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Most of the CDs listed below can be obtained through record company web
sites or through major online stores.
Pre-World War II Calypso Recordings
Calypso Breakaway, 1927-1941. Rounder 1054, 1990.
Calypso Calaloo: Early Carnival Music in Trinidad. Rounder 1005,
1993.
Calypso Carnival, 1936-1941. Rounder 1077, 1993.
Calypsos from Trinidad: Politics, Intrigue & Violence in the 1930s.
Arhoolie 7004, 1991.
Calypso Ladies. Heritage 06, 1991
Calypso Pioneers, 1912-1937. Rounder 1039, 1989.
Fall of Man: Calypsos on the Human Condition, 1935-1941. Rounder
1141, 1999.
Roosevelt in Trinidad: Calypsos of Events, Places, and Personalities,
1933-1939. Rounder 1142, 1999.
Trinidad, 1912-1941. Harlequin 16, 1992.
Trinidad Loves to Play Carnival. Matchbox MBCD 302-2, 1993.
These CDs feature recordings by leading calypsonians of the pre-World
War II era, such as Atilla the Hun, Roaring Lion, Executor, King Radio,
Caresser, Growler and Growling Tiger. Most of the collections were compiled
by calypso scholars John Cowley, Donald Hill, Steve Shapiro or Dick
Spottswood. Generally, they include extensive notes, photographs and
transcriptions of song lyrics.
Lionel Belasco. Goodnight Ladies and Gents: The Creole Music of Lionel
Belasco. Rounder 1138, 1999.
Wilmoth Houdini. Poor but Ambitious: Calypso Classics. Arhoolie
7010, 1993.
Sam Manning. Vol. 1: 1924-1927. Jazz Oracle BDW 8028, 2002.
Sam Manning. Vol. 2: 1927-1930. Jazz Oracle BDW 8029, 2002.
Only a few CDs have focused on individual artists of the pre-World
War II period. Lionel Belasco was a pianist, bandleader and composer
who drew on calypso and other musical traditions. Houdini was the first
calypsonian to settle in New York. Sam Manning was a vaudevillian who
included calypsos in his repertoire; these two disks contain his complete
early recordings. Belasco, Houdini and Manning all had successful international
careers.
Post-World War II Calypso Recordings
Calypso at Midnight! The Live Midnight Special Concert, Town Hall,
New York City 1946. Rounder 1840, 1999.
Calypso After Midnight! The Live Midnight Special Concert, Town Hall,
New York City 1946. Rounder 1841, 1999.
In 1946 folklorist Alan Lomax organized thematic concerts for People's
Music in New York. Tapes of the calypso concert were discovered in the
1990s and issued as these two CDs. They provide a sense of the best
calypso singers in the United States at the time: Lord Invader, the
Duke of Iron and MacBeth the Great, accompanied by Gerald Clark's band.
Clark's band recorded and performed with many top calypsonians during
the 1930s and 1940s.
Lord Invader. Calypso in New York. Smithsonian Folkways 40454,
2000.
Best known for his song "Rum and Coca Cola", Lord Invader
lived in New York for most of the latter part of his life. This CD includes
songs he recorded for Moe Asch's Disc and Folkways labels.
Sir Lancelot. Trinidad is Changing. Flyright CD 942, 1995.
During the 1940s and 1950s, Sir Lancelot became one of the best known
calypsonians in the United States through appearances in movies, television
shows and radio programs, as well as through recordings and concerts.
Calypso Awakening. Smithsonian Folkways 40453, 2000.
In 1956 American record producer Emory Cook traveled to Trinidad to
record music in the calypso tents and on the streets during the Carnival.
He continued to record calypsonians and steelbands for several years.
This CD, compiled by scholars Kenneth Bilby and Keith Warner, is a sampling
of his recordings, with particularly notable selections by the Mighty
Sparrow and Lord Melody.
Neville Marcano. Portraits: The Growling Tiger of Calypso. Rounder
1717, 1998.
Growling Tiger. Knockdown Calypsos. Rounder 5006, 1979.
Growling Tiger, one of the greatest of the early calypsonians, essentially
retired as a performer in the late 1950s. But in 1962 folklorist Alan
Lomax recorded him on a Caribbean field trip (Portraits), and
in 1978 researcher Steve Shapiro brought him to New York for another
session (Knockdown Calypsos), performed in a style reminiscent
of 1930s calypso.
Lord Kitchener. Klassic Kitchener, Volume One. Ice 931102, 1993.
Lord Kitchener. Klassic Kitchener, Volume Two. Ice 941102, 1993.
Lord Kitchener. Klassic Kitchener, Volume Three. Ice 941802, 1993.
Mighty Sparrow. Volume One. Ice 921002, 1992.
Mighty Sparrow. Volume Two. Ice 921102, 1992.
Mighty Sparrow. Volume Three. Ice 921202, 1992.
Mighty Sparrow. Volume Four. Ice 941702, 1994.
Mighty Sparrow & Lord Kitchener. 16 Carnival Hits. Ice 920902,
1992.
Lord Melody. Precious Melodies. Ice 941202, 1994.
