Calypso songbook

Publishing Calypso

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

In Trinidad, during the mid-twentieth century, the lyrics of calypsos were sometimes published in small chapbooks for local distribution. The printing of calypso lyrics and music for mass distribution developed in the U.S.
 

Lionel Belasco

Belasco songbook

A pioneer of calypso publishing was Lionel Belasco, who migrated from Trinidad to New York in the 1910s. During his lengthy career, Belasco copyrighted close to 200 songs; some were his own compositions, while others were adaptations of folksongs or arrangements of the compositions of calypsonians. Through copyrighting, publishing and recording calypsos, Belasco became a major figure in the promotion of the music in America. Trinidadian calypsonians, however, received minimal royalties from calypso publishing and recording.