News & Updates — calypso

Happy birthday to Trinidadian composer André Tanker, the "Bob Dyan of T&T". Born in Port-of-Spain, he started playing the steelpan at 7 and as a teenager learned guitar and cuatro. He also played vibraphone and harmonica. He worked as an arranger for the Invaders Steel Orchestra, who were based in his neighborhood. His own Hilton Flamingos were a steady-working hotel band in the late '50s and early '60s. His late '60s & '70s work fused Caribbean folk music, Indian "chutney" music, jazz, Yoruba drumming, funk and black power themes, with Mongo Santamaría being a major influence. He scored the music...

Happy birthday to one of NYC's best, Jimmy Castor! He sang doo-wop with Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers and the Teen Chords, as well as playing reeds and percussion. He started playing timbales after hearing Tito Puente and in the early '60s became the bandleader for Dave "Baby" Cortez, as well as recording with Bill Doggett. The Jimmy Castor Bunch became a hot item on the NYC club scene with their blend of Latin jazz, boogaloo, calypso and funk. They were sharing a lot of bills with Joe Bataan, Pucho & the Latin Soul Brothers and Kool & the Gang...

One of the heaviest drummers in jazz, William "Beaver" Harris came out of a baseball family in Pittsburgh (in fact, his father was a founder of the Negro Leagues Pittsburgh team and two of Harris' uncles were pro players as well). A teenaged Beaver played professionally at 3B for the Negro League's Kansas City Monarchs, New York Black Yankees and Indianapolis Clowns. After playing reed instruments as a child he started playing drums while in the military at 20. While stationed at Fort Knox, he played in a band with Albert Ayler and Stanley Turrentine. After discharge he was playing...

The calypsonian Aldwyn Roberts became Lord Kitchener in 1945. He bumped around the Caribbean (including his native Trinidad, as well as Jamaica) before setting sail for the UK in '48, where he immediately hit with the classic "London Is The Place For Me". He was a popular and important figure in the West Indian community that was starting to move to the UK in huge numbers. Kitch caught the wave of popularity that calypso rode in the '50s, even touring Africa. In '62 he was back in his homeland and he was one of the biggest Caribbean stars in the...

Happy birthday to one of the greats of West African highlife music! The composer of one of the biggest African songs ever, "Taxi Driver", the Nigerian entertainer and businessman Bobby Benson was leader of an 11-piece band, comedian, magician and hotel/nightclub owner. His band played calypso, jazz, jive, samba and highlife and he played the guitar and saxophone. From Ikorodu in Lagos State, he started his career in '44 in London, playing with a touring ballet, traveling throughout Europe, before returning to Nigeria where he founded a dance & theater company in '47 with his wife Cassandra. His band became...