My choice of 10 vintage calypsoes

Debbie Jacob

In honour of Calypso History Month, I have chosen ten vintage calypsoes that represent important milestones in our culture. These calypsoes showcase the art form as the people’s newspaper and remind us how calypsonians have stood for freedom of speech.

Some calypsoes are remembered for their melodic messages; others challenge colonialism and self-perception. All capture the essence of the people of this nation: bold, creative, witty and defiant.

Check out these calypsoes on YouTube if you don’t know them.

Money is King by Growling Tiger (Neville Marcano) – Our first officially crowned national calypso monarch’s commentary on the socio-economic gap between the privileged rich and the struggling poor still holds true today. If you are rich, you have power. “If you’re poor,” Tiger sings, “a dog is better than you.”

Nobody Wants to Grow Old by Lord Beginner (Egbert Moore) – A wry sense of humour provides the tone for this calypso. Beginner sings, “They are “dyeing their hair and bleaching their faces, building their hips and reducing weight. It is difficult to say, as you go along your way, how to tell the old from the young today. Nobody wants to get old at all.” It’s a calypso more relevant than ever.

Steelband Clash by Lord Blakie (Carlton Joseph) – In a first-person narrative, with an unforgettable melody, Blakie relates his experiences of getting caught up in a steelband clash between Invaders and Tokyo. This calypso captures an important part of Trinidad’s musical history and highlights action-packed narratives that once formed the foundation for calypso.

Rum and Coca-Cola by Lord Invader (Rupert Westmore Grant) – Invader and Lionel Belasco are credited with composing this calypso in 1943. US actor Morey Amsterdam stole the calypso after hearing Invader perform it in Trinidad and passed it to the Andrews Sisters, who turned it into a hit during World War II. Then Rum and Coca-Cola became the subject of a major copyright infringement case in the US.

Ironically, Invader won the case with his calypso, which used an old Martiniquan melody in the public domain. Invader had added his own lyrics to the recycled melody, as calypsonians did long ago. In his memoir My Life in Court, prominent US lawyer Louis Nizer, who represented the defence, included that trial as one of his six most renowned cases.

Never Ever Worry by Lord Pretender (Aldric Farrell) – Be sure to check out the collaboration Pretender did with Brother Resistance for this important, uplifting piece of musical advice with a mesmerising melody. As Pretender shares his granny’s message, he reminds us, “Remember someone (is) always suffering more than you.”

J’Ouvert Barrio by Roaring Lion (Rafael de Leon) – This early recording by Lion captures his penchant for taking calypsoes from one or two generations before him and giving them a more modern twist. J’Ouvert rhythms are vital to Carnival.

If You’re Not White You’re Black by Lord Kitchener (Aldwyn Roberts) – In this stinging social commentary exposing hypocrisy, Kitchener packs a punch in every line as he chastises black people for hiding their race to fit into white society. He speaks of mixed-race people who hide behind their complexion “to run from the negro race…They use Vaseline on their hair and speak with exaggeration to make the greatest impression.”

Dan is the Man in the Van by the Mighty Sparrow (Slinger Francisco) – This witty calypso showcases Sparrow as a rebel and anti-colonialist. From Jean and Dinah, which emphasises black people reclaiming their culture, to Congo Man, a humorous narrative about racial stereotypes and prejudice, Sparrow challenged colonialism. Dan is the Man in the Van tackles colonial education, its emphasis on mimicry and its stifling effect on cultural identity.

Here, Now and Long Ago by Atilla the Hun (Raymond Quevedo) – With haunting clarinet lines, which have vanished from modern calypso, Atilla the Hun examines and embraces modernisation in Trinidad. He sings, “With motor cars running up and down, Trinidad coming like a New York town” and alludes to the way the motorcar led to road construction, connecting Trinidad in new ways.

Yoruba Shango by Growling Tiger (Neville Marcano) – This calypso, sung only with Shango rhythms, reminds us of the longstanding love/hate relationship between calypso and Shango or Spiritual Baptist rhythms.

Many of the earliest recordings by calypsonians in New York were hymns. In Trinidad, calypsonians wrote songs bashing the Spiritual Baptists, but capitalised on Baptist and Shango rhythms to make hit calypsoes.

Next week I choose ten defining calypsoes of the modern era, ushered in by The Mighty Sparrow.