BARBUDA'S FIRST CARIBANA - Antigua & Barbuda

38 

King Goldie 

First Caribana King 

When I was preparing to return home 

to Barbuda after spending twentyseven 

adventurous and learning 

years in and around the fabulous 

city called the “Big Apple,” one of my 

co-workers asked me to describe 

my country that he has never heard 

about before. At the time, all I could 

offer was that my island home was 

a part of a twin-island nation that is 

a piece of paradise situated in the 

heart of the sunny Caribbean. 

Fresh off an American Airlines flight 

that arrived in Antigua, I waited 

patiently to board a smaller plane 

that would take me to paradise that I 

almost thought was lost living abroad 

for over a quarter of a century. 

However, with my dad thinking I was 

nuts to return to Barbuda, the only 

thing that was on my mind was the 

one thing I enjoy more than a good 

laugh – Entertainment, which is my 

life, my love. 

Mas 

Music 

F a n t a s y 

Cleofoster Lewis 

First Caribana 

Queen 

BARBUDA'S 

FIRST 

CARIBANA 

Norris Morris Harris 

First Chairman of Caribana 

It was not long before I was able to 

secure employment at ZDK Radio 

station in Antigua, and was able to 

throw out ideas that would help me 

formulate a program that would assist 

Barbuda to start its own Carnival. 

Antigua had a wonderful summer 

festival, but Barbuda had nothing – no 

festival to call our own. So, I thought 

it was time to start a festival, and in 

1984, a Committee was formed and 

Caribana was born. The excitement 

of such a festival was shared island 

wide. 

In the planning stages, the same 

format as Antigua’s Carnival was 

introduced. Many Antiguans 

volunteered their talents, time and 

assistance and Whit week-end no 

longer belonged to Montserrat where 

most Antiguans went for years. 

For the first year’s celebrations, 

our brothers, sisters and cousins 

from Antigua decended on Barbuda 

in droves to experience the first, 

planned Caribana, and LIAT can 

attest to the numbers who made the 

social pilgrimage. 

The Organizing Committee selected 

a number of beautiful, shy Barbudans 

for the local Queen’s Pageant, and 

Ms. Cleofoster Lewis was adjudged 

the first Caribana Queen (1984) 

and Vernon “Goldie Locks” Glass 

was the first Caribana Calypso King 

of Barbuda. 

During the street parade, the 

Afro-Caribbean heritage was very 

prominent in a lot of the costumes 

that were displayed, and the spirit of 

Carnival was very present among the 

revellers. 

Today, twenty-seven years later, 

Caribana is still celebrated, but 

needs a lot of assistance to finetune 

the different components that 

could ultimately help in raising the 

standard of the event, and allow it to 

achieve the status of one of the best 

Carnivals in the region. 

In celebrating the 50th anniversary 

of Carnival in Antigua, this article 

is dedicated to the early Caribana 

pioneers, committees, winners, 

performers, sponsors, media houses 

and the wonderful people of the twinisland 

state. 

I enjoyed it and equally loved it – 

Barbuda’s first Caribana!

come celebrate 

our 

golden jubilee

40 

I remembered some years ago as 

I was interviewed on television, I 

was asked to describe Jouvert, and 

I said, “Jouvert is an organized, 

fully disorganized fete.” This is so, 

because you never 

know who or what to 

expect during Jouvert 

and the strange 

occurrences that 

usually take place. 

I have had the honor 

to chair the Jouvert 

committee for the 

last ten years or so, 

and from my eyes, 

it is the icing on the 

Carnival celebrations. 

No matter what the 

judges decisions are, 

how long the debates 

last, what time the shows end, what 

time Lions stop their jam, no matter 

the weather, as long as bands are 

out, the people are always ready to 

jam. Jouvert is just very special, or 

as the young people will now say, 

Jouvert is a time to wild out. 

As a youngster growing up, I think 

being out at four or five in the 

morning when the place was still 

relatively dark added a kind of silent 

intrigue to the whole outlook of 

Jouvert. People believed because 

it was dark they could get away with 

certain things. 

I do not know how or when Jouvert 

actually started, or whose idea 

it was, but in conversation with 

the elders, I learned that Jouvert 

started long before the first Carnival 

in 1957. The Iron bands from the 

Mas 

Music 

F a n t a s y 

Mitchell A. Hill 

Point area that were called the 

“Housecoat bands” in the 1940’s, 

were very popular and paraded 

the streets early in the mornings, 

particularly at Christmas time and 

on special holidays. 

On Jouvert 

morning, a variety 

of characters are 

always present and 

provide the merrymakers 

as well as 

the onlookers with 

a lot of laughter. 

Some of these 

characters dress up 

in the weirdest of 

costumes, others 

barely dressed, while some 

indulge in an over abundance of 

alcoholic beverage. Individuals 

like Gwen, the Po Man, the Frock 

man, and the man with the pig, have 

contributed to this disorganized 

fete for many years. They are now 

fixtures that are missed if they do 

not show up. 

Many of us look, stare, pass 

comments and the like, but come 

next year and these characters do 

not appear, we feel as if something 

was missing. While we remember 

the characters, there are many that 

are before my time and some of 

them are still alive today. 

Politicians, lawyers, maids, doctors, 

businessmen, clerks, teachers, 

cleaners, nurses and others can 

be seen hugging, drinking and 

jamming together, either side by 

side, or bottom to belly, with a facial 

expression that says, we are having 

big, big fun! 

Special mention must be made of 

the “Rig” drivers who are considered 

as some of the best drivers around. 

On Jouvert morning, the narrow 

streets in St. John’s provide a big 

challenge to these skillful drivers. 

Maneuvering the short corners with 

vehicles parked on both sides of a 

particular street, and vendors with 

their trays, refrigerators and whole 

kitchen set–up on the sidewalks, 

usually become a real test. On 

this the celebration of the 50th 

anniversary of Carnival, we 

should all big-up the Rig drivers 

for taking us through the streets 

of St. John’s safely each year. 

They are some of the un-sung 

heroes of Carnival. 

The best part of Jouvert 

in my opinion is reaching the 

judges’ point on Newgate Street and 

looking up at the television camera 

perched atop the Shoul’s building. 

The excitement when the revellers 

realize that they are on television, 

is mind-boggling. They contort their 

faces into all kinds of ugly things, 

and the competition of who can 

wock-up more than who, begins. 

A friend of mine who returned home

after fifteen years in the U.S. said to 

me,” Hill, Jouvert changed.” Yes, he 

was very right, it has changed. Gone 

are the days when the bands were 

roped off and there was a sense of 

order. Today, a hooligan element 

seems to be taking over, and many 

revellers are now onlookers. One 

year, I proposed to the Carnival 

Chairman that two routes should 

be created for Jouvert; one for Jam 

bands and Hi Fi’s and the other 

for Steelbands and Iron Bands. 

There were fierce opposition to my 

suggestion, but my concern at the 

time was that steelbands were losing 

the crowd and were overpowered 

by the loud noise of the Jam bands. 

Jouvert cannot be all Jam Bands 

and HiFis. We must preserve the 

steel bands and the Iron Bands who 

have their followers, the over-forty 

crowd. 

With the advent of the Burning 

Flames in 1985, who were hailed as 

‘Champions of the Road,’ the entire 

face of Jouvert changed drastically. 

It became a time when do as they 

say reigned supreme. Wild behavior 

became the order of 

the day and people 

believed it was okay 

to display a variety of 

unacceptable behavior 

with impunity. 

When High Intensity 

won the Road March in 

2001 with “The Ole Time 

Something” song, what 

a year that was with the 

over forty returning to the streets 

in their numbers. The steel bands 

were back in action that year also, 

as revellers ‘chiped’ to the new, 

slow rhythm. Even the Iron bands 

had some prominence that year in 

Jouvert. 

A new phenomenon has emerged in 

the last five years. It’s the era of mud 

and colors. The Blue Devils’ mud 

mas has taken over the Jouvert. 

The biggest disorganized Jouvert 

band, over the short years of their 

existence, has managed to “blue 

up” the town. I had my experience 

of becoming blue at the end of a 

Jouvert session. I wonder what’s 

next. Yes, what’s next? Don’t be 

surprised with the new Jouvert route, 

if ropes and bouncers will become 

a part of the plan to keep out the 

undesirable elements. I believe the 

time is fast approaching when, if you 

are not wearing the relevant T-shirt, 

have not paid your subscription, 

then you may find yourself outside 

of a Jouvert band. That will surely 

be another big challenge. Yes, 

the most disorganized fete getting 

organized with bouncers and rope. 

On this the 50th anniversary 

of Carnival, I extend heartiest 

thanks to all those Sub-Committee 

Chairpersons and their committees 

who, over the years, have assisted 

in organizing the most disorganized 

fete during Carnival. Until then, see 

you Jouvert morning. Oh Gosh! 

Vaughn just passed me, and all my 

clothes turned blue – that’s from my 

eyes! 


our 

golden jubilee

AD 

F/P

Antigua’s celebration of 50 Years of 

Carnival should be seen as a major 

milestone in the country’s social, 

cultural and economic development 

and the festival has emerged as 

one of the most colorful and wellknown 

summer events on the 

Caribbean entertainment calendar. 

Although little analysis has been 

conducted to determine true ROI 

from this festival and the economic 

gains that have been generated 

over the years, the value of the 

festival in terms of enhancing our 

cultural heritage, and strengthening 

the cultural identity of the 

destination is well recognized. 

As we embark on the next 50 

years, an abundance of cultural 

assets have emerged with the 

development of Carnival in terms of 

craftsmen, musicians, performers 

and unique entrepreneurial 

opportunities. The Caribbean’s 

most colorful summer festival 

has the potential to increase 

economic activity and heighten 

the level of development that can 

be garnered from tourism activity 

Estimates indicate that Antigua’s 

Carnival attracts over fifteen 

thousand visitors primarily from 

the Caribbean region. However, 

in the past 5 years the increase 

in arrivals from the United States 

has grown steadily and last 

year, visitor arrivals in July and 

August grew quite handsomely. 

By: Derede Samuel-Whitlock - Antigua and Barbuda’s 

Director General of Tourism in New York 

Studies show that a growing 

number of visitors in the US have 

become “special interest” travelers 

and rank the arts, heritage and/or 

other cultural activities as one of 

the top five reasons for traveling. 

Some 35% or 35.3 million adults 

indicate that a specific arts, 

cultural or heritage event or activity 

had influenced their choice of 

destination. In fact, many travelers 

will extend their stay because of an 

arts, cultural or heritage event or 

activity. 

As destinations struggle to 

differentiate their tourism products, 

there are tremendous opportunities 

for Antigua and Barbuda to 

integrate Carnival as a core and 

unique part of our tourism product 

for both visitors and cultural 

export. Trinidad and Tobago, the 

city of Chicago and Bangalore, 

India have found effective ways to 

expand their tourism products by 

integrating other art forms such as 

visual, performing and culinary arts 

to develop sound cultural offerings 

that have emerged as lucrative 

sectors in their economies. 

According to one Trinidadian 

commentator “The carnival arts 

have emerged to be the lynchpin of 

the cultural industries, which is one 

of the top foreign exchange earning 

sectors in the Trinidad and Tobago 

economy.” 

With the recent merger of the 

Ministry of Tourism and Carnival 

under the same umbrella, this is 

the opportune time to develop 

a symbiotic relationship that will 

increase the economic impact 

that Carnival can have on the 

tourism and entertainment 

industries as well as the wider 

economy. A comprehensive 

evaluation of the direct economic 

contribution of the Carnival’s 

foreign exchange earnings and 

export of goods and services is 

mandatory as a starting point. 

Minister Lovell has discussed 

the development of a Festivals 

Committee that will manage our 

three main festivals, Carnival, 

Sailing Week and Independence 

Homecoming. A core component 

of this team should be product 

development and the identification 

of cooperative promotional 

opportunities to jointly market 

Carnival as a part of our Tourism 

product. 

However, attempts to market the 

Carnival and, in a larger sense, 

the destination, will require many 

modifications in the Carnival 

product and this will have to be 

done in a manner that balances the 

authenticity of the festival against 

potential commercialism of it. 

One example of product 

enhancement that would better 

support Tourism would be to shift 

some of the Carnival activity away 

from its customary setting in St. 

