Lord Melody
Encyclopedia
Lord Melody was a popular calypsonian
, best known for singles
such as the self-deprecating "Boo Boo Man", "Shame & Scandal
", "Jonah and the Bake", "Juanita" and "Rastaman Be Careful". Melody's career spanned some forty years, from the early development of popular calypso
to his embrace of a reggae
influenced sound in the late 1970s.
, Trinidad and Tobago
, raised at an orphanage in Port of Spain
, and met Alwyn Roberts (soon to become better known as Lord Kitchener
) after moving to Arima
while still in his teens. Roberts took him under his wing and they returned to Port of Spain, where Lord Kitchener became the leading calypso star, with Melody one of his main challengers. His popularity increased locally when Lord Kitchener emigrated to England in 1947. Melody began singing in the calypso tent
s in the mid 1940s and was one of the leaders of the Young Brigade tent during the 1950s and early 1960s. He also regularly toured the Caribbean
. His early successes included "Berlin on a Donkey", mocking Adolf Hitler
, and "Boo Boo Man". In 1954 he won Trinidad's Calypso King title with "Second Spring", and he was signed to the American Emory Cook's record label, Cook Records
, in 1956.
He was one of six calypsonians who were chosen to sing for Princess Margaret
at the Governor's House during her visit to Trinidad in 1956; the others were Sir Galba
, Mighty Dictator, Mighty Spitfire, Mighty Panther
, and Lord Viper.
Melody went on to compose a number of other songs that poked fun at his own appearance, such as "Creature from the Black Lagoon".
His first album, Lord Melody Sings Calypso, was released in 1957, with a second album, Again! released the following year.
He frequently sparred in song with the Mighty Sparrow
. Rivalry between Melody and the Mighty Sparrow was recorded in the calypsos "Ten to One is Murder" and "Cowboy Sparrow". The humorous rivalry between the two calypsonians was immensely popular with audiences. Another one of Melody's calypsos, "Shame & Scandal" (composed in 1962), became an international hit and was recorded in the U.S.
, Europe
and Australia
.
His greatest success came when Harry Belafonte
recorded
his songs "Boo Boo Man" (retitled "Mama Look at Bubu") and "Sweetheart From Venezuela" (aka "Juanita"), having a top 20 hit in the US with the former in 1957. "Mama Look a Boo Boo" was also recorded by Robert Mitchum
and many other singers. In 1958, his "Cricket, Lovely Cricket" became a favourite on British radio, and his records started to become available in Europe, with several singles becoming favourites with Britain's West Indian community in the late 1950s. In the first half of the 1960s, his popularity waned, but he again found success in 1965 when his "Melody Mas" won the panorama at the Carnival.
In the late 1960s Melody moved to New York
, and he subsequently toured with Belafonte. He was diagnosed with cancer
in the early 1970s and the illness restricted his career, although in 1979 he released the I Man album, a reggae tinged album on which he expressed his embrace of Rastafari, the singles "Rastaman Be Careful" and "Brown Sugar" becoming local hits in the same era. In 1982 he made another album, the soca
-styled Lola.
His health continued to deteriorate and he died from cancer in September 1988, in Port of Spain
.
Calypsonian
A calypsonian , originally known as the chantwell is a musician, from the Anglophone Caribbean, who sings songs called calypso. Calypsos are musical renditions having their origins in the West African griot tradition...
, best known for singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
such as the self-deprecating "Boo Boo Man", "Shame & Scandal
Shame & Scandal
"Shame & Scandal" is a song originally performed by calypso singer Sir Lancelot. The song is a reggae classic, and was written for the movie "I Walked with a Zombie" in 1943. The song was originally titled "Fort Holland Calypso Song". Trinidadian calypsonian Lord Melody used the song as the basis...
", "Jonah and the Bake", "Juanita" and "Rastaman Be Careful". Melody's career spanned some forty years, from the early development of popular calypso
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
to his embrace of a reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
influenced sound in the late 1970s.
Career
Melody was born Fitzroy Alexander at San FernandoSan Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago
The City of San Fernando with a population of 55,419 according to the 2000 census, is the larger of Trinidad and Tobago's two cities and the second largest municipality after Chaguanas. It occupies 18 km² and is located in the southwestern part of the island of Trinidad...
, Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
, raised at an orphanage in Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
, and met Alwyn Roberts (soon to become better known as Lord Kitchener
Lord Kitchener (calypsonian)
Aldwyn Roberts , better known by the stage name Lord Kitchener , was one of the most internationally famous calypsonians. He was the son of a blacksmith, Stephen, and homemaker, Albertha.-Life:...
