CALYPSO MUSIC

Calypso is one of the most significant traditions in the Caribbean Music Industry. ‘Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana, daylight come and me wan’ go home,” are the words to a famous calypso song recorded by Harry Belafonte in 1956. The Free Dictionary defines calypso music as ‘a type of music that originated in the West Indies, notably in Trinidad, and is characterized by improvised lyrics on topical or broadly humorous subjects’. It can also be said that calypso is a certain style of music which incorporates rhythms that are typical of African music. This type of music is seen played during Carnival by Calypsonians, singers, who have prepared for the event all season long. These songs usually poke fun at anything and …show more content…

Patrick's Catholic Church. This was his first initial involvement in music. At the young age of 20, Sparrow came out as the leading Calypsonian with his record-breaking hit, Jean and Dinah. Throughout the years he managed to showcase his diversity each year with the release of at least one album dating from the catchy Jean and Dinah (wikipedia.org, 2011). In 1958 he became the only calypsonian to have had a triple win, in the same year, in the Road March Competition. The calypsos were P.A.Y.E. (Pay As You Earn, a song that allowed the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, to understand the real importance of paying taxes), Russian Satellite (a song reflecting on the act of cruelty to animals) and Theresa (a number where, for the first time in his career, he involved other languages) (Calypso Music). In an extraordinary move, he was awarded a cash prize by the Carnival Development Committee, for winning the Road March Competition that year. In 1959 he released a song entitled: Federation, (a song that reflected his disappointment over the breaking up of the proposed Caribbean Federation). In 1960, his career continued to escalate with the melodious May May and Leave the damn Doctor, Royal Jail and Ten to one is Murder followed in 1961. In 1962 he presented us with Sparrow Come Back Home and Model Nation. In 1965, he proved himself a singer with his