John’s, the capital, to some of 

the villages and historical areas 

such as Nelson’s Dockyard and 

Shirley Heights. If entertainment 

centers are spread out through 

the island it will not only serve to 

highlight the adventure side of 

the destination, but also broaden 

the entertainment offerings to 

cultural visitors. This would serve 

to lengthen the yachting season, 

and the overall tourist season could 

be extended to the end of July. 

In St. Lucia, Carnival cruises 

around the Soufriere have grown in 

popularity and have become a big 

selling point of St. Lucia’s Carnival. 

continued on p44 


our 

golden jubilee

continued from p43 

the island either on a daytime 

circumnavigation tour or a moonlit 

party cruise. Another attraction of 

St. Lucia’s Carnival is “Mas on the 

Square” an exciting event on the 

Tourism Calendar of Events where 

Carnival performances are staged 

at key tourist centers. This is a 

prime example of how culture can be 

packaged effectively with the tourism 

product. How about “Mas at the 

Botanical Gardens” where visitors 

can experience Antigua’s beautiful 

gardens and unique cultural enclaves 

during the festivities? From special 

events to customized activities, 

visitors would be able to celebrate 

Antigua’s Carnival and experience 

the destination’s cultural offerings 

at prominent historical sights, 

attractions and cultural events. 

Antigua’s Carnival could play a 

key role in cultural-inspired events 

Mas 

Music 

F a n t a s y 

44 Visitors look forward to touring 

that offer an eclectic mixture of the 

culinary, visual, performing and 

literary arts. There are opportunities 

to launch an interactive island wide 

initiative that would invite visitors to 

engage in activities including poetry 

slams, impromptu performances, 

music concerts, unique dining 

experiences, adventure tours and 

cultural exhibitions and workshops 

where they could learn the art of 

building carnival costumes, or learn 

to play the steel pan. 

Other examples that we may want to 

consider, would be guided walking 

tours of the Produce and Craft 

Markets and Heritage Square that 

would allow visitors to venture into 

the local stores and craft shops to 

enjoy local produce, or purchase 

local arts and craft during the 

Carnival celebrations. 

Carnival is a business, and it must 

be given the same attention that 

a business needs in order to be 

successful. We need to develop a 

business plan for Carnival - short, 

mid and longer term plans that are 

in sync with the Tourism Master 

Plan and Destination Promotions. 

Hotels, restaurants and other key 

industry stakeholders should be 

provided with incentives to embrace 

Carnival as one of the major festivals 

on our Calendar of Events. 

Public festivals such as Carnival 

provide not only the occasion to 

make statements about national 

identity but also offer opportunities 

to harness our culture in an 

enterprising way that facilitates 

foreign exchange generation through 

visitor arrivals or cultural export. 

As Antigua’s Carnival embarks on 

another 50 years of growth and 

development, it should be viewed 

as both a commodity and a source 

of national pride. It is hoped that the 

festival will continue to develop as a 

vehicle for tourism development, but 

as stakeholders, government and 

citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, we 

must recognize that a successful 

Carnival/ Tourism program will 

require stronger collaboration, 

continuous product assessment 

and research, marketing and 

attention to the visitor experience.


our 

golden jubilee

46 

As far back as I can remember, 

attending the Queen of Carnival 

Competition was always number 1 on 

my family’s “To Do” list for Carnival. 

Besides holding my mother’s hand 

as a by-stander on Market Street 

and watching the colorful costumes 

pass by, more than anything else, 

I looked forward to one day being 

Miss Antigua. And so, each year 

I watched and relished in sheer 

admiration, as a new queen was 

crowned and became the bearer of a 

title that to me is the most prestigious 

of them all. Why “prestigious” you 

may ask? In essence, the young 

woman who wins this title is our most 

visible cultural ambassador, and for 

me, it was an honor to have been 

chosen to be a contestant vying 

Mas 

Music 

F a n t a s y 

for the title which is the ultimate 

representation of a festival whose 

roots are grounded deeply in history. 

These roots delve even deeper than 

the visuals of pageantry, mas and 

revelry that we have all come to 

enjoy as carnival today. 

The Queen of Carnival Competition 

has been a platform for many 

women who seek an avenue where 

they can express themselves 

creatively. It is a great launching 

pad for many programs developed 

by participating contestants, who 

have gone on to win the title and 

have continued these programs 

centered around community 

service. My platform, dubbed 

“Developing our Youth through the 

Arts”, allowed me to work with and 

engage more than 50 young men 

and women over a one week period. 

This was not only inspiring, but also 

gratifying and was my way of giving 

back to the community through 

our country’s most valuable asset 

– our youth. Queens of Carnival are 

therefore not only beauty queens 

with a purpose, but the experience 

gained by being a contestant 

proves beneficial as it serves 

as a personal developmental 

tool. As a 2002 contestant, 

I learned the value of hard 

work, developing strong talent 

and public speaking aptitude, 

as well as all the necessary 

skills for approaching life with 

confidence. 

With that being said, as we 

celebrate 50 years of Carnival 

it is important to recognize the 

true value of this festival as a 

cultural, social, and economic 

commodity. As such the young 

woman who has the honor of 

becoming Queen of Carnival should 

brand herself by using the cultural 

resources available and packaging it 

with her own personal stamp. Since 

my stint as Queen of Carnival five 

years ago, many doors have opened 

and unlimited opportunities abound. 

One of the things I have had to learn 

during this time, was how to harness 

my home-grown talents into a 

competitive yet unique package that 

is more suited to an international 

audience. The Queen of Carnival 

was a stepping stone to International 

stages such as the Miss Universe 

and the Miss World pageants, the 

latter at which I succeeded in gaining 

the title of “Most Talented”. In all 

honesty, the Queen of Carnival title 

propelled me towards international 

fame, but most importantly, was the 

opportunity this medium afforded 

me was to make millions of people 

set their eyes upon our tiny twin 

island state. I look forward to even 

greater opportunities as I continue 

to work towards building my brand 

as an international entertainer and 

business woman in this growing 

multimedia world. 

Despite the glory of pageantry, I 

made sure to remain focused on 

my education and I studied with 

a passion and fervor to learn. A 

Bachelors Degree in International 

Criminal Justice afforded me an 

opportunity to gain experience as a 

diplomat at the United Nations and 

serve not only my country, but also 

other world nations. Now, as part 

of the tourism team U.S.A, my job 

requires me to travel and promote 

the destination all over the United 

States. This affiliation has also 

allowed me the unique opportunity 

of packaging my career in music 

through various channels that can 

also be used to promote our tourism 

product. 

So, as we reflect on the past 50 

years, we should all recognize that 

the Miss Antigua Pageant now more 

appropriately called the Queen of 

Carnival Competition, has, and will 

continue to positively impact not only 

our young women, but our society 

both culturally and economically. 

Happy 50 Years of Carnival!!!

A Carnival of Trust 

We manage your wealth, across the globe, 

generation by generation. 

And we proudly celebrate 

another generation of Carnival. 

www.globalbank.ag 

Global Bank of Commerce 

joins in celebrating 

Antigua’s 

50 th 

Anniversary of Carnival

48 

Calypso is defined as a 

popular musical art form, 

which is fundamentally a song 

of a people. It is also a medium 

of cultural expression and 

social entertainment. Topical 

and critical, it comments 

on life locally, within the 

wider Caribbean as well as 

happenings in the international 

world. Its beginnings go all the 

way back to Africa. Back then, 

calysonians were recorders of 

tribal history and customs, they 

were commentators, 

celebrators and satirists. 

But calypso has also persisted 

as a medium of expression 

for the many ethnic groups 

who, thrown together in a 

new land, have struggled and 

fought for political liberty in the 

face of oppressive conditions 

in a colonial society, and 

being drawn together into an 

integrated community of many 

racial groupings. 

A calypso must have a 

message. The composer 

must make a plan for writing a 

calypso in as much the same 

way as a student does an 

Mas 

Music 

F a n t a s y 

English composition. 

After deciding on the topic, 

he/she begins with an 

introduction, a body, which 

carries the message, and a 

conclusion. A well structured 

calypso is no different. Calypso 

pundits and students of the art 

form have always stated that 

Calypsonians are singers who 

write their own songs. 

The basic ingredients of 

a good calypso are lyrics, 

melody, rhythm, tempo, 

diction and clarity, drama, 

and wit. Each song tells a 

story that is a commentary on 

an aspect of life or event(s) in 

a humorous, smutty, witty or 

serious form. 

Richard Apparicio 

The greatest exponents of the 

art form deliver songs with 

captivating melodies, slow or 

up tempo, laced with double 

entendre, innuendo, satire, 

sarcasm and irony. 

Prior to 1950, a man by the 

name of John Quarkoo was the 

only known name associated 

with Calypso in Antigua and 

Barbuda which was called 

‘benna.’ This is a term that 

was used to differentiate 

secular music from other 

forms of music. 

Quarkoo was humorous, 

fearless and outspoken and 

would make-up calypsos on

persons who held considerable 

clout in the society. He was 

very outspoken and was 

classified as an alcoholic. He 

was so good; he could compose 

a calypso on the spot that was 

relevant to the burning issues of 

the day. He also accompanied 

himself on the guitar. 

Other than a calypsonian, 

Quarkoo was a peddler who 

sold pens, pencils, erasers, 

blue, matches and the lyrics 

of some of his calypsos for a 

small fee. The owner of the 

printery where he printed his 

lyrics organized a Calypso King 

competition in 1955 which was 

won by Black Shirt (Tobitt) and 

another in 1956 that was won 

by Obstinate. 

Carnival and calypso are 

definitely inseparable. This is 

so, because calypso is one of 

the most important aspects of 

Carnival, since it provides the 

rhythm for the bands, and they 

in turn provide the music for 

the festival. 

On this the 50th anniversary 

of Carnival in Antigua and 

Barbuda, there are so many 

individuals, who over the years 

have done so much to foster 

and develop the art form, 

but it is impossible to profile 

each and everyone. However, 

special mention must be made 

for the purpose of recognition, 

respect and just saying thanks. 

Some of those individuals are 

Antigua’s first Calypso Monarch, 

Samuel "King Tyler" Ryan, 

George "Zemakai" Edwards, 

Eugene "King Canary" Henry, 

Kenneth "King Tennyson" 

George, "Lord Montgay", 

"Black Shirt", "Lard Dardian", 

"Prince Alphonso", Fitzroy 

"King Peculiar" Richards, 

Manroy "King Creole" Hunte, 

Joseph "Calypso Joe" Hunte, 

Franco, Ogliver "Destroyer" 

Jacobs, "Smarty Snr.", 

"Latumba" Glenmore "King 

Progress" Sheppard, Barry 

"King Scorpion" Edwards, 

"King Fiah", Ira "King Smarty, 

Jr." Harvey, Toriano "King 

Onyan" Edwards, the late 

Lynwall "King Zero" Joseph, 

Lena "Queen Ivena" Philip, 

Althea "Queen Singing Althea" 

Williams, "King Eddie Melo" 

the "Mighty Glass Bottle", 

"Calypso Val", "Doctor Solo", 

"Singing Vick", "G.B." and 

"Gee Bee" Benjamin, the late 

Sonia "Queen Singing Sonia" 

Wilkins, Michele "Queen 

Falcon" Augustine, "Redding", 

"Lord Lee", "Young 

Destroyer", "De Surpriser", 

"Lord Fowl," "Gawky", "Lord 

Sherry", "Artist" "Deceiver", 

"Stumpy", "Douglas", "Bold 

Face", Calypso Val and 

"Chalice". 

Over the past fifty years there 

are some individuals who have 

also played a pivitol role in 

the development of calypso in 

Antigua and Barbuda. They 

are: Marcus Christopher, Tim 

Hector, Sidney Prince, Llewellyn 

Joseph, Allan Halladay, 

Reginald Knight, George Martin, 

Dr. Prince Ramsey, Dorbrene 

O’Marde, Jerome Bleau, Dr. 

Foster Hill, Knolly Hill, Bertha 

Higgings, Oscar Mason, Shelly 

Tobitt, William Lewis, Jagger 

Martin and others.

Sir McLean Emanuel better known 

as King Short Shirt is originally from 

the Point area in St. John’s, Antigua. 

