(Trinidad Guardian) Less than a week after saying a final farewell to Winston “Mighty Shadow” Bailey, the calypso fraternity is mourning the death of another veteran calypsonian in Winston ‘The Original De Fosto Himself’ Scarborough.
Scarborough, one of this country’s most prolific calypso composers and entertainers, suffered a heart attack this morning. He was 64. He had been battling heart disease and was hospitalised several times in recent months due to the condition.
De Fosto’s last public appearance was at the funeral of fellow calypsonian Winston “Mighty Shadow” Bailey on Tuesday at the Queen’s Park Savannah and had even joined other members of the fraternity in a musical tribute at the end of the service.
De Fosto was abandoned as a baby and grew up in the Tacarigua Orphanage. It was there, very early on, that his musical talents were discovered and nurtured. Eventually, he learned to read and score music.
He made his professional singing début in 1976 with Chicks Come Out to Play and over the years had composed and performed many popular calypsoes, including ones specially written for the steelband. Four Lara Four, co-written with the late Merchant, was played by the 1995 National Panorama winner, Amoco Renegades.
Other Panorama hits written by De Fosto include Firestorm and Pan Lamentation, which helped Trinidad All Stars win the titles in 2002 and 2007, respectively and Pandora and War which helped Exodus Steel Orchestra score back-to-back victories in 2003 and 2004.
DeFosto never won the National Calypso Monarch but came close on more than one occasion. In 2000, he placed second with Pan Forevermore and One More Kitchener and in 2007 with Police Money. De Fosto also placed third in 2010 with In A Palace State of Mind.
