Kade Simon (c. 1937 – 1985), better known as Lord Brynner, was a

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...

ian

calypsonian A calypsonian, originally known as a ''chantwell'', is a musician from the anglophone Caribbean who sings songs of the Calypso music, calypso genre. Calypsos are musical renditions having their origins in the West African griot tradition. Origin ...

who won the Trinidad and Tobago Independence Calypso Contest in 1962. He also had a number of

Ska Ska (; , ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a w ...

hits in Jamaica during the mid-1960s.

Biography

Kade Simon was born in Erin, Trinidad.Khan, Nasser (2013),
Lord Brynner, 1962 Independence Calypso King
, ''

Trinidad and Tobago Guardian The ''Trinidad and Tobago Guardian'' (together with the ''Sunday Guardian'') is the oldest daily newspaper in Trinidad and Tobago. The paper is considered the newspaper of record for Trinidad and Tobago. The slogan of the paper is ''The Guardia ...

'', 31 August 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013. Taking inspiration from the actor

Yul Brynner Yuliy Borisovich Briner (; July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985), known professionally as Yul Brynner (), was a Russian-born actor. He was known for his portrayal of King Mongkut in the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical ''The King and I'' (19 ...

, he adopted the stage name Lord Brynner, together with the shaved head of the actor, and became a popular calypsonian in the late 1950s.Lewis, Gordon K. (2005), ''The Growth of the Modern West Indies'', Ian Randle Publishers, , p. 22.Graves, Charles (1968), ''Fourteen Islands in the Sun'', Hart, p. 19. He joined the

West India Regiment The West India Regiments (WIR) were infantry units of the British Army recruited from and normally stationed in the British colonies of the Caribbean between 1795 and 1927. In 1888 the two West India Regiments then in existence were reduced t ...

and relocated to

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

, where he continued to perform, before returning to Trinidad after the collapse of the

West Indies Federation The West Indies Federation, also known as the West Indies, the Federation of the West Indies or the West Indian Federation, was a short-lived political union that existed from 3 January 1958 to 31 May 1962. Various islands in the Caribbean th ...

. He won the Trinidad & Tobago Independence Calypso Contest in August 1962 with the aptly-themed "Trinidad and Tobago Independence", beating the likes of

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 ...

, Nap Hepburn and the Mighty Bomber.Julien, Joel (2012),
Calypso contest named after champ Lord Brynner
, ''

Trinidad Express The ''Trinidad and Tobago Express'', better known as ''Daily Express'' (and the weekend editions ''Saturday Express'' and ''Sunday Express''), is one of three daily newspapers in Trinidad and Tobago. The ''Daily Express'' as per its masthead is ...

'', 4 May 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2013. His success led to performances throughout the Caribbean, and also in more than 60 countries in total, including

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

(at the country's independence celebrations in 1963),

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, and in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

at the

1964 World's Fair The 1964 New York World's Fair (also known as the 1964–1965 New York World's Fair) was an international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, United States. The fair included exhibitions, activities, perform ...

and later at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

and the

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

.Calypso to be Taken to Mysterious Orient
, ''

Virgin Islands Daily News The ''Virgin Islands Daily News'' is a daily newspaper in the United States Virgin Islands headquartered on the island of Saint Thomas. In 1995 the newspaper became one of the smallest ever to win journalism's most prestigious award, the Pulitz ...

'', 28 August 1963, p. 5. Retrieved 15 September 2013.Calypso King to Perform at NY's Lincoln Center
, ''

'', 5 April 1971, p. 15. Retrieved 15 September 2013.Lord Brynner to Sing New Hit at Nightclub
, ''

'', 3 April 1965, p. 3. Retrieved 15 September 2013. One of his mid-1960s

recordings, "Where's Sammy Gone", featured

The Wailers Bob Marley and the Wailers (previously known as the Wailers and prior to that the Wailing Rudeboys, the Wailing Wailers and the Teenagers) were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae band. The founding members, in 1963, were Bob Marley (Rober ...

as backing vocalists, and he recorded several other Ska singles in Jamaica, including "Congo War" in 1964, a collaboration with The Sheiks (featuring

Jackie Mittoo Donat Roy Mittoo (3 March 1948 – 16 December 1990), better known as Jackie Mittoo, was a Jamaican-Canadian keyboardist, songwriter and musical director. He was a member of The Skatalites and musical director of the Studio One record label. ...

and

Dobby Dobson Highland Ralph Dobson OD (5 July 1942 – 21 July 2020) was a Jamaican reggae singer and record producer, nicknamed "The Loving Pauper" after one of his best known songs. Biography Dobson began singing while a student at Central Branch Sc ...

).Thompson, Dave (2002), ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , pp. 160, 244, 366. He continued to be one of the islands' most popular calypso artists throughout the 1960s and 1970s, and during his career released 13 albums and more than 50 singles. In 1970 he toured with his "Calypsorama '70" show, which included musicians and a dance troupe.Brynner, Group to Perform in Islands
, ''

'', 10 March 1970, p. 6, 11. Retrieved 15 September 2013. His lyrical themes included local politics and events, romance,

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

, and world events such as the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

.Andresen, Lee (2003), ''Battle Notes: Music of the Vietnam War'', Savage Press, , p. 55.Rae, Simon (2002), ''It's Not Cricket: A History of Skullduggery, Sharp Practice and Downright Cheating in the Noble Game'', London:

Faber & Faber Faber and Faber Limited, commonly known as Faber & Faber or simply Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, C. S. Lewis, Margaret S ...

, . In the 1970s he lived in Jamaica, owning and running the Big Bamboo club in

Montego Bay Montego Bay () is the capital of the Parishes of Jamaica, parish of Saint James Parish, Jamaica, St. James in Jamaica. The city is the fourth most populous urban area in the country, after Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Spanish Town, and Portmore ...

, where he performed regularly.''Focus on Jamaica'', Volume 15, Issue 1, 1973, p. 166. Kade Simon died in 1985.

Legacy

In 2012, to celebrate Trinidad and Tobago's 50 years of independence, a calypso competition was named in his honour — the 50th Anniversary of Independence Lord Brynner National Calypso Competition.

Discography

Albums

*''Calypsorama'' (1968), WIRL *''Rosslyn Pussy'' (196?)' *''Big Big Bamboo Calypso'' (1968), Erin *''Trinidad Calypso in Jamaica Reggae'' (196?) *''Calypso in Steel'' (196?) *''Calypso Carnival'', Erin *''Calypsorama In Jamaica '', Erin

Calypso titles

*Trinidad and Tobago Independence Calypso Competition - 1962 *TTT Television Calypso Competition - 1964

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brynner, Lord 1937 births 1980 deaths Trinidad and Tobago calypsonians Trinidad and Tobago ska musicians 20th-century Trinidad and Tobago male singers 20th-century Trinidad and Tobago singers People from Siparia region