Lead Singer / Writer / Backup / Bongos

Hobens Richelieu

My name is Hobens Richelieu as known as Gonave Star.  I grew up in the west part of Haiti on an Island called La Gonave.  I was brought up by my biological parents (Mr. Frederick Richelieu & Mrs. Nayola Richelieu) in a broken home with my nine siblings.

In a local Catholic Church called St Isidor, I attended mass with my family, almost every Sunday.  There, I picked up my first instrument (Congas) and was involved in different church activities which included dancing, singing in the Youth Choir and theatrical plays.  At St Isidor Church, I learned the meaning of music and the power that it could evoke on the spirit.  Although the church was not big and the instruments were very limited, one could easily sense the excitement and spiritual effect that the music had imploded on the members.  

In my house, Gospel music was the most prevalent because my parents were extremely religious, especially my Father.  As a result, my siblings and I were exposed at a bare minimum to other music genres.  My involvement in the church had provided me with the knowledge based to understand different kinds of music and dances.  There, also, I learned the folkloric dances which were one of the main aspects of the church ceremony.

Later on in life, my older brother (Fenel Richlieu), had branched out from the church and started his owned Marching band (Rasta Faya) to partake in Carnival seasons.  I was undoubtedly influenced by his endeavor and became a prominent member of his band playing the Congas.  Rasta Faya popularity has grown extensively and became one of the biggest Marching band in Anse-a-Galais, La Gonave. 

In July 1991, the political status of the country had made it extremely difficulty for me and my family to survive.  As a result, I decided to leave the country with a group of people including my mother, two of my siblings, my uncles, aunties and about 16 other people en route to America in a boat searching for a better life.  We were intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guards and brought to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for interrogation and processing.  Within a month, my uncles, aunties and I were granted asylum to the United States of America.  Unfortunately, my mother, brother and sister were sent back to Haiti.

A couple years later, I attended Benjamin Franklin High School, in Rochester, NY and graduated.  After my graduation, I started taking some classes at a local Community College (Monroe Community College) and later on decided to drop out.  The load was a little bit unbearable, since I had to support my parents, siblings, my immediate family (my wife & daughter).  In Rochester, there was an already established band called Jaguar Band that had taken their music seriously and was in need of additional musicians.  I went to assist their rehearsals a few times and later became the band Conga Player and back up Singer.  As the band evolved further, the name has changed to Vision-X and I became one of the Lead Singers.  We are now working arduously to release our first CD.