He first appeared in competition 

on stage in 1962 and though he 

did not place then, in 1963 he was 

first runner-up and in 1964 he won 

the coveted title of Calypso King 

of Antigua and Barbuda, a triumph 

that propelled him to the number 

one position, which he holds up 

to this day. Referring to himself as 

the Cassius Clay (Mohammed Ali) 

of calypso back then, his career 

which spans 45 years has been 

one of excellence, and just like Ali, 

even though he was sometimes 

beaten he is known and respected 

internationally as one of the greatest 

calypsonians of all times. 

No other calypsonian has achieved 

what Sir McLean has done. He 

has won the Calypso King Title of 

Antigua and Barbuda fifteen (15) 

times and the Road March Title 

seven (7) times. He also won the 

Caribbean Calypso King Title some 

seven times. In 1971 he unselfishly 

stayed out of the local competition to 

give another Antiguan calypsonian 

a chance in the Caribbean Calypso 

King Competition that year. He then 

proved his superiority by winning 

the title again. 

After winning the Road March 

title in Antigua in 1976 with his hit 

song “Tourist Leggo”, he went to 

Trinidad for their 1977 Carnival 

celebrations and totally dominated 

the calypso scene there. One will 

never understand why he was not 

given the Road March title. “Tourist 

Leggo” was by far the most popularly 

played song on the road during the 

Carnival. But in Trinidad, insularity 

crept in, and the bands played 

Calypso profile 

Stanley RC Humphreys 

Sir McLean King Short Shirt Emanuel 

The Legend 

Lord Kitchener’s song, 

“Flag Woman” as they 

passed the judges and 

then back to “Tourist 

Leggo” for the rest 

of the day. That was 

total deception and 

highway robbery. 

Again in 1983, Sir 

McLean went to 

Trinidad with his 

hit song “PUSH,” 

only to find out 

that a Trinidad 

calypsonian had 

re-recorded his 

song and was 

outselling him 

on the market. It took 

a court injunction, which came too 

late to benefit Sir McLean, to stop 

the process. 

What has attributed to Sir McLean’s 

greatness in the art form is not only 

his natural ability to sing and perform 

on stage, but his unique style of 

delivery, his attention to diction and 

clarity, the coolness of his voice, and 

the way he meters his lyrics. All these 

combine to make him what he now 

calls himself, “Calypso King of the 

Universe”. His selection of relevant 

topics and the way he expounds on 

them also factor into why he has 

attained such popularity. He is the 

standard by which calypsonians 

today and in the future will be judged. 

He’s a national, golden treasure, 

an such treasures only surface at 

certain intervals in life. 

Because of his achievement in his 

field and the recognition that he has 

brought to Antigua and Barbuda, in 

2003 the government showed their 

appreciation by knighting him Sir 

McLean Emanuel. 

This year, 2007, Antigua and 

Barbuda celebrates its 50th year of 

Carnival, and if this was the 500th 

year the name Sir McLean (King 

Short Shirt) would still be present. 

Let us all celebrate this great cultural 

brother, hero, icon and ambassador, 

who has given us so much joy in 

his renditions, renditions that were 

done over forty years ago and are 

still relevant today. That is surely 

the mark of a genius. 

All Antiguans and Barbudans should 

be proud of him. Long live the 

Calypso King of kings! 


our 

golden jubilee

52 

Mas 

Music 

F a n t a s y 

Calypso 

profile 

Paul King Obstinate Richards 

Q: If you could 

be reincarnated 

as another 

calypsonian, 

who would 

you come 

back as? 

A: I would 

say the 

M i g h t y 

Sparrow. 

I think 

he’s the 

greatest 

in the 

world. He has made 

an impact, and he is my ideal 

calypsonian. He has touched every 

subject there is to touch, and he is a 

great performer, a great storyteller, 

along with his humour. 

Q: If you could have chosen a 

different name for yourself, what 

would it be? 

A: I didn’t pick Obstinate you know. 

That name was given to me in 

school, by my headmaster, Hubert 

Henry, at the Greenbay Government 

School. When I started singing 

calypso, I started with the name, 

Young Kitchener. At that time I used 

to admire Kitchener a lot, because 

he lived in England, and he used 

to send back his work to Trinidad 

during the Carnival, and would rival 

anybody who was in Trinidad. If I 

could rename myself though, I’d still 

be Obstinate, because it’s my name 

and nature. I was very obstinate as 

a boy, and in a way, I’m still that way. 

I like to do things to crack people 

up… make them laugh. 

Q: Do any of the young and 

upcoming calypsonians remind you 

of yourself? 

Susan Noyce 

A: That’s a tough question. Right 

now, I’m watching Young Destroyer. 

He has great lyrics, great diction, and 

I’m still watching his performance 

on stage, but I think he has a lot 

of potential. There is also Lady 

Falcon. I like her voice, and she is a 

great performer. There are also the 

old greats I am crazy about though, 

like Calypso Joe, Destroyer, Franco, 

Smarty, Solo, and old veterans like 

Lord Glass Bottle. There’s also 

Prince Alfonso, Spoiler and Lord 

Antigua. 

Q: If you had to stage the ultimate 

five calypsonian-showdown on your 

home turf, who would you want to 

battle? 

I would take on Short Shirt… 

anytime, Swallow, Young Destroyer. 

One more… maybe Lady Falcon 

and Calypso Joe. 

Q: What was the greatest moment 

in your career? 

A: It would have to be the New York 

World Fair, when I was selected to 

be a part, as the only calypsonian 

from the Caribbean. That was in 

1964. That was a great honour, to 

have people from all over the world 

there watching. I sang everything, 

but mostly made up stuff on the 

spot… that’s the highest you can get 

as a calysponian, and that was my 

big weapon. 

Another great moment was when I 

came back to Antigua and recaptured 

the calypso king title, back in 1981.

Another great moment in my life was 

when I accepted the Lord, after I had 

the stroke. The Lord was there for 

me, and I felt like singing praises all 

my life. I’ve slipped up, I’m human, 

but I pray the day will come when I 

will be able to make amends. 

Q: What advice would you give to 

another calypsonian on accepting 

defeat? 

A: Defeat is rough, but I’ve got hit 

in the calypso arena, and there 

were times when I said I would 

quit, because I just couldn’t see the 

guys beating me. But anybody who 

knows Obstinate will tell you I’m a 

good listener. I spoke to some of 

the guys who competed year after 

year, and when you get defeated, 

you’ve got to brush yourself off and 

go back to the drawing board. 

Q: How do you see calypso in 20 

years? 

A: Right now, to me, calypso in 

Antigua is a dying art. We don’t 

have the support. You have a show 

with local performers, and they can’t 

full the place… the people are not 

supporting. The young people are 

more into hip hop and soca, not the 

real hard calypso, and people are 

not going to the tents; they have to 

be sponsored to survive. So, I’m 

watching that trend. I don’t know if 

it will change 20 years from now, but 

right now, to me, it’s dying. I think 

it needs dedicated calypsonians, 

and people who will write the songs, 

perform them, and be serious about 

what they are doing. I’m telling 

you, this is 50 years of Carnival, 

and you’re still interviewing King 

Obstinate, you still have to go 

interview Short Shirt, and Swallow. 

You still hearing the same names. 

The other guys are there, but 

they’re not generating the interest. 

Right now, you sing a song and it’s 

a Carnival song. After Carnival, the 

songs die. I hope I don’t sound too 

negative, but it is what I am seeing. 

I could be wrong. 

Q: Are the women really taking 

over? 

The male calypsonians… their thing 

get away from them. The women, 

I think, are more serious. They’re 

getting the better writers, which is 

the key. We held on to these writers, 

and they didn’t get away from us. I 

held onto Chalkdust, because he 

was a good writer, and Reality in 

Montserrat… Dr Ramsey, he has 

great ideas, and he writes well. 

Short Shirt held on to Shelly Tobitt; 

Swallow is a good writer in his own 

right. But those of us who put more 

emphasis on performance, we found 

good writers. Today, the fire is not 

there, the passion for calypso… that 

I still have. If you tell me I have to 

compete, I go to fight, I go there to 

win, but I don’t see that today. 

Instead of….”my humble thanks, to 

you Papa” – it’s our humble thanks 

to you, Obsti. 


our 

golden jubilee

54 

Calypso 

profile 

In 1962, a year before taking his 

Senior Cambridge examinations 

(the equivalent of today’s CXC) a 

young school boy from Willikies 

sauntered confidently onto a 

Carnival stage for the first time. 

He was driven home later that night 

in a not so small car loaded with 

gifts. He was adjudged the second 

runner-up winner of the Calypso 

competition. His sobriquet was 

“The Mighty Swallow.” 

Today, the Mighty Swallow, 

although a humble, regular, 

unassuming, friendly and downto-earth 

“country boy” can boast 

of a list of achievements which 

should make every Antiguan and 

Barbudan proud that he is a son of 

the soil. He has been our musical 

ambassador ‘par excellence.’ He 

has captured the local Calypso 

Monarchy four (4) times and the 

Road March title five (5) times. 

Mas 

Music 

F a n t a s y 

Rupert King Swallow Philo 

He has reigned as Caribbean 

Calypso King with the added 

distinction of capturing the Road 

March title and the Calypso King 

honor all in the same season. He 

has three Sunshine Award 

trophies in his possession 

and has received national 

honours in Trinidad and 

Tobago, Grenada and 

the Grand Cross of the 

Most Order of Princely 

Heritage here at home. 

He has also served as 

Ambassador-at-Large 

and has performed 

in countless cities 

worldwide, while 

holding the 

distinction of being 

the first calypsonian 

to grace the Radio 

City Music Hall 

stage. He has 

shared the stage 

with and earned 

the admiration 

and respect 

of every 

calypsonian in 

the business. 

King Swallow’s illustrious career did 

not follow any blueprint prepared 

by him. He nurtured his singing 

talent in the church and developed 

his love for singing calypso in his 

hometown with the encouragement 

of his school friend, J.D. (Jerome 

Ramsey). Swallow also spent a lot 

of time listening to calypso records 

from a juke box close to his school 

in town. But, it was a decision to 

terminate him from his job, because 

he and other workers took industrial 

action and maintained their 

principled position that jettisoned 

him into the entertainment field as 

a professional calypsonian. The 

year was 1976. With his ‘pink slip’ 

Bernard Percival 

in hand he was convinced that he 

could survive without the job he 

was driving away from. He would 

now return to his “Soca Kingdom” 

fulltime. 

During the more than thirty years 

that have elapsed since Swallow’s 

permanent change of careers, 

his string of soca hits with their 

vibrant, fiery and pulsating rhythms 

have created frenzy whenever and 

wherever he performs. This has 

resulted, in some measure, to the 

overshadowing of his mastery of 

the political or social commentary 

as evidenced by classics such 

as “Dawn of a New Day,” “One 

Hope, One Love, One Destiny,” 

“Rise, Antigua Rise,” and “Man to 

Man.” But when we add hits that 

mesmerized the crowd like “Don’t 

Stop the Party,” “Party in Space,” 

“Subway Jam,” “Satan Coming 

Down,” and “Soca Kingdom,” we 

complete the definition of a ‘master 

at work and the “ruler of his soca 

kingdom.” 

Apart from Swallow’s fierce 

competitive attitude, buttressed 

by the overwhelming support 

from the “followers” from the 

East, the fighting spirit of his long 

standing friendly rival, the Monarch 

(King Short Shirt), contributed 

significantly to some of the biggest 

crowds at the Carnival City for 

any Calypso Competition. Those 

moments on stage, according to 

Swallow, were the most satisfying 

of his career. But, he also found 

great satisfaction in establishing 

and managing, with the assistance 

of a number of long standing 

calypsonians and some corporate 

sponsors, Antigua’s oldest and 

most consistent calypso tent, 

“Swallow’s Calypso Pepperpot,” 

the ‘university of calypsos.

Calypso 

profile 

A mechanic, father, calypsonian, 

composer, tent operator, tourism 

ambassador etc! 

Xmas Day 1949 marked the arrival 

of Ogliver Jacobs, better known as 

The Lord Destroyer, affectionately 

dubbed, Destroyer Senior, is the 

uncrowned Calypso King of Antigua 

& Barbuda, with a career that spans 

over 40 years and counting. 

He was born to a poor working 

class family of thirteen children in 

Potters Village . He was a twin child. 

Like most Antiguan boys, at the 

time, he was able to find meaningful 

employment at the Antigua Sugar 

Factory on leaving school. 

