In the vibrant port city of Casablanca, Morocco, flung many miles away from home, I stumbled upon a group of French tourists, whose eyes lit up, upon hearing I was from T&T, while knowing almost no English, clapped their hands and sang “fire fire, in meh wire!”
The undisputed Calypso Queen, one of the mothers of the art form, Calypso Rose, has found a cadre of diehard fans across the Caribbean, North America and Europe, who have discovered and felt the joy of calypso music because of her innate, irrefutable talent. This is the legacy of Calypso Rose, who will turn 84 this month, and whose incredible career will be biographised in “Queen of The Road”, a production which will premiere in T&T in May, under the patronage of President Christine Kangaloo.
Born McArtha Linda Monica Lewis, in the village of Bethel, Tobago, she was one of 13 children. When she was eight years old, she was chosen by a relative who wanted to adopt a child as her own, and Rose moved to Barataria. From an early age, her talent for music, writing and composing songs was apparent, and Rose would write songs in school and for birthdays.
During one vacation period when she was back in Tobago, she recalled being invited to sing a song for Dr Eric Williams, who was at the time on a visit to the island. Drawing on inspiration from her environment started very early for Rose, as the foundation for the song she sang for Dr Williams, entitled “Glass Thief” came from an early morning at the market, when “tief! tief!” echoed through the air as a man went darting away with the glasses snatched from a market vendor. Read More
Fraser, F. K. J. (n.d.). The legacy of Calypso Rose: Queen of The Road, her life, her music. Www.guardian.co.tt. Retrieved April 9, 2024, from https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/the-legacy-of-calypso-rose-queen-of-the-road-her-life-her-music-6.2.1969689.c1c8be7986
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