THA mourns Shadow's death

TOBAGO House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles says late calypsonian Winston “Shadow” Bailey's musical genius will be missed.

"He was loved by many and his music appealed to a wide cross-section of society spanning classes and ages," he said today in a statement.

"Trinidad and Tobago has lost another cultural icon who championed a successful career in the performing arts.”

Bailey, 77, died at hospital around 3 am, today, after suffering a stroke on the weekend. The veteran calypsonian was to be conferred with an honorary Doctor of Letters Degree from the University of the West Indies this weekend for his contributions as a music composer.

Charles recalled Bailey, who grew up with his grandparents in Les Coteaux, Tobago, began singing from a very young age, cultivating a talent in calypso and soca which afforded him the privilege of capturing titles such as Road March winner and International Soca Monarch winner with hits such as Bassman, Scratch Meh Back and Stranger.

"He was loved by many and his music appealed to a wide cross-section of society spanning classes and ages. Trinidad and Tobago has lost another cultural icon, who championed a successful career in the performing arts."

Charles urged Tobagonians to remember Bailey's family in their prayers, even as the country is still grappling with the devastating emotional and physical effects of widespread flooding.

"This time calls on us as a nation to demonstrate unrestrained love, unity and comraderie if we are to triumph through it all."

Meanwhile, political leader of the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) Watson Duke hailed the late calypsonian as one of the giants of the artform.

"He was one in the last line of great calypsonians and I would say, coming from Tobago, that was indeed a signal to our ability to become great as a people that is trapped and boxed in by sea and by the PNM in Trinidad," he told reporters during a news conference at James Park, uptown Scarborough, Tobago.

Duke said Tobagonians are in shock and mourning over Bailey's sudden passing.

"Indeed, his death has cast a shadow on the calypso world."

He said Bailey "escaped" politics and the smallness of Tobago to become an icon on the global stage.