Calypso in Britain
The development of calypso in England was shaped, in part, by travel
and trade within the British Empire. Trinidad, Jamaica, Barbados and Guyana
(British Guiana) all were British colonies until the 1960s, while most
other British Caribbean territories obtained independence in the 1970s
or early 1980s. In the decades following World War I, a growing number
of Caribbean people migrated to England as sailors, soldiers, students
and workers. Among the many musicians who arrived were Cyril Blake and
Al Jennings from Trinidad, Rudolph Dunbar and Ken "Snakehips"
Johnson from Guyana, and Leslie Thompson and Leslie "Jiver"
Hutchinson from Jamaica. Though Caribbean musicians played primarily jazz
and popular dance music in England, some were also conversant with calypso.
In addition, American recordings of Trinidadian calypsonians were released
in England by the late 1930s.
The United Kingdom:
Calypso in Britain
Recording Calypso
Performing Calypso
Calypso on Radio, Film & TV
British Calypso Themes
