Three veteran calypsonians were added to a growing list of their peers who have received National Awards for outstanding contributions to the country's indigenous calypso art form.
They are: Composer (Fred Mitchell), Lord Superior (Andrew Marcano), and Allrounder (Anthony Hendrickson), each of whom were awarded the Humming Bird Medal (Silver) at Queen's Hall, St Ann's, Independence Day awards ceremony last night.
Composer is known to calypso lovers as the "Uncrowned Calypso King" mainly because of the number of times he was named runner-up at the National Monarch Competition. Born in Icacos, he was a member of the "Singing Mitchells" family group that sang chorus lines for Sparrow's National Recording Company productions, before launching out on his own as a calypsonian at Sparrow's Original Young Brigade tent in 1964.
Frequently referred to as "Supie," Superior made his debut in 1954 at age 16 singing a hit song entitled "Coconut." In those days he was recognised as the youngest calypsonian to perform locally.
He retired from active competition in 1975 after winning the South title on two occasions and placing fourth in the Calypso King competition in Port-of-Spain.
He travelled the globe frequently with the Lord Kitchener and Lord Melody while performing steadily for several years in the US Virgin Islands.
Allrounder's career started at ten to ten on the 6th of January 1967 when he performed a calypso titled My Little Brother Charlie composed by his wife Wilma, who decided that his calypso sobriquet be Allrounder for the mere reason that he could have been seen and heard "all around."
Up to the present day, he still believes that 1956 was the most blessed and luckiest year for him, since he met his wife while singing in a Baptist church. His wife turned out to be a prolific writer, as well as his second daughter Shirlane who now writes for him.
Awardees
The trio will be added to the officialdatabase of National Awardees:
1969–Mighty Sparrow (Slinger Francisco)
–Humming Bird Medal (Silver)
1981–Roaring Lion (Rafael DeLeon)
–Humming Bird Medal (Silver)
1987–Black Stalin (Leroy Calliste)
–Humming Bird Medal (Silver)
1989–Lord Melody (Fitzroy Alexander)
–Humming Bird Medal (Silver)–(Posthumous)
1992–Brother Resistance (Lutalo Masimba)
–Humming Bird Medal (Silver)
1992–David Rudder–Humming Bird Medal (Silver)
1993–Mighty Sparrow (Slinger Francisco)
–Chaconia Medal (Gold)
1994–Roaring Lion (Raphael DeLeon)
–Chaconia Medal (Gold)
1994–Lord Pretender (Alric Farrell)
–Humming Bird Medal (Gold)
1996–Brother Marvin (Selwyn Demming)
–Humming Bird Medal (Silver)
2000–Calypso Rose (McCartha Lewis)
–Humming Bird Medal (Gold)
2005–Paul "Bill" Trotman
–Humming Bird Medal (Silver)
2011–Denyse Plummer–Humming Bird Medal (Gold)
2012–Brother Valentino (Emrold Phillip)
–Humming Bird Medal (Gold)
2012–Rikki Jai (Samraj Jaimungal)
–Humming Bird Medal (Gold)
2014–Mighty Sparrow (Slinger Francisco)
–Order of Trinidad and Tobago.
