BARBUDA'S FIRST CARIBANA - Antigua & Barbuda

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
come celebrate
our
golden jubilee