music, he purchased his own DJ system and played at house parties, weddings and different events. During that time, he afforded himself opportunities to reflect on his younger years of wanting to be a calypsonian, but never pursued that dream mainly because he was too shy and never thought he could sing on stage. 

 In 1994, Dexter met a friend, Roger Bess who played the keyboard. Roger thought Dexter had a real good voice and encouraged him to sing. Dexter decided to write songs, and once he had something worthwhile, would share it with Roger. Roger would look at Dexter’s writing, begin playing chords, used beats from his Yamaha keyboard, and before one knew it, a song was born. One of those songs was Save the Youths.  Dexter has also written a song for mothers, and there is a song that addresses the riots in Crown Heights.

Dexter’s childhood passion for composing and arranging music took off. He arranged his own music because he not only had ideas for his songs but also about the melody instruments, the chord structure and the rhythm. On occasions, he likes to experiment with songs that might have some double meaning to amuse the audience. Over the years he has composed many songs that speak to social issues, relationships, politics and even some with witty messages. His most favorite genre is reggae, which he is comfortable singing, next to calypso. Some of his favorite reggae artists are Bob Marley, Dennis Brown and Peter Tosh. He believes there is depth of constructive messages in their music and that is what pulls him in. 

In 2006, Dexter experienced a breakthrough in his musical career when he was approached by Vinod Bisram, the leader of the world-renowned Angels Caribbean Band (ACB). He was absolutely honored and delighted at the prospect of joining the band, as this band is known as the golden standard in the music industry. Dexter quickly earned the role of lead male vocalist, and this position has afforded him the opportunity to be freer and expand his musical range. He reflected on how frightening it was when asked to sing different music genres. He was able to answer the call and now sings all covers, including up-tempo soca, reggae, and back up for some Bollywood songs, salsa and ballads.

The ACB has given Dexter the platform to perform on many stages before large audiences with some of the Caribbean’s most revered entertainers, including Geeta Bisram, The Mighty Sparrow, Calypso Rose, Edwin Yearwood, Alison Hinds, Dave Martins, Biggie Irie, Peter Ram, Rikki Jai, David Rudder, Pluto Shervington, Lovindeer, Freddie McGregor, Gregory Issacs, Marcia Griffin and Yellowman. He has also graced national and international stages in countries such as Guyana, Toronto, and St. Maartens, along with local performances in Florida. In NY, he has performed in venues including Gracie Mansion and The World Resorts Casino. 

Dexter thinks there is no greater joy than bringing people together and having a good time. He knows that one of the main attributes of ACB is its intimate relationship with the community. He loves the fact that the community can always depend on ACB in times of need, whether it is for a fundraiser, launching a program, or providing musical relief in times of grief. That is one of the things he most admires about ACB because it complements the way he has lived his life. He is serious about his music. All of his sets with the band have been cover music and caters for a more festive atmosphere that he truly loves. 

 Although Dexter has not done much recording, he has never stopped writing. Consequently, since the pandemic, ACB was forced to take a break from live performances and this allowed him to redirect his energy to recording. Since then, he has released two original compositions: one bringing attention to domestic violence entitled, Think It Over, and the other, bringing attention to racial injustice entitled, I Can’t Breathe. 

Encouraged by the momentum, Dexter is currently working on several other projects which he hopes to be released within the next couple of years. Although he is a dynamic live performer, he is at his best when in the studio working on original tracks. He wants his fans to be prepared for some upcoming soulful original music that touches on love, relationship, and social issues with some plain fun music in the mix.

Dexter’s accolades include being the first and second place winner for two years in the District of Columbia’s calypso competition. Today, as he humbly builds on his childhood dream of being a singer, he continues to wow crowds with his songwriting, vocals and performances, as he strives to Save the Youths of tomorrow.