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Mighty Sparrow
Slinger Francisco Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, ORTT Chaconia Medal, CM Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 9 July 1935), better known as Mighty Sparrow, is a Trinidadian Calypso music, calypso vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist. Known as the "Calypso King of the World", he is one of the best-known and most successful calypsonians. He has won Trinidad's Carnival Road March competition eight times, Calypso Monarch, Calypso King/Monarch eight times, and has twice won the Calypso King of Kings title. Career Slinger Francisco was born in the fishing village of Grand Roy, Grenada, West Indies, on 9 July 1935. He moved to Trinidad as a one-year-old with his mother, his father having relocated there in 1937.Thompson, p. 184.Harris He grew up in Laventille, a suburb of Port of Spain. He began singing as a small child, but his love of calypso was discouraged while at Newtown Boys Catholic School, where he sang in the choir. At the age of 14, he joined a Steelpan, stee ...
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Order Of The Republic Of Trinidad And Tobago
The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (ORTT) is the highest honour of Trinidad and Tobago. Established in 2008, it replaced the Trinity Cross as the decoration for distinguished and outstanding service to the country. Recipients References External linksORDER OF THE REPUBLIC OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGOOffice of the President » National Awards Ceremony » Events And Ceremonies » About The Awards
{{Trinidad and Tobago National Awards Recipients of the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Orders, decorations, and medals of Trinidad and Tobago Awards established in 2008 2008 establishments in ...
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Calypso Monarch
The Calypso Monarch (originally Calypso King) contest is one of the two major annual calypso competitions held in Trinidad and all English speaking Caribbean islands, as part of the annual carnival celebrations. History While Trinidad's carnival has its origins in the 18th century, a singing contest was first held in 1911, when the Jubilee Establishment offered a prize for "the most original song on a local topic".Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , pp. 4-5 Further competitions were held after World War I, and the Calypso King contest was first held in 1939. The first winner was Growling Tiger with "Trade Union", followed by Roaring Lion in 1940 and Mighty Destroyer in 1941.Winer, Lise (2009) ''Dictionary of the English/Creole of Trinidad and Tobago'', McGill-Queen's University Press, , p. 159 After a break during World War II, it resumed in 1946, with Atilla the Hun winning the first of two consecutive titles. Mighty Spoiler won the first of ...
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Cook Records
Cook Records was a record label founded by Emory Cook (1913–2002), an audio engineer and inventor. From 1952 to 1966, Cook used his Sounds of our Times and Cook Laboratories record labels to demonstrate his philosophy about sound, recording equipment, and manufacturing techniques. Recording techniques In addition to Sounds of Our Times, Cook released ''Road Recordings'', a "White Label" series, test and binaural recordings.Personal communication with production-line worker Cook Records Riverside CT 1955-1956 Cook is sometimes said to have intended only to show the quality of his recording and molding process at an audio fair, with the added feature of binaural (i.e., stereophonic) sound to get attention. The overwhelming response led him to produce and sell his equipment and to produce records. His micro-fusion process of pressing records required each mold be filled individually by people in a production line. The mold was then passed to someone at a record press. Cook though ...
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Gordon Rohlehr
Gordon Rohlehr (20 February 1942 – 29 January 2023) was a Guyana-born scholar and critic of West Indian literature, noted for his study of popular culture in the Caribbean, including oral poetry, calypso and cricket. He pioneered the academic and intellectual study of Calypso, tracing its history over several centuries, writing a landmark work entitled ''Calypso and Society in Pre-Independence Trinidad'' (1989), and is considered the world's leading authority on its development."Professor Gordon Rohlehr"
, The Integrationist.


Life and career

Born in Guyana in 1942, Daniel Frederick Gordon "Bosco" Rohlehr was the third of his parents' seven children. He was educated at
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Calypso (album)
''Calypso'' is the third studio album by recording artist Harry Belafonte, released by RCA Victor (LPM-1248) in 1956. The album became his second consecutive number-one album on the ''Billboard'' Top Pop Albums chart, where it peaked for 31 weeks. ''Calypso'' was the first Long Play record album to sell over one million copies. In 2015, ''Calypso'' was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2018, ''Calypso'' was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Album information The first track " Day-O (Banana Boat Song)" largely contributed to the success of the album and has long been Belafonte's signature song, the single reaching number five on '' Billboards Pop chart. "Star-O", the sixth track on the album (and B side of the "Day-O" single), is essentially a shorter reprise of "Day-O", with slightly different lyrics. It is sung from the point of view of dock ...
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Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte ( ; born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor, and civil rights activist who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s and 1960s. Belafonte's career breakthrough album ''Calypso (album), Calypso'' (1956) was the first million-selling LP album, LP by a single artist. Belafonte was best known for his recordings of "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)", "Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)", "Jamaica Farewell", and "Mary's Boy Child". He recorded and performed in many genres, including blues, folk music, folk, gospel music, gospel, show tunes, and Great American Songbook, American standards. He also starred in films such as ''Carmen Jones (film), Carmen Jones'' (1954), ''Island in the Sun (film), Island in the Sun'' (1957), ''Odds Against Tomorrow'' (1959), ''Buck and the Preacher'' (1972), and ''Uptown Saturday Night'' (1974). He made his final feature film appearance in Spike Lee's ''Bl ...
