Last Thursday morning about 9.00 am, in San Fernando – ‘down South’ as Trinidadians are wont to say – hundreds of people took to the streets, while hundreds more lined the sidewalks to observe the spectacle playing out in front of their eyes.
Calypso music blared from a huge sound system mounted on a truck, as a band of moko jumbies decked out in the colours of the Trinidad and Tobago flag, paved the way on their stilts for the massive throng of people that followed. It was not a political protest. It was not a carnival band launching. It’s way too soon for J’ouvert. Among the onlookers, primary school children in their uniforms, smiled, waved signs and placards, while bouncing to the cadence of an upbeat calypso, penned many years before their birth. Few of them might have grasped that they were witnessing the celebration of the life of the iconic calypso Monarch, Black Stalin, the culmination of a sad year for the calypsonian fraternity.
On New Year’s Day 2022, Clifton Ryan, known in calypso tents by the moniker The Mighty Bomber, or Bomber, passed away at the age of 93. According to the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation (TUCO), Bomber, who ranked among the Top 50 Calypsonians of the 20th Century, was the oldest living calypsonian at the time of his passing. Born in Grenada (like the Mighty Sparrow), he was already singing calypso when he migrated to Trinidad in his late 20s. There, as the protege of the Mighty Spoiler, one of the all-time greats, he further honed his craft. In 1964, Bomber won the coveted Calypso Monarch title with the songs “Joan and James” and “Bomber’s Dream.” He remained active on the circuit until 2007, and like the true master he was, spent much time mentoring younger artists.
On 2nd January, Kenny Joseph, better known as Kenny J, succumbed at the age of 69 years. Kenny J, a former Police Superintendent, captured the National Police Service Calypso Monarch title in 1987. A four-time qualifier for the National Calypso Monarch, he captured the elusive title in 1990 whilst performing “Addicted to Sweet Soca” and “Leave She Alone.” However, Kenny J is best remembered for his soca parang offerings. (Soca Parang is an amalgam of soca and Venezuelan folk music – parang – which is sung during the Christmas season in Trinidad). Kenny J’s soca parang legacy was his 1993 double entendre classic, “The Paint Brush.”
In a media statement on 7th October, 2022, TUCO announced the passing of composer, calypso extraordinaire, icon and father, Winston “Explainer” Henry. “He was affectionately dubbed the messenger because he composed songs which expressed the ills of society and the oppression of the poor man,” the statement said. Among the classics Explainer penned for his ardent fans were “Ras Mas,” “Lorraine,” “Park it”, and “Is Horse.” Over 43 years in the calypso arena, Explainer was a true ambassador taking the art form to Europe, North America, South America and all over the Caribbean, performing at such prestigious venues as the Commonwealth Institute in London, the Apollo Theatre and Madison Square Garden in New York.
During the Parang season, on December 16th, the Caribbean awoke to the sad news that Francine Edwards, best known by the sobriquet, “Singing Francine” had passed away at the age of 79. Barbados-born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, Singing Francine was initially a background vocalist for the calypso icons Lord Kitchener and Mighty Sparrow before venturing out on her own. TUCO, in a Facebook post, noted that throughout her decades-long career she highlighted social issues, especially those affecting women, “In 1975, she sang ‘Call to Women,’ encouraging more women to use calypso music as a vehicle of self-expression,” the organisation said. In 1978, addressing the subject of domestic violence, Singing Francine sang the ageless classic “Run Away”, urging women in abusive relationships to leave.
Although Singing Francine captured Trinidad and Tobago’s coveted National Calypso Queen competition on four occasions, in 1972, 1973, 1981 and 1983, she is best remembered as a trailblazer. The Carnival Institute of Trinidad and Tobago observed, “Singing Francine [took] on obstacles such as discrimination and chauvinism to make an enormous impact to the advancement of calypso and paved the way for many females to come into the art-form. She unblocked the path of women in calypso.”
Singing Francine’s melodious voice allowed for a seamless transition to parang, and according to TUCO, she earned the reputation as “one of the best parranderos in Trinidad”. Her many parang hits include such classics as “Hooray, Hurrah”, “Parang, Parang”, “Caribbean Christmas” and “Ay, Ay Maria.”
On the morning of 27th December, with the dawn of the New Year beckoning, the grim reaper struck again. For the second time in two weeks, another calypso icon was claimed from our midst. Dr Leroy Calliste, popularly known by the sobriquet of ‘Black Stalin,’ passed away at the age of 81, after an eight-year battle with health problems following an ischaemic stroke.
Calliste, from ‘down South,’ was initially a steelpan player and a limbo dancer before he was drawn to the art form of calypso at the age of 17. As was the custom in those times, the elder calypsonians supplied the monikers, and Calliste was anointed Black Stalin, by none other than Lord Blakie. Black Stalin touched a wide cross-section of Caribbean society as he wrote songs which examined the issues of colonialism and oppression, and then delivered them with commanding stage performances.
Over four decades Black Stalin tussled with the heavyweights of the calypso world for the Monarch title, emerging victorious on five occasions. In 1979, he penned “Caribbean Man” and “Play One”; 1985, “Ism and Schism” and “Wait Dorothy Wait”; 1987, “Mr Panmaker” and “Bun Dem”; 1991, “Look on the Bright Side” and “Black Man Feeling to Party” and 1995 “In Times” and “Tribute to Sundar Popo”. All ten of these songs, which stand on their own as enduring classics and are still being discussed and dissected today, are just part of the large body of work this brilliant composer has given us. His creative range ran the gamut of social commentary, political picong, love and party songs. Black Stalin, honoured with a doctorate by UWI for his contributions to calypso music in 2008 and the naming of a street in San Fernando sought neither honours nor titles, but rather to highlight the burning issues of the day. If Caribbean unity was ever achieved, one suspects “Caribbean Man” will grace the occasion.
These Monarchs have recorded our history like the griots of yore, entertained us with biting humour, subtly pinpointed the source of problems and offered profound solutions to our woes, whilst simultaneously driving fear into politicians, who were (are) always terrified of their barbs. These enduring icons are our treasures. The passing of these Monarchs is a gentle reminder of their immense value to Caribbean society as a whole, and the importance of honouring them during their lifetimes; our duty to look out for them beyond their performing years, and most importantly, the preservation of their legacies.
Mighty Bomber, Kenny J, Explainer, Singing Francine and Black Stalin, thank you for all the messages and wonderful songs and memories. May your souls Rest In Peace.