Mighty Spoiler. Unspoilt. Ice 950502, 1995.
Mighty Terror. Pan Poetry. Ice 951302, 1995.
Roaring Lion. Sacred 78s. Ice 941402, 1994.
Eddy Grant's Ice Records calypso series features several of the top
calypsonians of the 1950s and 1960s. The CD of the Roaring Lion includes
recordings from the 1930s.
Best of Straker's: Ah Feel to Party. Rounder 5066/67, 1996
Charlie's Golden Hits of Calypso and Soca, Vol. 1. Charlie's.
Charlie's Golden Hits of Calypso and Soca, Vol. 2. Charlie's.
Much of the calypso recording from the late 1960s to the 1990s was
carried out by two record labels/stores in Brooklyn: Straker's and Charlie's.
These collections feature the greatest hits of these decades.
The "Calypso Craze" in the United States
Harry Belafonte. Calypso. RCA 53801, 1992.
Harry Belafonte. Island in the Sun. Bear Family Records 16262,
2002.
Harry Belafonte's Calypso CD is a reissue of his classic album
of 1956, which launched the "calypso craze" in the United
States. Island in the Sun, a five-CD box set released by Bear
Family Records of Germany, includes Belafonte's recordings of calypsos
and many other types of songs from 1949 to 1957. The box also contains
a 100-page book with notes and photographs.
Maya Angelou. Miss Calypso. Scamp 9705, 1996.
The Easy Riders. Marianne/Wanderin'. Collectibles 6053, 1999.
Kingston Trio. From the Hungry I. Collector's Choice 223, 2001.
Robert Mitchum. Calypso Is Like So. Scamp 9701, 1995.
Tarriers. Folk Era 1456, 2001.
The success of Harry Belafonte's Calypso album in 1956/1957
inspired recordings of calypsos by numerous other folk and popular singers.
Film star Robert Mitchum and then dancer/singer Maya Angelou released
whole albums of calypsos in 1957. The Kingston Trio (who took their
name from Kingston, Jamaica) featured Roaring Lion's "Tic Tic Tic"
and Lord Intruder's "Zombie Jamboree" in their shows. The
Easy Riders had a hit with Lion's "Marrianne," while the Tarriers
released a hit version of "The Banana Boat Song."
Calypso Around the World
London is the Place for Me: Trinidadian Calypso in London, 1950-1956.
Honest Jons Records HJRCD2, 2002.
Calypso War. Sequel 232, 1993.
Kings of Calypso. President/Castle 229, 1997.
These three CDs document the rich calypso scene in England in the
1950s. London is the Place for Me includes recordings by Lord
Kitchener, Lord Beginner, Mighty Terror, Roaring Lion, Lord Invader,
Young Tiger and Al Timothy. Excellent notes are provided by researcher
Richard Noblett. Calypso War is out of print but includes extensive
notes by researcher John Cowley, while Kings of Calypso features
many of the same selections but has no notes.
Boogu Yagga Gal: Jamaican Mento. Heritage 45, 2001.
Mento Madness: Motta's Jamaican Mento, 1951-1956. V2 VVR1025512,
2004.
Mento, popular in Jamaica during the 1950s, was similar to and influenced
by calypso. These two collections provide a good introduction to the
music. The first includes detailed notes by Richard Noblett and transcriptions
of lyrics.
Calypsos: Afro-Limonese Music of Costa Rica. Lyrichord 7412,
1988.
This collection features calypso-related songs performed by people
of Caribbean descent during Carnival in the Costa Rican city of Puerto
Limon.
E.T. Mensah. All For You. RetroAfric 01, 1991.
E.T. Mensah. Day By Day. RetroAfric 03, 1991.
These collections feature post-World War II highlife recordings by
E. T. Mensah of Ghana. They include several calypsos and, in general,
illustrate the influence of calypso on highlife.
The Rough Guide to Calypso & Soca. World Network 1040, 1999.
Putamayo Presents Calypso: Vintage Songs From the Caribbean. Putamayo
205, 2002.
Trojan Calypso Box Set. Trojan 033, 2002.
These three collections are introductions to calypso. The Rough Guide
CD offers a range of selections from recent decades. The Putamayo collection
includes both older Trinidadian recordings and a number of tracks from
the Art label, which recorded throughout the Caribbean during the 1950s.
The Trojan box is an eclectic collection of mento from Jamaica, as well
as calypso from England and Trinidad during the 1950s and 1960s.
Calypso Today
Each year in Trinidad numerous calypso albums are issued by leading
artists, such as Mighty Sparrow, Chalkdust, David Rudder, Black Stalin,
Shadow, Crazy, Pink Panther, Singing Sandra, Gypsy, Denyse Plummer, Scrunter,
Funny, Rikki Jai, CroCro, Sugar Alloes, Brigo, Baron and Luta. Calypso
albums are also released in Barbados, Antigua, Dominica, the Virgin Islands
and many other countries. Recent releases can be purchased through various
distributors, including Rhyner's Caribbean Music Store (www.rhyners.com).
CDs of top steelbands in Trinidad can be obtained from Sanch Electronix
(www.sanch.com).
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