Hubert Raphael Charles (Roaring Lion)
The Roaring Lion was one of the all-time great calypsonians, best remembered
for songs like "Ugly Woman," "Mary Ann" and "Netty
Netty." Always impeccably dressed, he was known for his lion-headed
cane and his regal bearing. Lion was born in Trinidad in 1908 and began
singing in calypso tents around 1927. In 1934 local record storeowner
Eduardo Sa Gomes arranged for Atilla the Hun and him to travel to New
York to record for the American Record Company. Lion was a strong singer
and a composer of all the major types of calypso. During the 1930s and
1940s, he recorded repeatedly in New York. He was also known for singing
calypso duets with Atilla and for performing calypso dramas in the tents
in Trinidad.
In 1945 Lion returned to New York and appeared for several months at the Village Vanguard and the Blue Angel nightclubs, while also performing in USO shows during the day. In 1951 he traveled to England to perform in the Festival of Britain and ended up staying for over a decade. He recorded in England and performed both there and on the Continent. He returned to Trinidad in 1963 and continued an active career as a calypsonian. In 1970 he appeared on a series of 13 Radio Trinidad programs on the history of calypso and, subsequently, served as the president of the calypsonians association. He later wrote a weekly newspaper column on calypso and a book titled Calypso from France to Trinidad: 800 Years of History (1988). He had a hit in 1995 with a soca version of his classic song "Papa Chunks." Lion died in 1999.
