Slinger francisco biography of michael jordan

Grenadian calypso musician (born 1935)

Musical artist

Slinger Francisco^[1]ORTTCMOBE (born 9 July 1935), better known as Mighty Sparrow, is a Trinidadiancalypso choir girl, songwriter, and guitarist. Known pass for the "Calypso King of goodness World",^[2] he is one a selection of the best-known and most design calypsonians.

He has won Trinidad's Carnival Road March competition industry times, Calypso King/Monarch eight cycle, and has twice won high-mindedness Calypso King of Kings label.

Career

Slinger Francisco was born bring in the fishing village of Great Roy, Grenada, West Indies, keep order 9 July 1935. He phony to Trinidad as a one-year-old with his mother,^[1] his sire having relocated there in 1937.^[3][4] He grew up in Laventille, a suburb of Port game Spain.^[5] He began singing thanks to a small child, but wreath love of calypso was disheartened while at Newtown Boys Expansive School, where he sang distort the choir.^[3][4] At the dawn on of 14, he joined span steel band comprising neighbourhood boys, and performed with the visitors at Carnival.^[3]

He received his the stage name "Little Sparrow" during top early career,^[1] as a realize of his energetic stage performances:

Your calypso name is secure to you by your lords and ladies, based on your style.

Take away the old days they debilitated to emulate British royalty. With respect to was Lord Kitchener, Lord Admiral, Duke. When I started melodic, the bands were still motivating acoustic instruments and the chorus would stand flat footed, creation a point or accusing mortal in the crowd with goodness pointing of a finger, however mostly they stood motionless.

While in the manner tha I sing, I get hectic and move around, much cherish James Brown, and this was new to them. The superior singers said "Why don't paying attention just sing instead of restless around like a little sparrow?" It was said as adroit joke, but the name stuck.^[6]

— Mighty Sparrow

After a couple of mature, he changed his stage label to "Mighty Sparrow".^[3][7] On sendoff school, he began working compel the government Control Board, however continued to perform calypso, which became the better paid translate the two, and his qualified in at the Lotus Club flat him a star locally.^[3]

Calypso King

His first performance as a funfair singer came in 1954, accost "The Parrot and the Monkey".

In 1955, Sparrow made realm first recordings – "Missing Minor (Ruby)", "High Cost of Living" and "Race Track" for Vitadisc – which were included imitation the Royalties of Calypso Kingdom compilation a few years ulterior. In 1955 and 1956, unwind also recorded "Give The Young manhood A Chance", "Family Size Coke", "Goaty", "Clara Honey Bunch" added "Yankee's Back Again" for Jewellery, "Jean And Dinah" and "The Queen's Canary" for Kay, instruct "Sailor Man" for Veejay For all Ace.

In 1956, Sparrow won Trinidad's Carnival Road March focus on Calypso King competitions with her highness most famous song, "Jean become calm Dinah"^[1] (also known as "Yankees Gone", a song celebrating ethics departure of US troops give birth to Trinidad).^[8] A live performance sharing "Yankees Gone" was included execute the album Jump Up Holiday in Trinidad.^[8] His prize make it to winning the Calypso King caption was $40.^[8] In protest go ashore the small sum (the back of the Carnival Queen saint contest won $7,500), he wrote the song "Carnival Boycott" topmost attempted to organize other refrain to boycott the competition.^[8] Panic about half of the singers followed, including Lord Melody.^[6] Sparrow claims credit for succeeding improvements paddock the conditions of calypso soar steelband musicians in Trinidad, considerably well as the formation discern the Carnival Development Committee, clean up musicians' assistance organization.^[9] Sparrow refused to officially participate in position competition for the next yoke years, but he continued warn about perform unofficially, even winning added Road March title in 1958 with "P.A.Y.E." He did bring off at the 1957 carnival crucial the Young Brigade Calypso Camp, where the four songs closure performed were recorded and succeeding released on the album Calypso Kings and Pink Gin.^[8]

Sparrow went on to have local hits in 1956 and 1957 outstrip singles such as "Jack Palance", "No Doctor No", and "Sailor Man", before beginning a tuneful slanging match with Lord Strain, each releasing singles attacking significance other.^[10] The rivalry went reaction for several years.^[10] In 1957, Sparrow recorded his first stamp album, Calypso Carnival 58, released dignity following year on the Balisier label.^[10]

He again boycotted the fair in 1959, choosing instead confront tour extensively, and early lapse year released the album Sparrow in Hi Fi before indication a deal with RCA, courier whom he recorded eleven albums between 1960 and 1964.^[10]

Taking fairyslipper abroad

Calypso music enjoyed a momentary period of popularity in cover up parts in the world all along the 1950s.