Singing “benna” was his first love 

but due to a lack of opportunities, he 

was unable to showcase his Godgiven 

talents in the entertainment 

field. As a complete calypsonian 

and entertainer, Mighty Sparrow has 

always been his icon. 

Destroyer has acknowledged that 

Mighty Sparrow has earned his 

rightful place as “King of the Calypso 

World.” However, Destroyer got the 

opportunity to see his idol for the first 

time while he performed at the Gem 

Cinema in 1967. 

Leading up to Carnival ’67 in Antigua 

he approached Oscar Mason and 

was registered to perform at the 

Calypso Tent located at Kensington 

Bar which was run by Darcy. During 

the season, he performed a song 

named, “CAT O’ NINE,” which was a 

social commentary addressing issues 

relating to crime. Lord Destroyer was 

well received during that season. 

In those days, Oscar Mason, in 

addition to being bandleader, was 

also the paymaster. Destroyer 

recalled being paid thirty-five cents 

to perform at the tent. Smarty Senior, 

Calypso Brain, Mighty Dove, Lord 

Lee, Creole, Bottle, Short Shirt, 

Skeetch, Mighty Swallow, Falcon 

(Lady Falcon’s father), Britannia 

and Bold Face were amongst the 

prominent calypsonians then. He 

also recalled that Marcus Christopher 

was the top composer as he wrote 

Ogliver Destroyer Jacobs 

Richard Apparicio 

for many of the calypsonians. 

Like most artistes, Lord 

Destroyer had his share of 

rejection by the judges. His 

first fate occurred in 1968 

when he rendered “RIOT” and 

“EDUCATION.” He was depressed 

with the decision, but not dejected, 

and was told that regardless 

of the quality of his songs, the 

judges had little interest in political 

commentaries. However, there 

was love and unity amongst the 

calypsonians when compared to 

the type of rivalry being exhibited 

nowadays. 

Lord Destroyer never lost interest in 

his first love - calypso. He had his 

fair share of dreams of capturing the 

Calypso Monarch title in Antigua. 

The early 1970’s brought many 

changes. There was a change in the 

local government while the Carnival 

Committee introduced the Caribbean 

Calypso Competition as part of its 

programme. While these changes 

were taking place, Destroyer enjoyed 

great success in the 1971 season 

with his songs “HIGHWAY CODE” 

and “PROBLEMS OF THE WORLD”. 

He was able to secure the first 

runner-up position that year. 

He recalled, that Kaiso Joe was 

involved in a motor vehicle accident 

and never participated in the 

eliminations (semi-finals) but granted 

a pass into the finals and captured 

the crown. Despite this decision, 

Destroyer and his fellow competitors 

accepted the final outcome at 

the competition without any hard 

feelings. 

While Lord Lee was adjudged 2nd 

runner-up, Short Shirt, because of a 

disagreement with Oscar Mason did 

not compete in the local competition 

but went on to regain his crown in the 

Caribbean Calypso Competition. 

Antigua’s Carnival continued to 

grow by leaps and bounds with 

the Calypso 

Competition becoming the flagship 

of the festival. Meanwhile, Destroyer 

had established himself as a 

consistent finalist and a household 

name in calypso. 

While Short Shirt and Swallow 

shared the reigns of calypso 

supremacy, Destroyer had to wait 

for another sixteen years before 

he came close again to calypso 

supremacy. In a truly memorable 

outstanding performance in the finals 

in 1989, Destroyer was so near and 

yet so far from Calypso Monarch. He 

soldiered on. 

The following year, 1990, saw the 

arrival of his son, Leston Jacobs 

who performs under sobriquet 

“Young Destroyer” on the calypso 

scene. At the tender age of eight, he 

walked away with the Junior Calypso 

Monarch title. 

With the combined efforts of 

Destroyer as composer and Young 

Destoryer as artiste, they have 

been able to achieve victory in the 

declared land of calypso, Trinidad 

& Tobago. Young Destroyer walking 

away with the Caribbean Youth 

Calypso Competition in 2002 and 

the Carifesta Calypso Monarch 

Competition in 2006. 

While we celebrate our Golden 

Jubilee, Mighty Destroyer and Young 

Destroyer are now forty years and 

eighteen years on the calypso stage. 

Hats off to these two great calypso 

icons for a tremendous contribution! 

Long live the Destroyers! 

God Bless! 


our 

golden jubilee

56 

Calypso 

Mas 

Music 

F a n t a s y 

profile 

Muerah Artist Boddie 

Finally meeting and having a conversation with Artist for the first time eight 

weeks ago was surely an inspiration. He is one of those calypsonians 

that many people do not take seriously because of the types of songs he 

sings, but Artist is very deep. Back in the early seventies, Artist sang and 

entertained patrons along with Sir McLean Emanuel (King Short Shirt) at 

Town House, one of Antigua’s popular night spots, which was located on 

Nevis Street near to where the Dollar Building now sits during the early 

1970’s. 

Artist sports a sort of serious, mystical demeanor and is a very simple, yet 

complicated individual. Over the years, he has produced some of the best 

double-meaning calypsos, complete with good melody, the relevant lyrics 

and great humour. 

Who can forget songs like Arthur Bird,” “Quality Wood,” “Vivi Richards 

Stand,” “Rough Ride,” “Vitamins and Iron” and this year, 2007, “The 

Business.” 

Artist expresses a variety of figurative skills and his play on words is 

fantastic. A sign painter by profession, Artist is extremely creative and 

should be recognized for his tremendous contribution to the art form 

(calypso) over the years.

Calypso 

profile 

Althea 

Queen Singing Althea 

Williams 

Patricia Louisa Tully 

Carnival in Antigua reverberates with 

the calypso rhythms of steel, iron and 

brass, and puts people in the mood 

to fete, listen attentively to the lyrics 

of most calypsos, take time to check 

out the voices of the contenders, 

and really try to understand why the 

right attitude is also so essential, 

especially in a competition. That’s 

what Althea “Singing Althea” Williams 

brought to the stage in 1993, an 

attitude of confidence, that allowed 

her to walk away with the Female 

Calypso crown, on her first outing, 

which was held by Queen Falcon, 

who is considered as one of the best 

among both genders. 

No doubt some of that confidence 

was a carry over from her winning the 

first runner-up spot the year before 

in the Village Queen pageant. It 

was the time when Althea exposed 

her talent to the world, and what a 

wonderful breath of fresh air it was, to 

listen to the young lady, a wonderful 

songstress, with one of the most 

beautiful, powerful and sweet calypso 

voices that Antiguans and Barbudans 

and others had ever heard, belting 

out Singing Sandra’s song, “The War 

Goes On”. 

Standing in the Antigua Recreation 

Ground (ARG) that night, I remember 

getting goose bumps when Singing 

Althea opened her mouth and 

delivered the goods. Oh how she 

thrilled the audience! That night, she 

had definitely arrived (in my opinion 

that is.) I am sure it was certainly 

no surprise to those who attended 

the Village Queen Show and got a 

sample of what was unleashed on 

competition night. She literally sang 

her way into the hearts of all who 

heard her that night. 

Leading up to Carnival 1994, 

the stage was set for a very stiff 

challenge by the other female 

contenders. The rivalry that year 

escalated to proportions that elicited 

cause for concern among calypso 

lovers. However, Singing Althea 

held onto the Female Calypso crown 

that year, and again in 1995, before 

she was dethroned by the late Sonia 

“Singing Sonia” Wilkins, who clipped 

her wing in 1996 and l997. 

From 1998 to 2005, with the 

exception of 1999 when no 

competition was held, Singing Althea 

was placed either second or third in 

the competitions, but in 2006, she 

was able to regain her crown, and is 

once again at the top of her game. 

The same year she won her first 

Female Calypso Competition (1993) 

was also the first year she entered 

the Calypso Monarch Competition. 

To date, she has not been successful 

in securing the crown, but one of 

her enduring accomplishments 

thus far is that she was able to 

emerge first runner-up in the 1994 

competition beating Kings Short Shirt 

and Swallow, two of Antigua and 

Barbuda’s enduring calypso icons. 

For her perseverance in the calypso 

field, in 1996 she was nominated 

for a “Sunshine Award” in New York, 

and placed second in the Female 

competition. In 1999, one of her 

popular tunes, “Nice time,” written 

by David Rudder, was selected 

for a compilation CD in Trinidad & 

Tobago called “Soca Midas.” She 

was also nominated for the Sunshine 

Award in three categories: Best 

Political Commentary, Best Social 

Commentary and Female Vocalist 

of the Year. A proud Singing Althea 

won the award for the Best Female 

Vocalist of the Year. That 

was quite an achievement and a 

stamp of approval that her talent was 

recognized and rewarded outside of 

Antigua and Barbuda. 

A well-rounded individual, Singing 

Althea also has other interests. 

Before her involvement with the 

Village Queen pageant, she was first 

runner-up at the “King and Queen 

of the Forms,” contest, winning the 

“Best Performing Talent” segment” 

at her alma mater, the Ottos 

Comprehensive School, in 1990. Not 

done with pageants, she entered the 

“Miss Gray’s Green” competition in 

1991 and was placed first runner-up. 

It was another pageant again in 

2001, when Singing Althea traveled 

to St. Kitts to represent Antigua and 

Barbuda at the Port Management 

Association of the Caribbean 

Queens’ pageant. She was again a 

winner when she walked away with 

the crown and made us all proud. 

Beside calypso competition and 

pageants, Queen Singing Althea also 

finds time for her lovely 7 year old 

daughter, Resheeka, who is very fond 

of her talented mother. 

For the Golden Jubilee celebrations, 

Queen Singing Althea is working 

towards capturing the Monarchy from 

Eddie Melo and vows to retain the 

Female Calypso crown. Go Althea, 

go Althea, a lot of good things are 

ahead for you! 


our 

golden jubilee

58 

Calypso 

Barry 

King Scorpion 

Mas 

Music 

F a n t a s y 

Edwards 

Valerie Harris-Pole 

Scorpion always considered his 

singing ability as a gift handed 

down genetically from his mother, 

Innocent Edwards, a former fixture 

on the Ebenezer Methodist Church 

Choir for many, many years. 

Naturally, he became a member 

of the church’s Junior Choir and 

was coached by the late Cleve 

Simmons. 

Calypso was always a love in 

Scorpion’s household where 

internal ‘competitions’ used to take 

place quite frequently between his 

older brother who was Lord Melody 

and himself the Mighty Sparrow. 

The first exposure and adventure 

into public calypso singing, 

however, was when Scorpion 

attended the University of the West 

Indies, Cave Hill Campus in the late 

1960’s where the Campus Carnival 

was a substitute for the other 

islands Carnivals that the students 

were missing. 

In 1971, his calypso name was the 

‘Snorer,’ as he was affectionately 

known after abandoning the 

moniker ‘Lord the Physics Too 

Hard’ when he won the Campus 

Calypso King title. With that win 

under his belt, Snorer became very 

popular, and with engagements 

in a few night clubs in Barbados, 

the most memorable of which 

profile 

was when he 

was chosen 

to be a part 

of the Mighty 

Sparrows’ Young 

Brigade revue for 

four nights. Snorer 

was definitely on his 

way to bigger things. 

That break gave him 

the confidence to pursue higher 

heights in the calypso world, and 

encouragement to stay with the 

art form coming from the Mighty 

Sparrow, and also from King Short 

Shirt, who came from Antigua to 

be a part of the grand finale at the 

National Stadium in Barbados, was 

all Snorer wanted to hear. 

Before returning home in 1975, he 

changed his name to “Scorpion,” 

a name he gave himself to fit his 

zodiac sign. Liming with some 

friends one night, someone dared 

him to be a guest performer at the 

popular “Maurice’s Night Club” 

which was situated on Market 

Street, on a show with Johnny 

Braff and the likes of Kaiso Joe, 

Franco and Lord Lee. Scorpion 

was so good that night when he 

performed, it was inevitable that the 

jitters of performing at home would 

disappear and the latest recruit for 

the Calypso Pepperpot, was found. 

That year he sang “Carey the 

Crazy man” and thereafter, “Oii 

yii,” “BamBaLayLay” and the 

unforgettable “Joke Dey Making” 

in 1978. Family 

commitment took 

Scorpion first to the UK for a few 

years where Calypso took a rest, 

and he became the resident singer 

at the Top Rank Suite in the resort 

city of Brighton for two years. In his 

personal collection are photos on 

stage with Prime Minister Margaret 

Thatcher when he performed at the 

Conservative Party Convention, 

and at her birthday function, which 

remain the highlights of that period. 

