TUCO: We need a calypso history museum

PRESIDENT of the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation (TUCO) Lutalo Masimba (Brother Resistance) has called for a museum of calypso history to be set up.

He was speaking on Tuesday at the funeral of late calypsonian Shadow (Winston Bailey) at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain.

He said the Bailey family never asked for any funeral or money to bury him, but National Carnival Commission chairman Winston “Gypsy” Peters called the family and offered to facilitate in any way they wanted.

“Winston ‘Gypsy’ Peters, ‘nuff respect.”

Masimba said Bailey created songs that rang deep in TT’s psyche.

“The passing of an icon of Shadow’s stature always leaves us questioning. How are we preserving our stories? How do we store and exhibit them?

“I would like to impress on the public again that it is important for us to have a museum of calypso history.”

He said TUCO will continue to fight against music piracy and push for more local content.

He added Bailey never asked TUCO for anything but he gave and made himself available to help.

Winston Scarborough aka The Original Defosto Himself told Newsday Shadow made a contribution not only to TT but to the world.

“His influence, lyrically, musically, has always been different to many people, as you might have known.”

He said Shadow was the true philosopher of calypso.

“He has risen to another level.”

He recalled Theophilus Philip, The Mighty Spoiler, was one of Shadow’s mentors, whom he tried to emulate.

“He emulated Spoiler and went beyond Spoiler.”

Defosto said Shadow wrote for the commoner and the average person on the street. He said with Shadow singing from 1971 to the present, his repertoire is huge, “and we the people of TT and the world, we want to say thanks to Winston Bailey for all that he has done culturally for this nation.”

Defosto said Shadow was so rebellious because of the many times he was ignored.

Calypsonian Franz “Delamo” Lambkin told Newsday he managed Kaiso House for nine years, and for seven of those years Shadow was a headliner.

“He has the most original approach to composition. There is a simplicity, but there is a profound logic.

“I am a student of the arts. I am yet to meet a poet or a writer/calypsonian who can present a topic with such simplicity. We have lost one.”