Son of popular Haitian chanteuse Simone Jean, Brothers Posse lead singer Antonio Cheramy, best known as Don Kato was born in Cité Lescot, Cape Haitian on November 28, 1974. He has quite a diverse background from a soccer player to a musician. This is probably why he is often seen in soccer games as a big fan. His family disapproved of his interest in soccer, and under is mother’s guidance, he opted for music. As a boy, Don Kato had a few guitar lessons, but he was a self-thaught on singing and develop his technique by singing in Churches, and at School Jean XXIII where he attended. Extremely bright, extremely gifted, an intense hard worker, he joined the Church Choir of his hometown and began to sing. After a musical experience quite remarkable with “Banda Life”, “Maximum Guys”, “Alaye & the Foxes”, it is hard to put a label on him for he could master so many different styles, from Gospel to Rock and Reggae. In the Church Choir, Antonio was a visible member, not because of his slender
Antonio Cheramy aka Don Kato
stature, but because of his timber. At the age of 12, he then moved to Port-au-Prince and joined the band “Soukous Mizik” where his distinctive vocal style and soulful ballads made him a star on the radio stations’ charts. Intending to play with his friends, he had a chance to do a jam session that led to his joining and forming BROTHERS POSSE. They formed a promising Root Rock Reggae band. Since then, the group remains intact, achieving considerable success.
Don Kato is a masterful, confident artist, and his humble character causes attainable standards in the Haitian media. Since 1994, Don Kato focused on Reggae music and remained an audience favorite. In 2000, he was named Haiti’s youth ambassador for his nationwide campaign against HIV/AIDS. In 2002 Brothers Posse was awarded the title of “Honor Band” by RFO [Radio France Outre-Mer]. He’s not only a familiar voice of conscious music, but also a constant artist featured in a series of advertising campaigns for “Comme Il Faut”, “Comcel”, “SogeXpress”, “Heineken”, “Carnation”, etc..
In 2003 he signed with Communication Plus, which got the exploiting rights for the song “Anne” as movie score for the film “I Love You Anne”, which broke the haitian box-office with a revenue of 30 million Haitian dollars.
To this date, the mega hit “Anne” became his biggest-selling song. Besides his musical activities, Don Kato works intensively in the Don Kato Foundation, a multi-faceted organization whose primary purpose is to improve the quality of life for all community residents living in the poor Neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince.