When 86-year-old "Papa" Lord Nelson (Robert Nelson) steps on the stage at the International Soca Monarch semi-finals at the Arima Velodrome on February 5 he will be going up against scores of artistes including 13-year-old Aaron Duncan.
An elated Nelson said he never thought it would happen to him at his age as he had been overlooked in the past.
He was in New York when he got a call that he was selected to be in the competition.
Still in disbelief, Nelson said he was happy to take part in T&T's culture and to help develop it.
The Sunday Guardian spoke with the evergreen entertainer in a telephone interview on Friday from the verandah of his family's Plymouth, Tobago, home about his life story in the calypso world and away from the spotlight.
When asked what he thought about his chances in the competition, he downplayed the aspect of winning. Nelson said "I'm just glad to be there to be in front my people performing surrounded by the beauty of this land. If you work hard enough for anything, you will get it.
"It will be an honour and privilege to be performing among the young artistes. Aaron is good as well as many others.
"If you give me a million dollars I don't know how to act, just to be there in Soca Monarch with the best of the best is a thrill.
"I'm not old! I ripe!" he burst out laughing.
He dislikes being called "Mister" or "Sir" as it did not make the person feel closer to him and preferred "Nello", saying "all ah we is one family", referencing the title of one of his many gem-like songs.
During the interview, you could hear him acknowledging several people who passed his house and hailed him out seeing that he was back home.
Known for his trademark colourful jumpsuits, Nelson said he does not have to rely on elaborate props such as pyrotechnics and wire acts.
He said half of the performers go on with little clothes or bareback these days and the women were half-naked compared to the artistes of his era who came on stage immaculately dressed, and if their song did not have wine in it, it was not good.
Pacro for longevity
When asked if he had any secret to his longevity, if there was something in the water in Tobago, he replied laughing, "pacro".
Nelson said he ate a lot of fruits, he was not used to eating too much meat, loved fish, and was glad to come home as he loved good Tobago home food.
He described himself as a seafood freak.
For Saturday lunch, Nelson bubbles a pot with fish, spaghetti, and "buck buck" or green fig. He said he also ate crab and dumpling, conch, wilks, shrimp, lobster, but not eel as it resembled a snake.
Nelson said when he was away from the stage, he was a humble, religious and happy person who believed in God and all his goodness.
The Korean War veteran said Uncle Sam took care of him, referring to the time he was drafted into the US Army and sent to Korea during the war in the 50s.
Nelson said his hobby was fishing, he liked to go out there and try his best to see if he can outsmart the fish below the water.
He said besides Tobago, he fished around the world such as the US and Sweden, using fishing rods, line, and traps.
Nelson said he did drink "a little" in the past but it was not helping him, it was not cool, and he was never into drugs because he felt he was very hyped naturally.
Entering Calypso Monarch race
He said he did not know anything about calypso, when he was stationed in Korea and patterned himself after calypsonians such as the Mighty Sparrow, Melody, and Kitchener, especially Sparrow, and sang calypso and ballads for his fellow troops.
When he left the service he continued mimicking Sparrow and continued singing in dancehalls in Europe.
Nelson said the average person did not know that he was instrumental in inventing what would be known as soca along with Ras Shorty, Maestro, and tutelage from the Mighty Duke.
He scored hits with songs like "Garrot Bounce", "Stella", "King Liar", "Bald Head Rasta", and "Disco Daddy".
Nelson bemoaned the influx of wine and jam in songs, with some foreign elements such as rap, some smoke, and some girl who can wine thrown in.
He said one man would come off the stage and another would come on singing the same rhythm with no lyrical content.
Nelson said he felt proud of the former Junior Calypso Monarch Aaron Duncan, and he mashed up the stage in France when to took a young Machel Montano on his shoulders to sing Too Young To Soca.
He said he was a soca pioneer taking the music to places like Sweden, Germany Norway, England and Latin America.
According to his manager, Errol Peru, not only will Nelson be mixing it up lyrically with the young guns in the Soca Monarch competition, he will also be participating in Calypso Monarch.
Nelson will be singing "Sugar Mammy", composed by Kernal Roberts, Kitchener's son.
