Superior’s funeral still undecided

No date yet has been set for the funeral of the late Andrew “Superior” Marcano, since his body is yet to arrive in Trinidad.

His widow Dr Janet Stanley-Marcano told Newsday that there will be no wake.

She said: “The viewing will be a kind of celebration at Belgrove’s Funeral Home in San Fernando, at which we will share Superior’s stories, and his music will play for hearing and sharing. It will be his friends, family and colleagues coming together, and it will also be open for people to come and share.”

She added that a repast will take place simultaneously with the viewing, and will be held at Skiffle panyard, the day before the funeral, whenever it is set.

Superior will be buried in Rio Claro and arrangements are being made to have people their “mount their own celebration to receive their son.”

Superior, or Supie as he was fondly called, died at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York last Saturday, after ailing for some time. He was 81.

For well over six decades Superior promoted the calypso artform, both locally and internationally, and did it with style.

One of his main peeves was that calypso never received the 50 per cent airtime that he was always advocating. Nevertheless, he got a radio licence from the government, after which Superior Radio, played calypso 24 hours a day.

In his later years he was a major part of the Vintage Calypso Tent, which became home to a number of older calypsonians at a time when soca was taking over Carnival.

Superior was awarded the Hummingbird Medal (Silver) in 2015 for his contribution to culture, and two years later was conferred with an honorary doctorate of letters by the University of the West Indies' St Augustine campus.

Superior leaves to mourn Stanley-Marcano, five sons and grandchildren.
(With reporting by Debra Greaves)