In 1982, Trinidad was the next 

stop for Scorpion, and for three 

years he was the lead singer in the 

then most popular Soca Band in 

Trinidad, “Shandileer.” 

Antigua was calling, and in 1986, 

the name Scorpion was back 

on the local landscape and was 

included on every list of finalists 

for the Monarch competition 

from 1987 until he chose not to 

compete in 2000. As President of 

a revitalized Calypso Association, 

he led a boycott of the Carnival 

Development Committee’s (CDC) 

run Calypso Monarch Competition, 

and organized a rival People’s 

Calypso King Competition.

In 1997, Scorpion became the 

first Calypso King of the United 

Progressive Party (UPP) which 

was a competition of political 

calypsos, and with his preferred 

genre, a Dorbrene O’Marde’s 

classic “Down Wid De Whole Damn 

Gang.” Scorpion was crowned 

king. 

The censorship of his songs on the 

government controlled radio station 

did not deter Scorpion. He spoke 

truth to power, and was a constant 

torn in the flesh of the former 

Antigua Labour Party (ALP) regime. 

With a career that spans over three 

decades, Scorpion as long as he 

was competing has only been out 

of the finals twice, 1986 and 2005. 

The fact that he has never won the 

crown but has only been in the third 

place spot on several occasions, 

and the first runner-up spot once, 

has been a source of many an after 

Competition debate, but it cannot 

be disputed that his contribution 

has certainly been an achievement 

of enormous iconic proportions. 

The Scorpion still lives on, ready to 

compete, and is still capable of a 

sting. We all say thanks.

Joseph Hunte (Calypso Joe) started 

his musical career while he was 

a student at the Johnson’s Point 

Primary School which was one of 

the most musical schools on the 

island. The musical combination of 

Mr. Cuthbert Prince and Mrs. Sylvia 

Christopher made the school the 

envy of most communities. Apart 

from having the best school choir on 

the island they also had a very good 

drama program. 

Calypso Joe was a major character in 

several plays and there were regular 

recitals which allowed the school to 

raise money to purchase a piano and 

three guitars. Calypso Joe was put in 

charge of the guitars and his job was 

Calypso 

profile 

Joseph Calypso Joe Hunt 

to learn to play, and then teach 

the others to play. 

He started composing at 

Johnson’s Point School 

and Lord Deceiver and Latumba 

(who later became two successful 

calypsonians) performed his works 

on stage at school every Thursday 

and Friday. When he left Johnson’s 

Point School for the Princess 

Margaret School, he started a group 

known as the “Boys of The Avenue” 

with the money they won from Mr. 

Talent during Carnival. 

Calypso Joe entered the calypso 

arena with two of his own 

compositions, “Antigua on Fire” 

and “We Shall Overcome” in 1969. 

The following year (1970) he was 

1st runner up in the local Calypso 

Competition and was also crowned 

first ever local Road March King with 

his tune, “Bum Bum”. In 1971, he 

captured the Calypso Monarch title. 

Prior to this, he had already started 

entertaining in the hotel circuit - and 

is presently performing at least four 

nights per week. 

One of Calypso Joe’s songs “A 

Nation to Build a Country to Mold” 

was used as the motto during the 

celebrations when Antigua and 

Barbuda gained its independence in 

1981. 

Calypso Joe is a founding member 

of the Pepperpot Calypso Tent where 

he performed for many years. He 

does not participate in the Calypso 

Competition anymore but his love for 

the art form keeps him composing 

and assisting other calypsonians. 

He is now a founding member of the 

Master’s Calypso Tent which is in 

it’s third year of existence. He has 

recently returned to the recording 

circuit with a combination compact 

disc featuring the Masters in 2006 

and the Master’s Golden Jubilee 

compact disc in 2007. 

Big-Up to Calypso Joe - he really 

heard a “Bum Bum!” 

The Caribbean’s greatest summer festival, 50 years and still going strong. 

Happy 50 th Carnival Anniversary Antigua and Barbuda. 

60 

Mas 

Music 

F a n t a s y 

From the Management and Staff of the 

Antigua & Barbuda Port Authority

When Rupert “Baba” Blaize was 

in his teens, he spent most of his 

time listening to music, strumming 

his guitar and singing some of the 

most popular American songs that 

made the pop charts. But when Lord 

Canary and Zemaki arrived on the 

music scene in 1957-58, Baba was 

so infatuated by the lyrics, melodies 

and rhythms of their calypsos, that 

he found himself gravitating towards 

that musical genre, wishing that by 

so doing, he could inherit a little bit 

of the attention and adoration the 

calypsonians were receiving from the 

general public. 

Unfortunately, he had to stifle his 

desire to become “Lord Baba” or 

“Mighty Baba” because back then, 

Calypso 

profile 

many parents felt it was 

socially unacceptable for 

their children to be involved in 

steelpan playing or calypso singing. 

To satisfy his “singer-man” thirst, 

Baba indulged in a steady diet of Nat 

King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Johnny 

Matthis and Bing Crosby’s music. 

However, as soon as he realized 

his independence, he began 

experimenting with calypso. Harry 

Belafonte’s version of “Day O” 

and Lord Melody’s “Mama Look A 

Boo Boo Deh” were down tempo 

enough to fit his beginner’s profile. 

Eventually, his stints with bands like 

“The Entertainers” and the “Gem 

Tones” at various hotels prepared 

him for the plunge into the calypso 

arena. 

Yet it was many years later, after 

enviously watching King Short Shirt, 

King Swallow and others battle for 

the Calypso Monarch title that Baba 

felt comfortable singing calypso and 

Ceceile H. Porter 

Ambassador Rupert Baba Blaize 

felt confident enough to enter the 

calypso arena. He never had a 

calypso name. He competed and 

performed under his own name. In 

1984, he attained some measure 

of success when he was adjudged 

first runner-up in the Calypso 

Monarch competition. That year, 

King Progress walked away with the 

crown for his renditions, “Madness” 

and “You Getting It.” Thirteen 

years later, (1997) Baba without a 

calypso moniker, decided to enter 

the Calypso competition once 

again. His two songs, “Yard Fowl” 

and “Antigua,” which were favorites 

among calypso lovers, netted him 

the first runner-up spot again, with 

King Onyan as the winner. 

Convinced that singing a calypso 

does not make one a calypsonian, 

Baba says, “I view calypso as the 

corner stone of our indigenous 

culture, and calypsonians as the 

guardians of our fragile, progressing 

democracy.” 

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62 

Mas 

Music 

F a n t a s y

In the calypso sphere there 

are some vintage calypsonians 

that Antiguans and Barbudans 

can never forget. One such 

calypsonian is Percival Watt, 

known in the calypso world as the 

“Mighty Bottle,” but fondly called 

“Bottle,” by his contemporaries and 

others. 

Born in the Point area, many 

moons ago, Bottle became 

interested in calypso singing in 

the days when Lord Kitchener 

was the king of the calypso world, 

long before Sparrow made his 

debut. When Bottle was at school 

and got the chance to listen to 

Kitchener’s “Mount Talga” song, he 

knew then that he wanted to be a 

calypsonian. Later on he listened 

a lot to Lord Melody and the 

Mighty Spoiler and became more 

interested in the art form. 

He was given the name “Bottle” 

when he was employed as a bottlewasher 

at Lawrence Gonsalves 

Rum Shop. Many believed that he 

was the best bottle washer at the 

time, and the name came naturally. 

As a young boy growing up in the 

Point area, it was obvious that he 

would be involved with a steelband 

or become a calypsonian, since 

these were the activities that most 

of the young people were attracted 

to at the time. 

Bottle’s parents were against his 

involvement with calypso singing. 

He used to lime with Black Shirt 

and they would steal away and go 

up to Princess Elizabeth Hall to 

sing calypso. Dennis “Den den” 

Phillip who is the uncle of Teddy 

Bridges (leader of Laviscount 

Calypso 

profile 

Percival The Mighty Bottle Watt 

Ann Joseph 

Brass) had a string band in the 

early 1950’s, and Bottle used to 

hang around the band and that 

made him even more interested 

in calypso singing. 

Bottle’s first calypso was made 

while he was still going to school 

and was called, “The Coger.” 

He explained that one of his 

classmates was very good at 

cogging, and his friends urged him 

to make up a calypso on him. 

In 1954 and 1955, Bottle sang 

regularly at Tents held at the 

Princess Elizabeth Hall. Some of 

the other calypsonians who were 

involved at the time were Prince 

Alphonso, Lord Mongay (who is 

now King Canary), Lord Dardian, 

and Black Shirt (brother of Shelly 

Tobitt) to name a few. 

In 1956, Bottle sang for the Pre- 

Carnival dances which were held 

at the Boys School with Ambrose 

Quintet band and at the Mount with 

Oscar Mason’s band. All this was 

done on the same night. 

When Carnival officially started 

in Antigua and Barbuda in 1957, 

the first Calypso competition was 

held at the Deluxe Cinema. Bottle, 

brimming with confidence on the 

night, sang two crowd pleasers 

entitled, “Blow, blow, blow de 

Carnival” and “From Shad to 

Chicken.” He was adjudged first 

runner-up, and Samuel “Styler” 

Ryan of Montserrat walked away 

with the Calypso Monarch title, 

and Mighty Veteran was second 

runner-up. 

In those early days, calypsonians 

were backed-up by Hell’s Gate 

and Brute Force steelbands, but in 

1958, when 

Paul “King Obstinate” 

Richards won the Calypso Monarch 

title at the Antigua Recreation 

Ground, many believed he got 

the edge when he had “Basil 

Gardiner’s All Stars” band, instead 

of the steelband, providing his 

back-up music. Obstinate changed 

the face of the calypso competition 

because after 1958, steelbands no 

longer backed up calypsonians. 

From 1957, Bottle competed for the 

next 15 years until he migrated to 

the U.S. in 1972. 

Before leaving for the US , he 

sang regularly at Maurice’s and 

Kensingston Court which were 

two of the favorite spots in town. 

Darcy, the proprietor of Kensington 

Court was a lover of calypso and 

steelband music. Bottle also sang 

at the Mill Reef Club, Mamora Bay 

White Sands, The Anchorage and 

Hawksbill hotels, and other places 

as a solo artiste. Some of Bottle's 

coninued on p64 


our 

golden jubilee

64 

continued from 63 

tunes over the years were “When me 

Nar do”, “Crazy Calysonian”, “Carifta”, 

“Female Woodcutter”, “Drink, drink, 

drink” and “Party People.” 

During the days when Oscar Mason’s 

band controlled the Tents and also 

provided back-up for the calypsonians, 

each calypsonian was paid EC$1.50 

each weekend. Most calypsonians 

used the money to buy rum, bread and 

saltfish cake from Mary King’s baker 

shop which was situated next to Oscar 

Mason’s residence on South Street . 

Only three writers ever wrote calypsos 

for Bottle. They were Lesroy Merchant, 

Little Man Pelle and Earl Winter. Bottle 

usually writes his own songs. 

While living in the US, Bottle did not 

abandon his calypso singing. As a 

matter of fact, he sang for over ten 

years as a solo artiste with his guitar 

Mas 

Music 

F a n t a s y 

at the Showboat Restaurant which 

is a very popular spot in Greenwich, 

Connecticut. Calypso Franco and Lord 

Lee would join Bottle at the Showboat 

whenever they visited the US. 

Upon returning home, Bottle sang at 

the Royal Antigua Hotel for ten years as 

a solo artiste. He is currently working 

between Blue Waters and Galley Bay 

hotels. When asked his views on the 

state of the art form today, he said, 

"calypso has come a long way from the 

1950’s and 60’s. I prefer the calypsos 

of yesterday than those sung today.” 

He continued, “yesterday’s calypsos 

were more entertaining and they told 

a story, they had a good melody line, 

and of course were more creative.” 

Not that he has anything against the 

modern day music as he is comfortable 

with change, but believes there is too 

much politics, rather than humour and 

laughter, in the calypsos today." 

As Antigua and Barbuda gears up for 

the 50th anniversary of Carnival, the 

Mighty Bottle has been chosen as the 

Grand Marshall of the Golden Jubilee 

celebrations. Congratulations to a 

good old veteran. 