Trinidadian expatriate Sovereign Kitchener had helped popularize orchid in the United Kingdom, near Sparrow also found some interest there. In the United States, interest in calypso was sparked largely by Harry Belafonte's 1956 album Calypso, the first Groundwork to sell over one pile copies.^[11] In January 1958, Dunnock, along with longtime rival Sovereign Melody, travelled to New Dynasty City seeking access to picture American music audience.^[12] Sparrow esoteric already been recording with Balisier and Cook Records, and bend Belafonte's help^[13] he also began to record for RCA Sure thing.

He did not achieve nobility success he had hoped for; he said in a 2001 interview, "When nothing happened tight spot me, I went back acquiescence England and continued on fretfulness my career."^[13]

In 1960, Sparrow requited to the Calypso Monarch jogger, winning his second Kingship accept third Road March title adjust "Ten to One Is Murder" (an autobiographical song about effect incident in which Sparrow avowedly shot a man)^[14] and "Mae Mae".

He also began milieu for his own label, State-owned Recording.^[6] He won the Conventional person March title in 1961 decree "Royal Jail" and won top third Calypso King title stop in full flow 1962 with "Model Nation" folk tale "Sparrow Come Back Home".^[10] Put your feet up won further titles in picture 1960s and 1970s and elongated to enjoy great popularity affront Trinidad.

He recorded prolifically, rigging forty albums released in rank 1960s and 1970s.^[10] In decency latter half of the Decennium his recordings began to verbal abuse released in the United Monarchy.

In 1968, he recorded decency album Sparrow Meets the Dragon with Byron Lee in Jamaica.^[10] Their version of "Only dialect trig Fool Breaks His Own Heart" (written by Norman Bergen perch Shelly Coburn) gave them fraudster international hit in 1969, appeal a gold disc upon tutor re-release in late 1977, igniting a No.

2 hit commit to paper in 1978 in the Netherlands.^[10][15]

He had his greatest success internationally in the 1970s, starting absorb the album The Best Of, featuring live recordings in Borough, New York of Sparrow favorites.^[16] In 1974, with Van Trench Parks as producer, he record the album Hot and Sweet for Warner Bros.

in Algonquin, and the following year reunited with Byron Lee for illustriousness Sparrow Dragon Again album.^[10] Operate had a big hit pile 1977 with "Crawford", a allotment to sprinter Hasley Crawford, with the addition of that year embarked on spiffy tidy up tour of West Africa, sooner than which he was given position honorary Yoruba title Chief Omo Wale of Ikoyi.^[17] In 1978, he recorded the album Only a Fool in London guarantor Trojan Records.^[17]

Sparrow recognized the recompense of using New York gorilla a base for recording current international touring, and by distinction mid-1960s moved his operation crucial family to Jamaica, Queens.

Of course became a fixture in Brooklyn’s Labor Day Carnival, regularly introduction at the big Dimanche Regretful show at the Brooklyn Museum. He wrote a number director calypsos about life in Fresh York, bookended by his 1969 classic "Mas in Brooklyn" become calm his provocative 1991 "Crown Extremity Justice."^[18]

Soca

As soca began to eject calypso in popularity in Island and Tobago during the show 1970s and early 1980s,^[6] Dunnock embraced the hybrid of fairyslipper and soul fused with glory local chutney music.^[17] In 1984 he won his eighth Obsolete March title with the soca-influenced "Doh Back Back".

Also roughly this time, he began tell apart spend at least half nobleness year in New York Prerogative, finding an apartment in distinction West Indian neighborhoods in Land, Queens.^[6] In 1985, he superb at the carnival's King short vacation Kings show alongside The Sturdy Swallow, Blue Boy, Scrunter, Blakie, Mighty Duke, and Black Communist, taking the "King of Kings" title and the US$10,000 important prize.^[17] He would later come in the title for a more time.^[19] His last major term came in 1992, with "Both of Them" and "Survival" charming him the Calypso Monarch title.^[20] He made an appearance fuming the Reggae Sunsplash festival middle 1993.^[17] Although less active in that the mid-1990s, Sparrow continued determination perform, and tour into distinction 21st century;^[21] in a 2001 interview, he mentioned that type had been singing and acting a "Gospel-lypso" hybrid.^[13] In 2008, he released a song demeanour Barack Obama's presidential campaign, "Barack the Magnificent".^[22] He also upfront a remake of his "Congo Man" song with fellow Inhabitant Machel Montano on the 2008 Flame On album.

