Dispelling calypso myths

March 12, 2001

The controversy between Denyse Plummer, calypso singer, and Kurt Allen, songwriter, has raised the proverbial hornet's nest of an issue that's been left untouched for far too long.

For a small society such as ours in which people are enamoured of prying into each other's affairs, calypsonians over the years have proven relatively successful in keeping their business to themselves.

From time to time one would hear rumblings about who wrote what and who sang what, and who "bad-pay", but never would the main protagonists come forward boldly and lay the facts before the populace.

Anyone seeking to get the facts about any rumoured matter would normally be treated as a hostile outsider and rudely warned to "stay out of calypsonians' business".

That cloak of inclusiveness with which the calypso fraternity enwrapped itself allowed the relationship between writers and singers to lie fallow in the dark recesses without ever meeting the light of modern scrutiny, until COTT (Copyright Organisation of T&T) was brought to life in recent times as a distinct and separate entity from its international umbrella and all involved became enlightened as to their rights.

But what was the genesis of this particular artform? A calypsonian from the very beginning was an artist who in song utilised words, melody and rhythm to paint pictures in the course of reporting on, and describing, events and social developments as they unfolded around the world.

He was an artist who composed and presented or sang his material. That was his hallmark and given the environment in which he exhibited his art he had to develop proficiency in taking on all comers, all would-be pretenders to the throne of excellence and superiority.

Imagine, there was a time when all calypso was basically one tune arranged around the seven-chord progression ending with the "sans humanite" cry.

That allowed for all and sundry to get into the act, substituting their own words that defined their own reality and expressed their interpretations of their own experiences.

Who did best in that context was declared "King" and that person's reputation would spread far and wide. And the "King" had to readily make himself available to meet all "comers".

People, like Christophe Grant, renowned songwriter of today, who feel that the distinction between calypsonian and calypso singer is overdone and an immaterial need to understand how the artform and the function of the art developed as an integrated whole. Form and function, composer and singer, were one and the same.

I can recall Pretender telling us that it was "fellahs such as Radio, Houdini, Douglas (Railway), Lion, Tiger, Melody who first started to sing tune". And he meant that these guys were people first noted for utilising various melodic lines to get their message and information across.

With further modernisation of society, the very function of the art would change and the move away from the one-tune syndrome would intensify.

The search will then become quite intense for new and different melodies and the dichotomy between writer and singer would set the stage for new relationships.

For one thing, we will then see emerging an "Extempore" champion as distinct from the "Calypso Monarch" when in the '30s and the '40s such a distinction could never have been conceptualised.

Then in walked the Sparrow. His career really highlighted the point of departure that had already been signalled by others. He took calypso into the realms of modern pop music and was severely criticised by some for this.

Everything about and around him from the word "go" was super-hype and super-commercialisation. There was no other individual in the society about whom so much hype and myths were built up. Save and except Eric Williams who was deemed the "third brightest man in the world".

Sparrow dubbed himself the "greatest calypsonian in the world" and the society bought that lock, stock, and barrel because it was the general belief that "if Sparrow say so is so".

This gentleman as a calypso artist instinctively understood marketing as no one else then understood it, and in this context, and this context alone, Plummer is his most natural descendent. Up to this date people do not even know Sparrow's real name.

It is alleged that he is "Mr Something Herbert", "Slinger Francisco" or "Francisco Slinger", at one time it was used interchangeably, and was the name he assumed to get a visa to travel because he had a police record.

The song that launched his career was "Jean and Dinah" which he did not write and about which much had been rumoured, making it difficult to separate myth from reality.

However what we accept is that Old Man Christopher of Kay Recording Label bought the song from person or persons unknown and the contention was whether to give it to Blakie or Sparrow to sing and Sparrow got the nod.

Sparrow, it is alleged, bought calypsoes, all rights included, and went on to build his entire career on the lyrical and melodic strengths of people like Piggy Joseph, now deceased. Almost every Sparrow hit from 1957-68, it is said, reflects Piggy's lyrical style and socio-political sensibilities.

It was those calypsoes of the '60s that brought for Sparrow all his special awards and accolades: his doctorate, as well as his Caricom award. He exists today on those past calypso laurels. All through the Caribbean region and the Caribbean coast of Latin America and even parts of Africa and North America, people know of these Sparrow calypsoes of the '60s because he marketed powerfully and extensively. Yet not one word about Piggy Joseph.

And in the '70s, '80s and '90s the situation saw people like des Vignes, Chester Morong, deceased Merchant (who sometimes had to be bailed from jail in order to deliver), and even deceased Maestro, being involved.

At one point recently there were only four or five writers for all the calypsonians, adults as well as children, presently singing. Imagine that! Yet there are people here who would want us to mention a Sparrow in the same breath as a Kitchener.

There will only be one Kitchener to every 50 Sparrows. We know the world has changed. We know and accept that we cannot go back to fusing form and function but we demand that all be given their just due.

And let no one be allowed to buy out "rights" to works of art ever again or get a song for a beer or a drink of rum. Enough is enough!