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Calypso 

profile 

Trevor Zacari King 

Trevor King is the first of six 

children born to the union of 

George and Yvette King of St. 

John’s Street in Antigua and 

Barbuda. 

From a very early age, he 

developed an affinity to literature 

in general, and poetry in particular. 

Writing and singing calypso was 

not a part of his plan in those 

early years. He fondly recalls 

doing ‘pickong’ on classmates 

and neighbors just for fun. The art 

form developed then became very 

instrumental later in life. 

In his late teens, Zacari started 

writing calypso for kids in the 

neighborhood where there would 

be concerts at Christmas time. A 

few of his compositions were later 

used in calypso competitions, and 

he eventually put much more effort 

and time into his past-time. 

In 1991 he wrote two songs for a 

seasoned calypsonian. The artist 

was not comfortable with the lyrics, 

and decided not to sing the songs. 

Zacari was confident that the songs 

were good enough, and if the 

artiste delivered to his expectations, 

would make it to the finals. His 

persuasions were futile 

In June of 1991 he signed up to 

sing at Calypso Pepperpot which 

was located at East Bus Station. 

On Independence Avenue. Oddly 

enough he did not have a calypso 

name. it was only on the opening 

night that he was given the name 

‘Zacari’ by fellow calypsonian Julien 

‘Zebeda’ Lawrence. 

His song took the 

audience by storm 

and ‘Jail Them’ 

became the tent 

favourite. Having 

cruised into the 

semi-finals, it was seen by some 

veterans as ‘not too bad’, but that 

was as far as the rookie would go. 

Semi-finals night, the crowd was 

ecstatic, not only with the then 

popular ‘Jail Them’, but the social 

commentary ‘Guilty of Being Black’. 

The judges were obviously very 

impressed, and he was ranked third 

among the twenty-four, securing a 

place in the finals. 

Sunday night, the big night, and 

Zacari put on the performance 

of his life, blowing away the 

competition and was crowned 

Calypso monarch in his debut year. 

Very few can boast of such an 

accomplishment. 

1997 signaled the emergence 

of the Leeward Island Calypso 

Competition in Anguilla, and 

Zacari, who was first runner-up 

was chosen to represent Antigua 

and Barbuda because of the 

unavailability of the then Monarch. 

Zacari became, that year, the first 

Antiguan and Barbudan to win 

a regional calypso competition 

outside of Antigua. 

He emerged Monarch again in 

2001, wearing a crown for the third 

time. In those years he wrote for 

a number of other artistes who 

made the finals. In one 

memorable year, a competitor 

for which he wrote, actually beat 

him into third place. He wrote 

the winning piece in the Juniour 

Calypso finals for his daughter 

‘Little Kimmy’ in 2002. 

Zacari’s talent has been sought 

throughout the region, and in 1993 

he wrote for Lady Tasheka in St. 

Thomas, and again Princess Kiki 

(St. Thomas) who won the Juniour 

Monarch Crown in 2006. In our 

sister Isle Barbuda he delivered 

winning pieces for King Ikie in 

2000, Queen Missie in 2001 and for 

Singing Nickie in 2005 and 2006. 

His fiery lyrics (political 

commentaries) have won the 

acclaim of many and the ire of a 

few, while his social commentaries 

have been lauded by many 

a Caribbean critic. I need not 

elaborate on the latter, as this 

trend speaks volumes about this 

extremely talented but humble 

servant of the people. 


our 

golden jubilee

66 

Not too long ago, in 

the Anglican church in Old 

Road village, an outstanding 

voice, considered to be very rare 

but special, stood out among the 

other voices in the group she sang 

with, and won the hearts of many 

villagers who were assembled in 

the congregation. 

The energetic, wiry, intense and 

personable young lady, who was 

totally unknown to many in the 

calypso population, decided to fill 

the void created by another villager, 

Ira “Smarty Jnr.” Harvey when he 

migrated to the United States. 

Lena “Queen Ivena” Philip is 

her name. She made her first 

appearance on the Calypso stage 

at Miller’s By the Sea in 1998, 

when a number of calypsonians 

broke away from the Carnival 

Development Committee’s (CDC) 

Calypso Monarch Competition and 

staged their own. That night, every 

calypso zealot knew that a ‘star’ 

Mas 

Music 

F a n t a s y 

Calypso 

profile 

Lena Queen Ivena Philip 

was born when 

she was adjudged first 

runner-up in the contest. 

Attendees to the show were totally 

mesmerized by the powerful 

message she delivered when she 

sang, “Don’t Sing It So” and were 

moved by the antics she employed 

as she glided across the stage and 

behaved as if she owned it. 

Characterized as a 21st century 

wonder, Queen Ivena snapped the 

Female Calypso crown in 2001 

from a line-up of seasoned female 

calypso veterans, and to date 

has to her credit, four additional 

Female Calypso crowns which 

she won in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 

2005, making it five in a row for 

the new star. History was made in 

Antigua and Barbuda, for not even 

the great Sir McLean “King Short 

Shirt” Emanuel has been able to 

achieve five wins in a row during 

his outstanding career which spans 

over forty years. 

In 2003, Queen Ivena made 

history again when she captured 

the Calypso Monarch crown. The 

same year she was crowned 

Calypso Queen of the Caribbean. 

In 2004 and 2005 she was able 

to retain the Calypso Monarch 

titles. This is a considerable feat 

for a relative newcomer – nine 

Ann Joseph 

(9) crowns in five (5) short years. 

Unbelievable! 

Queen Ivena, the self-styled ‘Razor 

Lady’ is a present day phenomenon 

who seems very comfortable on 

stage, is able to command your 

attention, is extremely passionate 

and is very relaxed during her 

performances. 

In the every day scheme of 

things, Queen Ivena works as a 

‘Community Health Aide’ at the 

Johnson’s Point Clinic. She credits 

her success in the calypso arena to 

her after school math teacher and 

writer, Mr. Cuthbert Best, who is 

also her neighbour. 

In 2006, Ivena was dethroned 

by her ace rival, Queen Singing 

Althea, who walked away with the 

Female Calypso crown and first 

runner-up in the Calypso Monarch 

competition. 

This year, Carnival’s Golden 

Jubilee celebrations, the Razor 

Lady is definitely back and cutting 

hard with songs like, “Leggo De 

Calypso” and “Back on Stage 

Again,” which are making some of 

her competitors very nervous. 

Queen Ivena has really made us 

all proud, and as we celebrate 50 

years of Carnival, we salute Her 

Majesty, Queen Ivena, for her 

outstanding achievements in a 

relatively short time.

Calypso 

profile 

Shelly Tobitt 

Calypso Writer Extraordinaire 

Shelly Tobitt, one of Antigua and 

Barbuda’s most celebrated Calypso 

writers, who has written extensively 

for Sir McLean “King Short Shirt” 

Emanuel, as well as other artistes 

from Antigua and Barbuda and the 

wider Caribbean, was contacted for 

the following interview. 

Question: When did you first 

become involved in Calypso in 

Antigua? 

Answer: I started writing at 

about age 6. In August of 1955, 

Emancipation Day, my older brother 

Roosvelt Tobitt, better known then 

as Lord Black Shirt, sang in the 

calypso competition organized by a 

local printer by the name of Foster. 

This competition was held at the 

local labor union hall in Point, at 

lower St. John's Street. Below the 

union hall was a rum shop and 

the singers sang from a window 

overlooking the south entrance 

where there was a deep gutter 

separating the road. My brother 

worked as a printer for Foster and 

he encouraged him to sing in the 

show, and my brother took me 

along with him. My brother went on 

to win the competition, received a 

couple shillings and a bottle of rum 

as his prize, and a cardboard crown 

painted with gold paint. I was so 

excited by it all that night. 

My brother had a beautiful singing 

voice and wore a long black gown 

when he “sang around”, a term 

used then by calypso singers, as 

they went from corner to corner 

singing extempore. My brother was 

well known then, and though I was 

always afraid of him in his long 

black gown, I loved to hear him sing 

and would follow him around. I can 

remember him singing in the cotton 

fields, while we all picked cotton 

back then and on the tractors in the 

sugar cane fields, 

as we packed them with the canes 

to be transported to the locomotives 

that would take them to the factory 

to grind. We sang a lot of Benna 

extempore back then and I quickly 

learned the art of composing 

calypsos. 

Question: For how many years did 

you write? 

Answer: I still write on occasions, 

so I guess the jury is still out on 

that. However, there was a period 

from 1970 to 1989 when I wrote at 

least 50 songs a year. 

Question: Who did you write for? 

Answer: I wrote for almost 

everybody who was anybody in 

music then, and not just in Antigua. 

If I were to begin listing names I 

would be listing into next week. In 

a real sense, as a songwriter I was 

really competing against myself. It’s 

easier to list the names of Antiguan 

singers I never wrote for than it is 

to include all I did write for. There 

were many years when my songs 

were 124567 or 134567 in the 

calypso competitions. There were 

also many years where I produced 

multiple record albums. Later when 

I began totally arranging my own 

compositions, I was constantly 

writing music. I have written for 

singers from Antigua, St. Kitts, 

St.Thomas, Barbados, Guyana, 

Jamaica, and Trinidad. 

Question: How many winning 

compositions did you write? 

Answer: I cannot count them 

because I don’t keep track of them. 

Although I wanted my songs to win 

in the competitions, it was not to 

win that I wrote. I wrote to make a 

difference. To effect change – not 

just in the art form, but changes in 

the life of the people who valued 

my work. Change in their relative 

understandings, their way of living 

and thinking, in their festive conduct 

and culture. To win was nice, but to 

evolve and progress in a real sense 

was the goal. 

Question: What is your favorite 

song? Why? 

Answer: My favorite song is not 

among the generally accepted 

better songs that I have written, 

but it’s a song I like a lot because 

it speaks to me. It’s a song I wrote 

to myself, for myself, but shared 

with everyone through a recording 

of it. It’s called “Time’s running out 

– what you gonna do?”, but the 

name was shorten to something 

else – I don’t even remember what 

that was. It was a time in my life 

when I was faced with choices 

I had to make. They were hard 

choices I’d rather not make but 

knew I had to. There were regrets 

and sadness, anger, complacencies 

– total paradox. But, I wrote it and 

I listened to it over and over again, 

then I walked away, not forever, 

but I walked away. A few years 

later, I really, truly walked away. I 

know this paragraph is cryptic, but 

the people who would show any 

interest in reading this understand. 

Question: How does it make 

you feel that so many of your 

calypsos, particularly the social 

commentaries, are still so alive & 

fresh and have become classics? 



our 

golden jubilee

68 


Answer: Truth is a very powerful 

point of view. It lasts forever. If you 

are honest and your objectives are 

noble, it will outlive you. Style and 

a desire to be unique, a quest to be 

better, to be original, to be different; 

to never settle for mediocrity, 

enhances and make for a work of 

art, beauty and longevity. I always 

strived to do more and more than I 

did before. To create a stock recipe 

and keep using it because it worked 

once was not me. Taking chances 

that the listener may not get it, or 

like it, is what I do, even though 

I very well knew how to write 

something they would instantly 

love, I refrained from doing so in 

favor of extending their sense of 

appreciation and learning. It often 

takes my listeners a while to grasp 

my work, even if it’s ecstatically 

pleasing. And, as time passes they 

become more adept at being able 

to comprehend the fullness. That’s 

art. I love it. 

Question: How does it make you 

feel to know that your name is a 

household name, indelibly etched 

into our cultural history book? 

Answer: I didn’t ask for this. I 

did not begin writing to achieve 

this. Nothing I have ever done 

have been predicated on being 

acknowledged, or iconize. I 

simply wanted to write better, 

more articulate, intelligent songs 

about the society in which I lived. 

I wanted to raise the standard of 

the art form to one of respectability 

(from where it was, then), and 

legitimacy. I wanted to get people 

of affluence, class (much as I hate 

that word – it exists), and religious 

persuasion involved in Benna and 

Calypso, the music I love. Calypso 

was not a popular genre then. It 

was the music of the underclass, 

the wretched and desolate. Along 

with Steelband, it was their war cry. 

A way of saying I am somebody, I 

mattered. Those voices needed to 

be heard. That’s what I tried to do. 

If I succeeded I am happy. 

