Calypso in America Calypsonians during World War II Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3   American military service during World War II contributed to the growing popularity of calypso in the U.S. During the war, thousands of U.S. Army and Navy personnel were stationed in Trinidad, where they became enamored with calypso. Their interest in the music continued when they returned home.

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Army base in Trinidad

In the Officers' Mess

Recreation on the base

"Rum and Coca-Cola"	This American encounter with Trinidad was captured in the calypso "Rum and Coca-Cola," composed by Trinidadian Lord Invader. A recording of the song in 1944 by the Andrews Sisters, American popular singers, became one of the top hits of the war era and, subsequently, sparked a major copyright battle in the courts. Recording and publishing of calypsos by American artists, without regard for the rights of Caribbean composers, was common in the postwar years.
Lord Invader	The tune of "Rum and Coca-Cola"
	Next: Calypso in America, Part 3

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