Mighty Sparrow
Mighty Sparrow or Birdie ( born July 9, 1935 as Slinger Francisco in Grandroy Bay on Grenada ) is a calypso singer, composer and guitarist. Known as the " Calypso King of the World," he is one of the most popular and successful calypso artist. He has won the competition nine times, " Trinidad 's Carnival Road March" and was eight times named " Calypso Monarch ", more than any other.
Early years
Sparrow was born in Grenada, but came at the age of one year to Trinidad. His first contact with music took place in the choir of his school. At age 14 he became interested in calypso, and he joined a steel band. He got his stage name back then already:
Your calypso name is givenName to you by your peers, based on your style. In the old days They tried to emulate British royalty. There was Lord Kitchener, Lord Nelson, Duke. When I started singing, the bands were quietly using acoustic instruments and the singers would stand flat footed, making a point or accusing someone in the crowd with the pointing of a finger, but mostly They Stood motionless. When I sing, I get excited and move around, much like James Brown, and this was new to them. The older singers said " Why do not you just sing instead of moving around like a little Sparrow. " It was Said as a joke, but the name stuck. - Mighty Sparrow
Calypso Monarch
In 1956, Sparrow won Trinidad Carnival Road March competitions and Calypso Monarch with his most famous song, Jean and Dinah. The prize money for the Calypso Monarch was $ 40. As a protest against this small sum, he wrote the song Carnival Boycott and tried to persuade other singers to boycott the competition. About half of the artists followed him. Sparrow claims to be, to have improved the conditions of calypso and steelband artists. He refused in the following three years to participate in the competition. In 1958 he again won the Carnival Road March with PAYE.
Discography
Hot and Sweet, Warner Bros., 1974 ( produced by Van Dyke Parks )
King of the World, B 's Records, Brooklyn, NY, 1984 ( produced by Michael Gould )