Culture Minister Dr Frank Anthony said Monica Chopperfield who was also known as Lady Guymine was a cultural icon, in his message of condolence on her passing.
In a press release the minister said since the start of her career in the 40s singing “ballads and sweet songs” Lady Guymine has never produced mediocre work. She was an instant star and crowd pleaser in the 40s and 50s at the popular Vaudeville shows and picnic concerts of the era.
According to the release Lady Guymine was influenced and assisted by Sparrow, Canary and Intruder when she burst onto the male-dominated calypso scene in the early 1970s. Witty, sensual and professional, she blazed the trail for female calypsonians winning the Mashramani Calypso Monarch twice before touring the Caribbean and migrating to the USA. Anthony said too all calypso connoisseurs and music lovers enjoy the popular “Granny Fit” and other songs and whether at concerts, charity shows or fundraising events Lady Guymine kept Guyana’s musical flag flying high.
The ministry saluted Lady Guymine as a “pioneer” and urged today’s proponents of the art form to seek inspiration from her achievements and professionalism. It said too it welcomes suggestions from the public for ways in which her work and memory may be perpetuated to the benefit of calypso.
The ministry also extended condolences to Lady Guymine’s family, relatives and fans and paid tribute to her work and the contributions she made to Guyana’s cultural image.
