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Things Caribbean
| | Calypsonian of the Century The Mighty SparrowBy Vaneisa Baksh, Sunday Express (Trinidad) In the realm of calypso, a kingdom rich in kings, princes and other nobles,
it is difficult to isolate an absolute monarch. The citizens of this calypso
kingdom are fiercely supportive of their chosen royalties, as the ongoing debate
stirred up by Keith Smith has once again demonstrated. In the responses to
Keith's invitation to choose the king of the century, two names have been
steadily presented: the Lord Kitchener and the Mighty Sparrow. These two have contributed enormously to the art of calypso, and to bow to
the practice of selecting just one required the establishment of a fine line
encircling certain criteria, particularly the global impact the calypsonian has
had, and the influence on the conditions and structure of calypso. Into that
circle then, steps the Mighty Sparrow, Slinger Francisco, replete with all the
regalia of a king of calypso. [continued below] Sparrow was born in Grenada but his mother, Clarissa
came to join her husband, Rupert in Trinidad when he was eighteen months old,
and this is where he grew up and calls home. His music started early, from
school to the choir at St. Patrick's Catholic Church. Like everyone at the time,
he listened to the music of American street quartets, pop and jazz, and calypso.
The music of Lord Kitchener, Lord Melody, Lord Christo and the Mighty Spoiler
rang in his ears and he decided he wanted to be a calypsonian. His career started in 1954 as the Little Sparrow singing "The Parrot and
the Monkey" which he followed the next year with the "High Cost of
Living," but it was in 1956, after he had toured Guyana extensively and had
an intensive training experience, that he jammed his way to public acclaim with
"Jean and Dinah" which won the twenty-year-old his first Calypso King
crown. In 1958 he was the first with a triple win in the same year in the Road March
Competition ("P.A.Y.E.," "Russian Satellite," and
"Theresa," his first bilingual attempt). The Carnival Development
Committee, for the first time, awarded him a cash prize. He would go on to win the Calypso Monarch title eleven times, including the
King of Kings competition. He has won the Road March title eight times, second
only to Lord Kitchener. He had to retire himself to allow others to have a
chance, but plans to re-enter the World Monarch and Road March Competitions this
year (2000). Listing his numerous titles cannot fully measure the man or his contribution.
He has been one of the most prolific calypsonians of all time, particularly in
the astonishing period of the late fifties and the sixties. By 1964, Sparrow had
a hundred and fifty calypsoes to his credit. This remarkable abundance has led
to criticism that he was not composing all of his music; but then, very few
calypsonians can honestly claim to have composed all their songs. He credited
Reginald (Piggy) Joseph then with having worked on at least fifteen of the 150
songs; and it is a tribute to Joseph that it is impossible to distinguish which
ones could be Sparrow's and which are Joseph's compositions. They are all so
completely in harmony with the personality of the Birdie that is distinctly
aggressive, witty, salacious, humorous, biting and insightful. It is this personality that has driven him to his dominion. He has fought for
the improvement of the calypsonian's lot from the time he broke into the scene,
and through his demands and persistence, many changes were made. In 1957, he
sang the defiant "Carnival Boycott" and refused to appear in the
Dimanche Gras show in protest of the paltry prize moneys for calypsonians and
band leaders as opposed to the lucre for the beauty queens. This song triggered
the formation of the Carnival Development Committee. He was producing records at a phenomenal rate, and set up his own recording
company in the beginning of the sixties, the first calypsonian to do so. He
insisted on working with only the best musicians and was producing music that
was lyrically and musically strong, and was not afraid to explore several themes
in both his music and lyrics. In this regard, though he was innovative, he was
also exploring all the traditional forms available. It opened the way. At a time when calypsonians were not highly regarded, and their art form was
not given the kind of recognition it deserved, Sparrow forced the calypsonians
to see the possibilities they could explore to gain respect, independence and
income. His repertoire is so extensive, covering every possible genre of the
calypso: from social commentary, humour, politics; everything, that his genius
is indisputable. In 1969, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago presented him with the Humming
Bird Medal, Silver; and in 1993, with the Chaconia Medal, Gold. He has travelled
the world-the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America-taking
the calypso internationally in a way no one else has yet equalled, despite the
globalisation of today. By the eighties, he was an international figure, recognised and honoured in
several countries. In 1980, he was honoured by the Legislature of the Virgin
Islands, in 1981, by Carifesta IV. In 1984, the city of New York declared May
18th Mighty Sparrow's Day, as the City of Winnipeg did on June 3, 1987, and the
Borough of Brooklyn did on August 25, 1990. In 1987, the University of the West
Indies made him an honorary Doctor of Letters. He had just returned from another
visit to Nigeria, this time as Chief Omo Wale of Ikoyi, during his National Tour
of Africa. He has been presented with lifetime awards, with tributes for his
contributions to communities, to the steelpan, calypso and world music. No
calypsonian has so dominated his period as the Mighty Sparrow has done. There have been several remarkable epochs in the history of calypso, and the
talents that have emerged have been tremendous. As one of the masters of this
epoch, David Rudder has pointed out in song, to name a few would make the others
look small; but it is because he has been able to rise to the top of this pool
of fecundity, Sparrow's role is particularly extraordinary. His contributions have been significant in shaping the course of calypso and
for that, we salute him as our calypsonian of the century. |