Mas 

Music 

F a n t a s y 

Question: Where did the motivation 

to write come from? Love of 

the art form? Love of country? 

Combination? Something else? 

Answer: I have a vivid recollection 

of a very passionate confrontation 

with Mr. Marcus Christopher – one 

of the great writers and cultural 

icons of Antigua. He wrote a lot 

of songs back then, still do to this 

day I believe. I went to a calypso 

show he produced and I believed 

he wrote many of the songs at that 

show. I thought they were horrible! 

I hated them! I was cussing mad! 

After the show I went backstage to 

see him. 

I said, “Did you write all dis 

(cussword, cussword) calypsos. 

They are awful!” 

He said, “Do you think you can do 

better?” 

I said, “I can, and I will.” 

….and the rest is history. 

My father always wanted me to be 

a writer. That’s why he called me 

Shelly. He had this book of poetry 

by Percy B. C. Shelley, which he 

loved. When I was born he wrote 

my birth date in it and nicknamed 

me “Shelly”. I grew up reading and 

writing poetry. Writing calypsos 

became a natural pursuit. I began 

experimenting and exploring the 

excellence of the art of songwriting. 

Before long I was good at it. 

Question: Did you have any other 

community involvement? 

Answer: On the street where I 

was born, lower Bishopgate Street 

by the bakery, we had several 

community groups that I got 

involved with. One of significance 

gave birth to Outlet, which started 

out as a black cultural magazine 

(Black Power), and the ACLM 

– Afro Caribbean Liberation 

Movement. The early organizers 

and participants were Barry 

Stevens, Lesroy Merchant, and 

Henderson Bass (who played the 

guitar while I sang my songs). 

Jeffers and I, and a few others 

(please forgive me for forgetting 

names), encouraged me and they 

were my co-conspirators in the 

early days of my writings. Later, Tim 

Hector also became involved. The 

Outlet magazine was just that, an 

outlet for our talents, short stories, 

poetry, recipes, and other cultural 

tidbits. A period of oppressive 

politics and corrupt practices led 

to the politicizing of the Outlet as 

a newspaper, and the mouthpiece 

for ACLM, now renamed Antigua 

Caribbean Liberation Movement. 

A few years later I wrote a musical 

for Christmas at the request of Rev. 

Hodge called “The Nativity”. It was 

put to a production by Dorbrene 

O’Marde, and performed by 

Harambi. 

I spent a year teaching at Pares 

Secondary School, and after 

agreeing to a transfer request 

by the Director of Culture, Mr. 

Reginald Knight, I spent the next 14 

years at the Cultural Department. 

As Musical Officer in the 

Department of Culture, I directed 

many cultural projects. 

Listing a few; 

I worked with the 

Department of Education and 

Mrs. Rosetta Ettinuff producing 

“Songs of our land” (I worked on 

many projects with Mrs. Ettinuff) 

I worked with several Schools on 

their school songs and national 

projects. 

I worked with the National Choir 

teaching sight singing. 

I directed the Junior Calypso 

program in Schools. 

I worked with the Antigua and 

Barbuda Police Band to produce 

music for the Junior Calypsos and 

some special functions. 

I arranged and directed the PMS 

Steel Orchestra in Independence 

Celebrations performance. 

I taught several after school classes 

in musical theory. 

I held several community classes in 

musical theory. 

I held several community classes 

in singing, compositions, and 

arrangements. 

I worked with local music studios to 

improve local recordings. 

I produced several Cultural Shows 

for the Cultural Department cultural 

celebrations. 

continuedon p70

70 

Stanley R. Humphreys is 

one of Antigua’s top calypso 

composers, who over the years 

has written some of the most 

outstanding calypsos. Some of 

his most popular compositions, 

written for Sir McLean Emanuel 

(King Short Shirt) include 

“Push,” “Summer Festival,” and 

“Our Pledge.” 

During a short interview with him, 

Stanley was asked the following: 

Q: Who encouraged you to start 

composing calypsos? 

A: “Well, Short Shirt and I were 

very good friends and one day in 

1980 I met him on the street and 

he asked me if I ever composed 

calypsos. I told him no. He then 

said to me that I should try and 

about a week later, I met with him 

and asked him to listen to my first 

composition which was “Summer 


It was basically my job, but to me it 

was more than that. It was creating 

and establishing a foundation 

from which the next generation of 

artistes could leapfrog. Sometimes 

I feel like I did not do a very good 

job. 

Question: What is your life’s 

philosophy? 

Mas 

Music 

F a n t a s y 

Calypso 

profile 

Stanley R. Humphreys 

Excellent Calypso Composer 

Festival.” He told me it was very 

good and promised me it would be 

on his next album. I was so elated, 

I quickly wrote “Help” and when 

he listened to it two days later, he 

told me I could compose the entire 

album.” 

Q: How do you get the idea and 

the melody? 

A: “The topic and the melody 

just seem to come to me. For 

example, I was flying to New York 

and the idea of traveling to be with 

someone came to me, and when 

I disembarked the aircraft in New 

York after over three hours, I had all 

the lyrics and the melody for “When 

We Are Together” exactly as it was 

recorded. This is how it is with me.” 

Q: What is it like working with King 

Short Shirt? 

A: “I have learnt so much from him. 

He knows exactly what he wants 

and he makes sure his standard 

Answer: Life is fleeting. If that was 

all, you could simply be selfish 

and do as you will, and the rest 

be damned. There, however, is 

more to life than we can even 

imagine. We are so finite in our 

thoughts and imagination that for 

us everything has a beginning and 

an end. Existence, however, has 

no beginning or end. There are 

different laws and physics involved, 

and we know so little. Where is 

the end of the universe? What is 

outside of it? 

I believe that matter truly cannot be 

destroyed. I believe that we are all 

integrated in more ways than we 

is maintained. I always feel good 

when he hears my compositions 

for the first time and he says he 

likes them. The song, “Nobody Go 

Rest,” is one that is not really his 

style and he did it just to please 

me, and during the recording, his 

last words were, “Stan, this one is 

for you.” He believes in good lyrics 

and a sweet melody. He is not into 

the wave your hand in the air stuff. 

He is a class act.” 

Q: What is in the future for you and 

calypso? 

A: “Well, I never expected that I 

would still be composing calypsos, 

but as long as King Short Shirt 

keeps singing, I will always work 

with him. He is undoubtedly one of 

the best calypsonians of all time. 

I am hoping that this year, the 50th 

anniversary of Carnival that he 

would enter the competition. 

I believe he can pull it off. 

know. Where do my thoughts come 

from? Why am I curious? 

I believe I am my brother’s keeper. 

What bothers him should bother 

me. I believe that in the final 

analysis, things are really useless 

and only deeds matter – people 

who cannot see this, have their 

eyes closed and will miss the true 

value of life. 

On this the 50th anniversary of 

Carnival in Antigua and Barbuda, 

it is only fitting that we salute a 

calypso songwriter extraordinaire 

– Mr. Shelley Tobitt.

Just about everyone in Antigua 

and Barbuda knows that Prime 

Minister Baldwin Spencer 

has an unsatiable passion for 

steelband music, calypso and 

dancing. As Prime Minister 

and statesman, many believe 

he should not indulge in these 

cultural art forms. But Prime 

Minister Spencer is not alone. 

A very prominent physician, 

who has gained the respect 

and admiration of a wide crosssection 

of the Antiguan and 

Barbudan community has, to 

the wonderment of some, an 

unequalled passion for the same 

things, but more so for calypso 

and composing calypsos. 

This follows the taboo of the old 

days when many of us were told 

that calypso singing and steelband 

music were ‘bad things.’ Today, 

they have moved from the ‘bad 

things’ category to things that are 

culturally and socially acceptable, 

and to some extent have now 

become a part of our everyday way 

of life. 

In my interview with Dr. Ramsey, I 

started by asking him what calypso 

and composing calypsos really 

mean to him, and unwaveringly he 

stated clearly that, “……calypso 

means more than just racy 

music and catchy phrases. It is 

an important part of our cultural 

heritage and plays such a 

significant role in Caribbean life, 

that calypso is celebrated as the 

music of a very special people – a 

music that will undoubtedly remain 

an indelible part of our past, our 

present, and most certainly, our 

future.” He continued, “calypso 

Calypso 

is not only an important musical 

phenomenon. It is a passion. It is a 

calling.” 

Just listening to him express how 

he felt about what calypso means, 

led me to ask him to explain how he 

got involved in the art form in the 

first place and how it has become 

such a passion of his whereby 

he is now a producer, writer and 

manager who has worked with 

many calypsonians and has been 

quite successful thus far. 

Dr. Ramsey was very candid, and 

told me that his initiation into the 

calypso world came at a very early 

age. As a young boy growing up in 

the Village of Willikies, he had the 

opportunity to listen to a lot of the 

early calypsos of Sparrow and Lord 

Melody. He was an avid Sparrow 

fan and his older brother, Jerome, 

was a Melody fan. They engaged 

in numerous discussions about 

both calypsonians, and at times 

would compete with each other to 

see who could compose the best 

calypso. 

Back then, his dad owned and 

operated a night club called “Four 

Square,” where Oscar Mason’s 

band played regularly and Paul 

“King Obstinate” Richards, Eugene 

“King Canary” Henry and Rupert 

“King Swallow” Philo were a part 

of the performance roster. During 

showtime, young Ramsey would 

listen attentively to the calypsonians 

and as time passed he became 

more and more interested in the art 

form. However, it was not until he 

was away at university in the U.K. 

that he penned his first calypso. 

By 1980, he had written enough 

profile 

Dr. Prince Ramsey 


One of Calypso's Enduring Icons 

songs, and in collaboration with 

a number of calypsonians, was 

able to produce his first album, 

“Wadadli Gold.” which was quite a 

success. At the same time, he also 

worked with King Obstinate, who 

returned to the Calypso arena after 

being absent for many years. In 

1981, Obstinate’s “Fat Man Dance” 

captured the Calypso Monarch 

crown, followed in 198 with “The 

Elephant Walk,” and in 1983, 

“Children Melee.” Dr. Ramsey was 

Obstinate’s producer, and during 

the same period, he took on the 

role of big brother to many aspiring 

calypsonians. In 1981, Dr. Ramsey 

produced another album, “Wadadli 

Diamond,” and in 1982 a third 

called, “Wadadli Pearl.” 

Among the almost forty (40) 

calypsonians that Dr. Ramsey 

has either written for, or produced 

their albums are King Short Shirt, 

Calypso Jim, Doctor Solo, Douglas, 

King Zacari, Eve, Lord Heels, De 

Surpriser, Lady Smooth, Queen 

Singing Althea, Amb. Rupert “Baba” 

Blaize, King Onyan, The Empress, 

Smarty Jr., Chalice, the late King 

Zero, De Bear, Blondie, Sammy C, 

Singing Vicki and others. 

King Obstinate, who is a three 

time undefeated winner of the 

Monarchy had nothing but praises 

for Dr. Ramsey. He said in his 40th 

anniversary magazine, “I would like 

to take this opportunity to personally 

recognize and thank my producer, 


our 


golden jubilee


financial support have enabled me to fulfill many of 

the goals and objectives I had set forth. As one of 

the stalwarts behind my career development and 

personal achievement, I thank him for placing his 

trust and his belief in my capabilities and hope he 

will continue to support me in whatever directions 

my musical career takes me.” Another calypsonian 

who has captured the Monarchy four times, King 

Onyan, of the “Burning Flames” fame said, “Doc 

is a very good writer, he will get an idea and just 

write; you the artiste will have to know how "Doc" 

works. He is not musically inclined; he may put ten 

lines in a verse. He just writes and you will have 

to know how to sing the song. He is very easy to 

work with.” 

With a very hectic work schedule at his medical practice 

on a daily basis, Dr. Ramsey still finds time to manage a 

few calypsonians, compose and produce calypsos year 

after year, and still has time for family life and playing 

dominos. 

He has worked with almost forty (40) calypsonians. He 

has under his belt, seven crowns in five years; four (4) 

Calypso Monarchs, one (1) Independence King, one (1) 

Junior Calypso King and one (1) Calypso Queen. 

On this the 50th anniversary of Antigua and Barbuda’s 

Carnival, Dr. Prince Ramsey should be celebrated for 

his outstanding contribution to 

the calypso art form over the 

Mas 

Music 

F a n t a s y 

past thirty (30) years. Keep on 

keeping on Doc!! 

