BARBUDA'S FIRST CARIBANA - Antigua & Barbuda

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!
come celebrate
our
golden jubilee