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Writer’s block is no stranger to those who put their thoughts on paper – even amongst the most prolific of them all!

Roland Kent Lavoie, known around the world by his moniker Lobo, had just penned the line ‘Me and you and ...’ when he literally ran into a brick wall! “Yes, that sounds okay,” he mused, “but where to from here?” Lavoie asked himself, wrestling with his thinking process, unable to hit the next few words.

Almost a year slipped by before Lavoie retrieved that unfinished lyric. But with his mind still jammed, not willing to co-operate, in no shape or form, the sulking songwriter was about to rip up the paper with his unfinished song when his best friend, a German Shepherd, showed up at his sliding door; his curious look obviously posing the question, ‘What on earth is my Master up to!’

The sight of the dog was, probably, the trigger Lavoie had been waiting for all along. “Wow! That's it, my boy!” screamed the hysterical, budding lyricist at Boo. Yes, “Me And You And A Dog Named Boo” duly took its place in the chorus, as Lavoie's imagination and dreams took over from thereon! The words simply flowed fluently, like the Bambarakande Falls.

For one who had yet to set foot anywhere in California, the proud Floridian even took the liberty of recalling the photos he had seen of the City of Lights: “I'll never forget the day we motored stately into Big LA. The lights of the city put settlin' down in my brain.” Lavoie was, understandably, ecstatic!

But Lavoie's tenancy of Cloud Nine was short-lived, coming down with a thud, overwhelmed by a severe bout of nerves! Known around the traps by the name as inscribed in his birth certificate, Lavoie saw his knees turn into jelly at the thought of his membership in that exclusive club of one-hit wonders being fast tracked!

No way, Lavoie thought, he could match the quality of that song. He had to find a way out of it and the shortest route, he opined, was to adopt another name.

Somehow, mysteriously, the word Lobo hovered over his head. But why Lobo? The answer is simple: Boo actually resembled a wolf, and Lobo meant wolf in Spanish! Perhaps, it was a subtle acknowledgement of the role played by his dog in completing a ditty that has since become his signature tune.

Lobo's fears were, however, short-lived as the hit tunes began flowing from that very same pen, soon after “Me And You And A Dog Named Boo” had virtually set him up for life with its spectacular chart success around the world.

“I'd Love You To Want Me”, “How Can I Tell Her”, “Don't Expect Me To Be Your Friend”, “Where Were You When I Was Falling In Love” are some of the endearing songs that Lobo presented to his fans; tunes that still dominate easy listening stations around the globe, more than three decades after they saw the light of day!

However, for someone with such a rich catalogue of world-wide hits, it's a small wonder how Lobo managed to avoid the spotlight, and the ‘trappings’ that accompany it… like being mobbed down the street or in the supermarkets. He was never subjected to such harassment or hassled by too many autograph-hunters throughout his career.

How did he manage that?

“That's partly due to the fact that when them songs came out, and the radio stations kept playing them, most fans thought Lobo was, in fact a band, and not just a solo guy with a band behind him!” was how he explained his ‘success’ at avoiding being mobbed on the streets. They didn't have a clue about me, just my music! “It didn't bother me one bit,” said the laid-back singer-songwriter who's been in semi-retirement now for more than two decades.

Lobo seldom travels these days, and when he does get afflicted by the urge to take wing, he limits it to Asia, carefully picking the five or six cities he wants to visit and play. “I did a lot of travelling in them early days, and it took a lot out of me.” It certainly is Asia's gain, and every time he had headed out to the largest continent, his fans have responded magnanimously by filling the arenas.
And, Colombo, from all accounts, won't be any different later this month, as he dishes out his virtual timeless hits along with a surprise or two! Lobo will be playing his first ever concert in Sri Lanka on August 31 at Water's Edge, a venue that's fast becoming the epicentre of the local entertainment world.

The presentation by the prestigious golf club is in collaboration with DK Promotions, whose Damayantha Kuruppu, through his friend and partner, Vijaya Corea, has established water-tight links with some of the leading booking houses in the world.