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A calypsonian, originally known as a chantwell, is a musician from the anglophone Caribbean who sings songs of the calypso genre.
Calypsos are musical renditions having their origins in the West African griot tradition. Originally called "Kaiso" in Trinidad, these songs, based on West African Yoruba, Ewe-Fon and Akan musical beats, were sung by slaves and later ex-slaves in Trinidad and Tobago during recreation time and about a host of topics – their land of origin, social relationships on the plantations and the lives of community members, including plantation managers, overseers and owners.
Traditionalists see calypso as social commentary because in earlier years it served the purpose of telling stories, relaying news events and giving criticisms of persons and policy. Calypso was therefore divided into two classes: the social commentaries, which had songs dealing with politics and community issues; and the humorous calypso, which told stories of events, real or imagined, with the intent of making the audience laugh.
By the late 19th century the British began large-scale immigration projects, mainly from Barbados, in an effort to anglicise Trinidad, which resulted in a decline in the use of French Creole in the songs so that by the 1930s English Creole became the language of Trinidad Calypso. Despite the changeover, many words and expressions survived in Trinidad Creole and as a result also survived in its calypsos, including terms such as "santimanitay" from the original sans humanité, among others.
Trinidad became the mecca of calypso in part because it was the most prosperous territory in the region and consequently many migrants headed to the island during the 20th century, including performers. As a direct result, Trinidad became known as the land of calypso.
Many early kaiso/calypsos were sung in French Creole, as Trinidad gained a significant number of free and enslaved blacks from the French Antilles of Martinique, Guadeloupe, French-dominated Grenada and Dominica following the Cedula of population of 1783. The patois or French creole was the original language of the calypsonian and calypso music.
A calypsonian, originally known as a chantwell, is a musician from the anglophone Caribbean who sings songs of the calypso genre. Calypsos are musical...
the role of the griot became known as a chantuelle and eventually, calypsonian. As English replaced "patois" (Antillean) as the dominant language, calypso...
Roaring Lion (22 February 1908 – 11 July 1999) was a Trinidadian calypsonian (calypso singer/composer). His 65-year career began in the early 1930s and...
with sociopolitical influences Lists of musicians "Calypso King Fights for a Better Grenada". IFRC. March 6, 2019. Bibliography of Barbadian Calypsonians...
Ayoung-Chee Arnold Rampersad Ato Boldon, Olympic sprinter Attila the Hun, calypsonian Bas Balkissoon Basdeo Panday, former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago...
Sandy-Lewis (born April 27, 1940 in Bethel Village, Tobago) is a Trinidadian calypsonian. She started writing songs at the age of 13; over the years, she has...
2018), better known by his stage name The Mighty Shadow or Shadow, was a calypsonian from Tobago. Bailey was born in Belmont, a suburb of Port of Spain in...
Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor, and civil rights activist who popularized...
The Growler (1911 – July 15, 1952) was a Trinidadian calypsonian (calypso singer/composer). Growler (sometimes known as Mighty Growler or the Growling...
better known as Superblue, Super Blue and Blueboy, is a Trinidadian calypsonian, soca musician, and lyricist. Lyons was born on 25 May 1956 in Point...
the role of the griot became known as a chantuelle and eventually, calypsonian. Modern calypso, however, began in the 19th century, a fusion of disparate...
Afro, Indo, Amerindian or Euro or passing as one of them. In 1961, the calypsonian musician Mighty Dougla (born Cletus Ali) described the predicament of...
Westmore Grant; 13 December 1914 – 15 October 1961) was a prominent calypsonian with a very distinctive, gravelly voice. He was born in San Fernando...
Trinidadian calypsonian who won the island's Calypso King title in 1961. From the Hell Yard area of Port of Spain, Ali was a popular calypsonian in the late...
Trinidadian descent. His paternal grandfather was Albert Ribeiro, a calypsonian known professionally as Lord Hummingbird. His aunt had been a dancer...
with a small group covering current American pop tunes. Utilizing the calypsonian tradition of social commentary, while playing with a rhumba band at the...
King of the World", he is one of the best-known and most successful calypsonians. He has won Trinidad's Carnival Road March competition eight times, Calypso...
Justin "Hero" Cassell is a Montserratian calypsonian, popularly regarded as one of the pioneers of calypso from Montserrat. He began performing in the...
24 December 1960), better known as Mighty Spoiler, was a Trinidadian calypsonian. Spoiler's career began in 1946 (see 1946 in music) at the House of Lords...
Louis Farrakhan (/ˈfɑːrəkɑːn/; born Louis Eugene Walcott; May 11, 1933) is an American religious leader who heads the Nation of Islam (NOI), a black nationalist...
January 2022), known professionally as Kenny J, was a Trinidad and Tobago calypsonian and Assistant Superintendent of Police who was best known for his soca...
first of three the following year. The competition's most successful calypsonians, Mighty Sparrow and Chalkdust, have won the title eight and nine times...