Lord Kitchener (calypsonian)
Lord Kitchener ( born April 18, 1922 as Aldwyn Roberts in Arima, Trinidad, † February 11, 2000 in Champs Fleurs, Trinidad ) was a successful composer and singer in the genres of calypso and soca.
Life and work
Lord Kitchener grew up as one of six children of the blacksmith Stephen Roberts in the St. Joseph Street in Arima in poor circumstances. As a teenager, he sang for visitors to the ASA Wright Nature Park, to earn a little pocket money. From 1940, Lord Kitchener was increasingly to be found in the capital, Port of Spain, where he gave his songs the best in Rumshops. Mid-40s was then known on the island and popular Lord Kitchener.
In 1945 he visited Curaçao, Aruba and Jamaica, then travel to Kingston from 1948 by the Empire Windrush to England. On June 21, 1948, he arrived in the port of Tilbury. This date marked the beginning of an international career as a calypso singer.
Quick tied Lord Kitchener contacts and soon entered on in London at that time the only Caribbean Club, followed by appearances at the BBC. After six months stay he played in three nightclubs and its popularity grew far beyond London out.
In 1953 he left London to Manchester, where he married and opened his own music club. In addition to a six-month tour of the U.S. expanded Lord Kitchener 's music club, bought several properties and in 1958 his first records for the Melodisc label on.
1963 Lord Kitchener returned after 15 years back to Trinidad back. Despite this long absence, he was known at home than before, as the population had always pursued his new recordings. He sat down then in Diego Martin.
Since the mid- 1960s, Lord Kitchener is an integral part of the socio - cultural context of Trinidad. He won the competition the most popular calypso songs of the carnival season 1963-1976 ten times.
His melodic compositions have been highly appreciated by the steel bands. To arrange a song by Lord Kitchener in order to participate in the Steelpanwettbewerb panorama was soon to become the choice of many steel bands.
Lord Kitchener is in the Trinidadian population therefore also very popular because it reflected in his Calypso's current political problems, cultural issues treated or passed over an unpopular public figure here sometimes. Infamous and forgotten his musical puns, in which he succeeded are " to provide decent Dirty such that even a priest could listen with pleasure ."
His favorite subjects were women, its competitor Mighty Sparrow, caribbean affairs, issues of race and steel bands. Until his death, composed and sang Lord Kitchener Calypso's well over 300.
He died at the Eric Williams Medical Complex Mount Hope, and was buried at the Santa Rosa Cemetery in Arima.