BARBUDA'S FIRST CARIBANA - Antigua & Barbuda

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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
continued from p68
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.