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A Roaring Lion calypso classic from the 1940s, Trinidad Is The Land of Calypso, has been given a new lease on life. The remake, which retains its vintage flavour, is the result of a collaboration between vocalist Nigel Lewis and musician Etienne Charles.
Lewis served as executive producer of the track, which was released on December 26 on YouTube and will soon be on sale on all platforms. He said the calypso was a masterpiece that deserves respect.
The music on the recording was performed by Lewis, Brian Newton and Charles, an acclaimed trumpeter, while Lewis teamed up with Kelda “Timeless” Sweeting on the background vocals.
Roaring Lion (Raphael de Leon), whose career spanned more than 65 years, was one of the first calypsonians to record abroad.
He was inspired to write Trinidad Is The Land of Calypso while on a recording assignment in the United States in 1933 when he was asked by president Franklin D Roosevelt, “Where are you from?”
Tobago-born Lewis enjoyed success in the soca arena in the 1990s with hits like Take That and Cool It and Moving, a collaboration with his brother Marvin that won the Road March title in 1996. Their mega-hit, Follow the Leader, has sold more than 500,000 copies making it the largest single copyright revenue-earner in calypso music.
Lewis, a self-taught musician, as well as an accomplished songwriter, is currently based in the US but will be in T&T for the 2024 Carnival season.
Charles currently serves as an associate professor of Studio Music and Jazz at the University of Miami, Patricia L Frost School of Music. He began playing the trumpet at age ten and studied the instrument under the guidance of Major Edouard Wade and then at the Brass Institute.
He performed and recorded with Roberta Flack, Wynton Marsalis, Ralph MacDonald, the Count Basie Orchestra, Monty Alexander, David Rudder and many others.