Asia
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During the mid-twentieth century, calypso spread primarily to countries
surrounding the Atlantic Ocean. However, the music also reached Asia and
the Pacific. Cricket fans in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka enjoyed "Victory
Test Match" ("Cricket, Lovely Cricket"), composed by the
U.K.-based Trinidadian calypsonian Lord Beginner. During the 1956-57 U.S.
calypso craze, Japanese teen sensation Michiko Hamumura sang "Banana
Boat Song" and other Caribbean songs. During this same period, Jules
Ah See, a Chinese steel guitar player, recorded "Hong Kong Calypso."
In the early 1960s, U.S.-based Trinidadian singer/actor Sir Lancelot toured
Asia for several months. By the 1950s, Trinidadian novelist Ralph de Boissière
was living in Australia, where he wrote a calypso musical. Several country
singers in Australia also performed and recorded calypsos.