72 Dr. Prince Ramsey, whose sound tutelage and

Calypso 

profile 

Fitzroy Calypso Fitz Christian 

Many golden treasures like Fitzroy 

Christian and other journalists who 

are calypso/steelband lovers and 

who were quite prominent in the 

1960’s and 70’s are still around 

today. Yes, they are alive, listening 

and reflecting on the good old days. 

Nestled somewhere in the New 

York metropolitan area for over 

two decades, Fitzroy Christian, a 

prolific calypso/steelband writer will 

tell you that he loved both art forms 

at a time, and in the days when 

benna – from Quarkoo to Ratwell, 

to Styler, Black Shirt, Roaring 

Lion, Tiger, Sparrow, Melody and 

Kitchener – was not seen as a 

legitimate or acceptable artform/ 

cultural expression, and when 

calypsonians and steelbandmen 

were considered social outcasts 

(in the Antiguan context). Today, 

Christian is still in love with the art 

forms, even though they are now 

grudgingly accepted as an integral 

and important part of society’s 

cultural infrastructure. I guess it 

was a no-brainer when in 1964 

Fitzroy Christian joined the Antigua 

Star newspaper as a journalist 

and used that platform to promote 

calypso and steelband within the 

latitude that was granted to him by 

the then editor, George Joseph. 

Thus was born Calypso Fitz, a 

persona distinct and separate from 

Fitzroy Christian, whose purpose 

was to write about all things 

calypso and steelband, and nothing 

but steelband and calypso. The 

deliberate interchange of which 

activity leads the duo, is only 

mentioned because he has not 

decided which he loves more, if 

indeed that is possible. 

Almost sounding like a confession, 

Calypso Fitz admits, “I used 

the Antigua Star newspaper to 

give voice and exposure to all 

calysonians and steelbands.” 

He continued, “for me it was 

enjoyable work. Well, not work 

exactly, it was more of a labour of 

love, an enjoyable journey that I 

hoped would have ended with our 

calypsonians and steelbandmen 

being truly respected, recognized, 

and honoured for their contribution 

to our nation-building and national 

identity.” He promoted both art 

forms, so that virtually every 

calypsonian from King Short Shirt 

to King Swallow, King Creole, Lord 

Glass Bottle, Lord Lee and Rupert 

“Baba” Blaize, Calypso Joe to 

Mighty Skeetch (one of the very 

early songsters along with King 

Styler, Black Shirt and Destroyer, 

had his time. The leaders of the 

steelbands and the bands’ activities 

were also given lots of ink. So too 

were the bands that “backed up” 

the calypsonians during Carnival. 

Promoting the art forms also 

included working with George 

Joseph and band leaders to form 

the first Steelband Association in 

Antigua with eight bands. Calypso 


Fitz today is proud to have been 

a part of the team who sought 

sponsorship for the steelbands, and 

produced a standardized contract 

for them that was used when 

negotiating for their performances 

at hotels and other venues. He 

said, “through my writing, my hope 

is that I may have helped to give 

some humanity, some acceptance, 

to our artistes on whom the “upper 

crust” in the early days sneered 

down their noses at as seasonal 

entertainment to be tolerated 

and humoured.” Just about the 

same time, attempts to organize a 

Calypso Association were made, 

but nothing materialized until quite 

some time later.” 

Calypso Fitz also revealed that he 

always had, and still has to a great 

degree, problems with the various 

Carnival Committees and their 

lack of respect and recognition for 

calypsonians and steelbands. He 

made no bones positing that, “the 

yearly battles and confrontations 

between the Carnival Development 

Committee (CDC), irrespective 

of the official leadership, and 

the two groups (calypsonians 

and steelbandmen), are a living 

testament of how far we have yet 

to travel before true acceptance, 

respect and recognition will come to 

calypsonians and steelbandmen.” 

Calypso Fitz is still waiting. 


our 


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golden jubilee 

golden jubilee

Antigua’s Carnival is different, and 

that’s good! We cannot even begin 

to vie with Trinidad and Brazil ’s 

extravaganzas. But why should we? 

Our colourful celebration characterised 

by revelry, creativity, iron bands and 

steel orchestras, is something that is 

completely different, or ought to be 

different. However, the way some of us 

try to ape or mimic the scanty costumes 

and questionable mannerisms of 

foreign revellers, it is obvious that 

most of us do not know why we differ. 

What then, is the difference about 

Antigua ’s Carnival? 

August Monday makes the difference. 

Remembrance of that tremendously 

significant event in our people’s march 

toward freedom and justice and the 

recognition of the worth of the black 

man/woman—and of every other 

human being, for that matter—is 

enshrined in the emancipation of 

African slaves. Surely, this was— 

and still is—cause for rejoicing and 

merrymaking. Certainly, we must 

always celebrate this event—lest 

we forget! 

Therefore, as we approach the 

celebrations marking the Fiftieth 

Anniversary of Carnival 2007, we must 

seek for the true meaning behind the 

celebrations. We need to pause and 

contextualise those celebrations within 

the broader picture, namely, the more 

than one hundred and fifty years of the 

process of emancipation. And process 

it is, as Antiguan Fr. Kortwright Davis 

reminds us in his book, Emancipation, 

Still A’ Coming! In that same vein, 

Bishop Donald J. Reece 

would that the “ghost” of Tim Hector 

could haunt us! We can remember 

his ever stimulating and thoughtprovoking 

articles in The Outlet to keep 

us focussed on the true meaning of 

Carnival cum Emancipation. Truth to 

tell, initially Antigua ’s Carnival was 

launched as an economic endeavour to 

attract tourists and other visitors during 

the summer. However, this Caribbean 

“Summerfest” par excellence should 

evolve into a loftier significance by the 

August Monday observance. Why? 

The best in human beings is always in 

search of relevant meaning. 

It is this search and yearning for a 

loftier meaning of Carnival that gave 

birth to the VIITUS MAS GROUP in 

1993. VITUS was controversial from 

the outset, because it had— 

and still has—the 

sponsorship and 

blessing of the 

Catholic Church 

and is countercultural 

in terms 

of semi-nudity 

and explicit 

promiscuous 

behaviour before 

a mixed audience 

including young, 

impressionable 

minds. 

Succinctly 

put, VITUS’ 

“merry and 

moral” focus 

grew out of 



our 

golden jubilee


the Catholic Community’s concerns over the 

declining standards of behaviour exhibited 

during the island’s annual family cultural festival. 

Also, there was need to reverse the decreasing or 

lack of appreciation for local art form: steelband 

and iron band. Consequently, with a concerted 

effort to keep local culture alive, the musical 

accompaniment for VITUS’ street parades has, 

from its inception, been provided solely by 

steelbands and an iron band. To this day, VITUS 

continues to be the only Carnival troupe to utilize 

these indigenous art forms on the road. 

To preserve the dying art of stilt walking, VITUS 

introduced its own corps of Moco Jumbies in 

1995, and conducts annual training workshops 

with Barbadian professional, Ifie Wilkinson. For 

Carnival 2002, VITUS put nearly 70 stilt walkers 

on the road - a major accomplishment by any 

standard, and more so, since VITUS was a “new 

kid on the Carnival block.” 

It is interesting to note that, to date, VITUS has 

won the coveted Band of the Year title on three 

occasions, and has consistently placed among 

the top three positions. The junior players 

have been even more successful, copping the 

top prize in 7 of their 9 years of competition. 

By about 1995, requests were pouring in for the 

group to appear at a variety of events outside of 

Carnival – church and community functions, Sailing 

Week activities, Independence and New Year’s 

Day parades, national functions for the Department 

of Culture, etc. The same set of performers took 

part in most of these affairs, so it seemed only 

logical that they be formally organized into a 

second, smaller group, VITUS Cultural Performers. 

Human beings are ultimately searching for the 

transcendental values: wholeness, truth, and 

beauty. VITUS’ entry into Carnival reminds 

us all of those values that bring out the best 

in a free and liberated people. I propose that 

Emancipation (150+), which is ongoing, also finds 

its achievement in those trancendentals. VITUS’ 

creative costumes and behaviour reflect that one 

can be “merry and moral” at the same time. This 

motto re-echoes Marcus Tullius Cicero’s (43 B.C.) 

caution that is still relevant: “Excessive liberty 

leads both nations and individuals into excessive 

slavery.” Neither can we ignore Bob Marley’s 

caution: “Emancipate yourselves from mental 

slavery; none but ourselves can free our minds!” 

May this Fiftieth Anniversary of Carnival take on 

greater meaning for one and all, men, women, 

youth and children. Let camaraderie and 

decency reign! May our perennial struggle for 

ongoing emancipation become the watchword for 

calypsonians, revellers and Mas makers. “Fifty” 

is not greater than “One Fifty plus!” Emancipation 

gives true meaning to Antigua ’s Carnival 2007. 

VITUS mediates that meaning!

MasprofilE 

Colin Wanga Martin 

Lesroy Merchant 

After playing mas for a period 

exceeding thirty years, Colin “Wanga” 

Martin has resisted the seduction of 

the “Bikini mas” from Trinidad and 

Tobago and in the spirit of great local 

mas men like Rick James and Basil 

Peters, has remained true to the 

traditional concept of mas building. 

He has no doubt become the keeper 

of the traditional flame of mas 

building. 

You can expect then when viewing 

a mas presented by Colin “Wanga” 

Martin and the rest of the creative 

team to see "Revellers" adorned in 

gorgeous head and back pieces and 

tasty body fits. Each section of his 

mas would tell its own vivid story 

while blending with the other sections 

to convey a much more graphic and 

spell binding story. And this stands 

in stark contrast to the “Bikini mas” 

which is merely a large display of 

flesh. 

However, Wanga has not limited 

himself to just presenting a mas 

troupe but along with King and 

Queen of the band, Prince and 

Princess, he has also designed and/ 

or built Queen of Carnival costumes. 

In this connection he collaborated 

extensively over several years with 

outstanding designer and builder, 

Melvin Gregory, and that creative 

alliance proved beneficial to both 

parties over the years. 

We see in Wanga what John Huskin 

postulated that is, when love and 

skill work together one can expect 

a masterpiece. For over the years 

he has exhibited a sound love for art 

designing and building costumes. It is 

no surprise then that his efforts have 

been crowned with success. He has 

11 Band of the Year awards. 

As demanding and rewarding as 

mas designing and building is, 

Wanga has other activities in his life. 

For he is by training and occupation 

a potter, and in this connection has 

created many exquisite ornamental 

pieces such as vases, bowls and 

lamps that are decorating tables, 

shelves, arches, and stands in local 

homes, hotels and restaurants. 

He is also deeply dedicated to 

community development and 

consequently sited his mas camp 

within his home community (Ottos) 

and draws most of his “Revellers” 

from the said area. In this way he 

hopes to foster unity and lift the skill 

level in his community. 

As everyone associated with mas 

knows, it can be quite a taxing 

experience sometimes requiring 

eighteen hours a day seven days a 

week. This can put a great strain 

on the mas men and their families. 

Wanga however, manages to strike 

that balance between his work as 

a mas man and his family and has 

that extra reserve of energy to keep 

his family life going. 

Wanga finds the time and energy 

to work in the Mas Association and 

rose to the rank of its President. 

And in his cool, inimitable style, 

made a sterling effort to protect 

and promote the interest of 

mas men. 

But his vision for mas is 

much bigger than merely 

advocating a better deal 

for mas men, important 

as that may be, he’s also 

for the advancement 

of mas per se. That is 

why he is a strong advocate of 

having a progressive mas policy 

and programme. This would see 

designing and building mas as an 

integral part of the school curriculum. 

In this way we would be able to 

harness the creative talent that can 

compete on the world stage. 

It is also envisioned by him that 

Antigua, instead of importing, would 

become a significant exporter of Art. 

So with his “Little House Productions” 

he is blazing the trail and already 

exported mas to places like St. Kitts, 

Montserrat, Texas, Miami and New 

York. 

Meanwhile Wanga is going full 

stream ahead with his preparations 

for the Golden Jubilee Carnival and 

would like to make it a record ‘seven 

peat’ Band of The Year. 

Hats off to Wanga and his team for 

revelling over the past 30 years. 


our 

golden jubilee

BARBUDA'S FIRST CARIBANA - Antigua & Barbuda

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