Listening to this medley of a few of Sparrow's hits brings back some youthful memories of family gatherings, hanging out on the beach with friends, walkin'-and-whinin' in the street on J'ouvert morning during carnival season & of course, drinking & talking a lot of crap just for shits & giggles. Ah yes, the sweet charms of life on the small islands of the Caribbean is a priceless experience. Sparrow was a genius and he reigned over other Calypsonians for decades as his provocative stories captured many elements of life, love & politics which were unsurpassed for their vocal & dramatic delivery.
Calypso is definitely not what it used to be when Lord Kitchener, Mighty Shadow, Chalkdust & Short Shirt were blazin' the Caribbean charts. The stories nowadays are quite tepid & calypso music overall has been overtaken by its faster-paced cousin, soca/zouk which I do enjoy, but it's still sad to see calypso, which has historically been a slower-paced, cleverly veiled, satirically-laced, story-driven music, taking a back-seat to the more popular genres.
The Mighty Sparrow has continued to record and to date has produced some 90 albums.The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has awarded the Mighty Sparrow with the Caribbean's highest award, the Order of the Caribbean, for outstanding contribution to the development of the region. A true legend. Check out this great interview with the King of Calypso:
OneLove