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Lord Kitchener (calypsonian)
Aldwyn Roberts HBM DA (18 April 1922 – 11 February 2000), better known by the stage name Lord Kitchener (or "Kitch"), was a Trinidadian calypsonian. He has been described as "the grand master of calypso" and "the greatest calypsonian of the post-war age".Thompson, Dave (2002), ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , pp. 149–154Talevski, Nick (2010) ''Knocking on Heaven's Door: Rock Obituaries'', Omnibus Press, , p. 343. Early life Roberts was born in Arima, Trinidad and Tobago, the son of a blacksmith, Stephen, and housewife, Albertha. He was educated at the Arima Boys Government School until he was 14, when his father died, leaving him orphaned. His father had encouraged him to sing and taught him to play the guitar, and he became a full-time musician. Music career He moved to Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad in 1943 where he joined the Roving Brigade. He was spotted singing "Mary I Am Tired and Disgusted" (aka "Green Fig") with the group by Johnny Khan, ...
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Lord Melody
Lord Melody (1926 – 26 September 1988)Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', backbeat Books, , p.154-155 was a popular Trinidadian calypsonian, best known for singles such as " Boo Boo Man", "Creature From The Black Lagoon", " Shame & Scandal", "Jonah and the Bake", "Juanita", and "Rastaman Be Careful". Melody's career spanned forty years, from the beginnings of popular calypso music to his embrace of the more dance oriented Soca style by the late 1970s.Biographyat AllMusic Career Melody was born Fitzroy Alexander at San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, raised at an orphanage in Port of Spain, and met Alwyn Roberts (soon to become better known as Lord Kitchener) after moving to Arima while still in his teens. Roberts took him under his wing and they returned to Port of Spain, where Lord Kitchener became the leading calypso star, with Melody one of his main challengers. His popularity increased locally when Lord Kitchener emigrated to England in 1947. Melody's ...
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Jean And Dinah
"Jean and Dinah" (When The Yankees Gon) is a calypso from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean sung by calypsonian Mighty Sparrow Slinger Francisco Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, ORTT Chaconia Medal, CM Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 9 July 1935), better known as Mighty Sparrow, is a Trinidadian Calypso music, calypso vocalist, songwriter, and guitar ... that became an international hit in 1956. It was also his first of eight roadmarches. This calypso, Sparrow's first hit, commented on the large-scale prostitution that the bases once supported and the desperation of these prostitutes following the closure of many American military bases in Trinidad in the post-war period. :''Jean and Dinah, Rosita and Clementina'' :''Round de corner posin :''Bet your life is something dey sellin :''But when you catch them broken'' "broke"''you could get dem all for nuttin :''Doh make a row'' :''De Yankee gone, and Sparrow take over now!'' American movie star Robert M ...
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Road March
The Carnival Road March is the musical composition played most often at the "judging points" along the parade route during a Caribbean Carnival. Originating as part of the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, the term has been applied to other Caribbean carnivals. There it was and is still viewed as a musical genre. In Trinidad and Tobago the Road March title has been officially given out every year since 1932 (with the exception of the years affected by World War II when Carnival did not officially take place). Popular Unofficial Road Marches have also been recognized in T&T from since 1834 after slavery was abolished. Prior to World War II, T&T Road Marches were referred to as "Leggos" or "Breakaways" by the general population but were rebranded by the Carnival authorities as the Road March from 1946. Scoring is based upon a register-and-count system devised by a Carnival committee before the start of the parade. After a German pop song " Happy Wanderer" by the Obernkirchen Childre ...
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James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nicknames in popular music, various nicknames, among them "Mr. Dynamite", "the Hardest-Working Man in Show Business", "Minister of New Super Heavy Funk", "Godfather of Soul", "King of Soul", and "Soul Brother No. 1". In a career that lasted more than 50 years, he influenced the development of several music genres. Brown was one of the first ten inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on January 23, 1986. His music has been heavily sampled by hip-hop musicians and other artists. Brown began his career as a Gospel music, gospel singer in Toccoa, Georgia. He rose to prominence in the mid-1950s as the lead singer of the Famous Flames, a rhythm and blues vocal group founded by Bobby Byrd. With the hit ballads "Please, Please, Please (James Br ...
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Steelpan
The steelpan (also known as a pan or steel drum) is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago from Afro–Trinidadians and Tobagonians, Afro-Trinidadians. Steelpan musicians are called pannists. In 1992, the steelpan was declared Trinidad and Tobago’s national instrument by Prime Minister Patrick Manning. This helped turn the steelpan into a source of national pride and cultural identity, recognized both locally and internationally. In 2023, the United Nations General Assembly declared August 11 as World Steelpan Day. The following year, the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago officially recognised the steelpan as the country's national instrument. Description The modern pan is a Chromatic scale, chromatically pitch (music), pitched percussion instrument made from 200-litre drum, 200-litre industrial drums. ''Drum'' refers to the steel drum containers from which the pans are made; the steel drum is more correctly called a ''steel pan'' or ''pan'' as it falls int ...
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