Calypso Rose

Calypso Rose
Calypso Rose
Background information
Birth name Linda McArtha Monica Sandy-Lewis (or McCartha Linda Sandy-Lewis)
Also known as Crusoe Kid
Born (1940-04-27) April 27, 1940
Bethel Village, Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago
Genres Calypso, Soca
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter
Instruments Vocalist
Years active 1964–present
Labels Because Music
Website www.calypso-rose.com

Calypso Rose (born April 27, 1940, Bethel Village, Tobago) is a calypsonian. She started writing songs at the age of 15; over the years, she has composed more than 800 songs and recorded more than 20 albums.

She currently resides in Queens, New York, and has stated that she likes to return to her native island several times a year to “revitalize herself” and “get back to her African roots in Tobago”.

Biography

Calypso Rose, born either Linda McCartha Monica Sandy-Lewis or McCartha Linda Sandy-Lewis, grew up in a small village on the island of Tobago, one of the two Caribbean islands forming Trinidad and Tobago, the birthplace of calypso. She lived with her parents and her ten siblings in a two-bedroom house until she was nine years old, at which point she went to live with an aunt and uncle on the neighbouring island of Trinidad.

Her father was a preacher and a leader of the Spiritual Shouter Baptists. Her family was very traditional and opposed her singing in Carnival tents. She composed her first calypso in 1955 after seeing a man steal the show from two women performing on a stage: this was the earliest calypso written on gender inequality.

Traveling in 1963, Rose covered the Caribbean islands from Grenada to St. Thomas. She won the Calypso King contest in St. Thomas with her first recording, Cooperation. This was the first time a woman had ever been awarded the title. In 1964, she decided to dedicate her life to a career in music. Although originally known as Crusoe Kid, she was given the name Calypso Rose by calypsonian Mighty Spoiler and fellow Carnival tent members.

In 1966 Rose wrote the song "Fire in Me Wire", the first calypso ever running two years in a row at the Trinidad Carnival. She performed with Bob Marley & the Wailers at the Grand Ballroom in New York City in 1967.

1978 marked the year the Trinidad Road March competition’s title was changed to Calypso Monarch in her honor. Rose has been living in New York since 1983. In October 1996, she underwent surgery for breast cancer.[1] In 1998, she underwent treatment for a malignancy in her stomach. She was the subject of a documentary (Calypso Rose, Lioness in the Jungle) in 2011.

In 2015, French singer Manu Chao discovered her work and decided to help out with the production of her new album along with Ivan Duran,[2] in which he is featured on three songs. A compilation, Calypso Rose, Queen of Calypso for 40 years!, was released in 2016.

She released her album, Far from Home, in June 2016 and won the 2017 World Music Album of the Year prize at French music award ceremony Les Victoires de la Musique. In 2017, the album was awarded Platinum sale status in France, a premiere for any artist from Trinidad and Tobago.

Awards and honours

  • 1978: Award for Unprecedented Achievement by a Calypsonian from the Trinidad and Tobago Alliance of the USA.[3][4]
  • 1978: Distinguished Achievement Award for the First Triple Crown Calypso Monarch of the World by The Tobago Benevolent Society.[4]
  • 1979: Award for Magnanimous Contribution to the Culture by the Caribbean Arts and Culture Council.[4]
  • 1982: Rose was named an honorary citizen of Belize in 1982 in recognition of her work to raise the country's international awareness on the cultural front.
  • 1983: Top Female Calypsonian by the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.[3][4]
  • 1985: Best Female Recording Artist Award by C.E.I.[3][4]
  • 1986: Recognition for Achievement in Human Progress from the Concerned Citizens of Liberia Organization.[4]
  • 1988: Gratitude and Commendation for the Development of Arts and Culture in Belize by the National Arts Council of Belize.[4]
  • 1988: Appointment as Foremost Ambassador of Culture by the West Indian Day Association.[4]
  • 1989: Humanitarian Award by Sunshine Music Awards.[4]
  • 1989: Recognition for contribution to the steelpan by the Calypso and Steelband Music Awards.[4]
  • 1989: Best Party Song by the Sunshine Music Awards[4]
  • 1989: Best Female Vocalist by the Sunshine Music Awards.[4]
  • 1990: Nafeita Lifetime Achievement Awards.[4]
  • 1991: Outstanding Female in the Field of Music Award by the National Woman’s Action Committee.[3][4]
  • 1991: Most Outstanding Woman in Trinidad and Tobago by the National Women’s Action Committee.[3][4]
  • 1993: Inducted into the Tobago Walk of Fame as a charter member.[3][4]
  • 1993: Honored by the mayor of St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, with the keys to the City.[5]
  • 2011: Africa Festival Lifetime Achievement Award[6]
  • 2014: Honorary Doctor of Letters - University of the West Indies 2014
  • 2016: WOMEX Artist of the Year Award[7]
  • 2017: Calypso Rose's Far From Home won the World Music Album of the Year contest at the 32nd annual French music award ceremony, Les Victoires de la Musique

Films

  • 1979 - Bacchanal Time
  • 1991 - One Hand Don't Clap
  • 2011 - Calypso Rose: the Lioness of the Jungle

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Home/tr". Home/tr.
  2. ↑ "Calypso Rose on Afropicks, booking agency". Afropicks. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thompson, David (2001). Reggae and Caribbean Music: Third Ear: The Essential Listening Companion. Milwaukee (WI): Backbeatbooks. ISBN 0879306556.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Profile, wackradio901fm.com; retrieved November 8, 2014 (archive.org).
  5. ↑ Persad, Seeta (July 22, 2009). "Documentary on Calypso Rose to be released". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  6. ↑ Calypso Rose gets Lifetime Achievement Award in Germany, port-of-spain.diplo.de (in German); retrieved January 20, 2012.
  7. ↑ "WOMEX Awards". WOMEX: The World Music Expo. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
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