Mighty Striker

Mighty Striker
Birth name Percival Oblington
Also known as Striker
Born April 1930
D'Abadie, Trinidad
Died 5 February 2011 (aged 80)
Genres Calypso
Years active 1945–2010

Percival Oblington (April 1930 – 5 February 2011), better known as Mighty Striker, or simply Striker, was a Trinidadian calypsonian who twice won the Calypso King title.

Career

Percival Oblington was born in 1930 in D'Abadie, Trinidad, the son of a blacksmith.[1][2] He initially made a living as a coconut husker along with fellow calypsonians Mighty Cypher, Lord Montgomery, and his cousin Lord Eisenhower.[2] He began performing in 1945 and became a professional calypso singer in 1949, performing as 'Striker' and 'Mighty Striker', a name given to him by his mentor Mighty Cypher in reference to his exploits as a boxer in his youth.[1][2] In 1957 he reached the final of the Calypso King contest held as part of Trinidad's carnival, finishing third behind Lord Pretender and the Mighty Spoiler.[1] He won the title the following year with "Don't Blame The PNM" (Striker was a supporter of Eric Williams' People's National Movement party) and "Can't Find A Job To Suit Me", and became the first person to retain the title in 1959 with "Ban The Hula Hoop" and "Comparison".[1][3][4] He finished third in 1960 behind Mighty Sparrow and Lord Melody and feeling that he had been robbed of a third title did not enter the contest again.[2] In 1965 he won the 'Buy Local Calypso' competition, a contest introduced by the country's government.[1] Striker continued to perform regularly in the Kaiso Karavan calypso tent.[1]

By the late 1970s his popularity had faded and he worked as a taxi driver.[2] He returned to performance in 2002 for the documentary Calypso Dreams, which included one of his best known songs, "Grandfather's Clock".[2]

Oblington researched the history of calypso, with his book The True History of Calypso published in 2000.[1]

His last performance was in July 2010 at the Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism's NAPA FEST.[2]

He died on 5 February 2011, aged 80, after suffering from prostate cancer.[5][2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bowman, Wayne (2011) "Calypso icon Striker dies", Trinidad Express, 7 February 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2013
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Dunn, Geoffrey (2011) "The Mighty Striker takes his final count", Trinidad Express, 16 February 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2013
  3. ↑ Regis, Luois (1998) The Political Calypso: True Opposition in Trinidad and Tobago, 1962-87, University Press of Florida, ISBN 978-0813015804, p. x
  4. ↑ Thompson, Dave (2002) Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, ISBN 0-87930-655-6, p. 5
  5. ↑ Rampersad, Joan & Persad, Seeta (2011) "‘Mighty Striker’ dies at 81", Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, 8 February 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2013
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