) after moving to Arima
Arima
The Royal Borough of Arima is the fourth largest town in Trinidad and Tobago. Located east of the capital, Port of Spain, Arima supports the only organised indigenous community in the country, the Santa Rosa Carib Community and is the seat of the Carib Queen...
while still in his teens. Roberts took him under his wing and they returned to Port of Spain, where Lord Kitchener became the leading calypso star, with Melody one of his main challengers. His popularity increased locally when Lord Kitchener emigrated to England in 1947. Melody began singing in the calypso tent
Calypso tent
Calypso tents are venues in which calypsonians perform during the Carnival season. They usually are cinema halls, community centers, or other indoor buildings which have seating and stage arrangements to host the entertainers, guests and patrons; or outdoor shows which are held in parks or, more...
s in the mid 1940s and was one of the leaders of the Young Brigade tent during the 1950s and early 1960s. He also regularly toured the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. His early successes included "Berlin on a Donkey", mocking Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
, and "Boo Boo Man". In 1954 he won Trinidad's Calypso King title with "Second Spring", and he was signed to the American Emory Cook's record label, Cook Records
Cook Records
Cook Records was a record label founded by Emory Cook . Cook was an audio engineer and inventor. From 1952 to 1966, Cook used his Sounds of our Times and Cook Laboratories record labels to demonstrate his philosophy about sound, his recording equipment, and his manufacturing techniques.- Recording...
, in 1956.
He was one of six calypsonians who were chosen to sing for Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon was the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II and the younger daughter of King George VI....
at the Governor's House during her visit to Trinidad in 1956; the others were Sir Galba
Sir Galba
Sir Galba was a calypso singer and recording artist in the 1940s and 1950s.He was born George Brindsley McSween in the village of Birchgrove, St. Andrews, Grenada, in 1919. A troubled man, he had a relatively brief career and life, but Galba is remembered for his outstanding calypsos and...
, Mighty Dictator, Mighty Spitfire, Mighty Panther
Mighty Panther
Native to Trinidad, Mighty Panther is a "legend" of Trinidadian calypso music. He has shared the stage with numerous calypsonians including "Charmer", aka Louis Farrakhan . At the age of 11 he found a gold pocket watch and he carries it around his neck, believing it brings him good...
, and Lord Viper.
Melody went on to compose a number of other songs that poked fun at his own appearance, such as "Creature from the Black Lagoon".
His first album, Lord Melody Sings Calypso, was released in 1957, with a second album, Again! released the following year.
He frequently sparred in song with the Mighty Sparrow
Mighty Sparrow
Mighty Sparrow or Birdie is a calypso singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Known as the "Calypso King of the World," he is one of the most well-known and successful calypsonians...
. Rivalry between Melody and the Mighty Sparrow was recorded in the calypsos "Ten to One is Murder" and "Cowboy Sparrow". The humorous rivalry between the two calypsonians was immensely popular with audiences. Another one of Melody's calypsos, "Shame & Scandal" (composed in 1962), became an international hit and was recorded in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
His greatest success came when Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte
Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
his songs "Boo Boo Man" (retitled "Mama Look at Bubu") and "Sweetheart From Venezuela" (aka "Juanita"), having a top 20 hit in the US with the former in 1957. "Mama Look a Boo Boo" was also recorded by Robert Mitchum
Robert Mitchum
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum was an American film actor, author, composer and singer and is #23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time...
and many other singers. In 1958, his "Cricket, Lovely Cricket" became a favourite on British radio, and his records started to become available in Europe, with several singles becoming favourites with Britain's West Indian community in the late 1950s. In the first half of the 1960s, his popularity waned, but he again found success in 1965 when his "Melody Mas" won the panorama at the Carnival.
In the late 1960s Melody moved to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and he subsequently toured with Belafonte. He was diagnosed with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in the early 1970s and the illness restricted his career, although in 1979 he released the I Man album, a reggae tinged album on which he expressed his embrace of Rastafari, the singles "Rastaman Be Careful" and "Brown Sugar" becoming local hits in the same era. In 1982 he made another album, the soca
Soca music
Soca is a style of music from Trinidad and Tobago. Soca is a musical development of traditional Trinidadian calypso, through loans from the 1960s onwards from predominantly black popular music....
-styled Lola.
His health continued to deteriorate and he died from cancer in September 1988, in Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
.
Albums
| Year of Release | Album Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Lord Melody Sings Calypso | Cook |
| 1958 | Again! Lord Melody Sings Calypso | Cook |
| 1959 | Calypso Through the Looking Glass | Cook |
| 19?? | Caribbean Limbo Music | Cook |
| 1962 | Lord Melody 1962 | Cook |
| 1979 | I Man | Charlies |
| 1982 | Lola | Bs |
Notable appearances on various artists compilations
- Jump Up Carnival (1956) CookCook RecordsCook Records was a record label founded by Emory Cook . Cook was an audio engineer and inventor. From 1952 to 1966, Cook used his Sounds of our Times and Cook Laboratories record labels to demonstrate his philosophy about sound, his recording equipment, and his manufacturing techniques.- Recording...
- Calypso Kings and Pink Gin (1957) Cook
- Calypso Exposed (1961) Cook
- Calypso Awakening from the Emory Cook Collection (2000) Smithsonian FolkwaysSmithsonian FolkwaysSmithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was founded in 1987 after the family of Moses Asch, founder of Folkways...
External links
- Melody Discography on Cook Records at Smithsonian FolkwaysSmithsonian FolkwaysSmithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was founded in 1987 after the family of Moses Asch, founder of Folkways...