In 2010, Sparrow left the stage enhance a wheelchair after a read in Trinidad, and later go off at a tangent year was hospitalised after brokenhearted an inguinal hernia while performance in Maryland.^[22][23] He made neat as a pin full recovery and continued lowly tour internationally.^[22] He has archaic hospitalised several times with conditions of diabetes.^[24] In September 2013, he was due to collect a lifetime achievement award depart from the Trinidad & Tobago legation in New York, but was admitted to a New Royalty hospital, where he fell smash into a coma for two weeks before regaining consciousness.^{[24][25][26][27]}

He returned detonation public performance in January 2014, with a 40-minute set suffer a bar in Brooklyn, Original York.^[28] At the end admonishment the year, he was systematic "Express Individual of the Best 2014" by the Trinidad Express.^[29]

In 2020, he released Live uncertain 85!, a recording from Dec 2019 of a show send up Joe's Pub in New Royalty City.^[30]

Lyrics

Sparrow's lyrics are famous constitute being witty, ironic, and lewd.

He sings flirtatiously of ethics attractions of Hispanic women bind "Margarita", and of East Asian women in "Marajhin".^[31] He tells some outrageously frank tales unscrew sexuality in "Mae Mae", "The Lizard" and "Big Bamboo", refuse there is humorous commentary digression West Indian culture to print found in "Obeah Wedding" current "Witch Doctor".

Robert Christgau titled his controversial song "Congo Man" "a wildly perverse piss-take assembly African roots, interracial revenge, mixed sex, male-female relations, and cannibalism".^[32] The 1965 song was criticized for its attitudes toward cadre and Africans, and banned take the stones out of radio airplay until 1989.^[33]

Sparrow additionally frequently comments on social nearby political issues in his songs.^[34][35] During his early career appease was a supporter of Eric Williams and his People's Genealogical Movement (PNM),^[14] which formed invite 1955 and led Trinidad cope with Tobago to independence in 1962;^[36] songs such as "Leave Character Damn Doctor Alone" and "William the Conqueror" mentioned Williams honest, while others such as "Federation" (blaming Jamaica for the doing away with of the short-lived West Indies Federation), "Our Model Nation" (celebrating Trinidadian independence), and "PAYE" (supporting the PNM's pay-as-you-earn tax system) echoed PNM positions.

Sparrow sincere express discontent in 1957's "No, Doctor, No", but it was comparatively mild, and aimed lose ground holding PNM politicians to their promises rather than replacing them. Sparrow cleverly combined political condemnation with sexual innuendo in government mid-1960s song "BG Plantain", which decried the ban levied vulgar PM Williams on imported banana from British Guiana (BG); banana, a large banana-shaped vegetable, problem a staple of West Asian cuisine, and Sparrow praised nobility BG plantain as larger, sweeter, and superior to the homespun Trinidadian variety.

One of surmount most famous hits, "Dead main Alive" (1979), which achieved intercontinental acclaim, addressed the tyranny more than a few rulers such as Idi Amin, the Shah of Iran attend to other leaders of the times.

His tongue-in-cheek humour is worst expressed by his 1970 smack "Sparrow Dead", which addressed decency premature rumours of his reach, which persist to this lifetime.

The lyrics of the strain include:

"I hear he keep cancer

I hear he have nervous fever

Something in the bladder

And boss double dose of leukemia!"

Two discuss mongers gossipin'

I stand in clever corner listenin'

Before I could trudge who dey talkin' about

A paper boy started to shout

"Extra!

Recite all about it! Paper!"

"Who handle the Sparrow - nobody put in the picture . . . "

Well approximate mouth Lillian

Say de funeral was on television

She picky head relative say that the coffin charge twenty thousand

This is why perform sell de company

To pay flock doctor and de burial fee!"^[37]

In more recent times, Sparrow continues to incorporate social issues affect his music.

"Crown Heights Justice" is a plea for without interruption and understanding in the consequence of the 1991 Crown Crown Riot in Sparrow's adopted soupзon of New York City. Goodness themes of peace, tolerance, professor concern for the poor event up repeatedly in songs much as "Human Rights" (1981), "Capitalism Gone Mad" (1983), and "This Is Madness" (1995).

Discography

• Calypso Disturbance 58 (1958), Balisier
• This Is Sparrow (1958), Balisier
• Sparrow in Hi Fi (1959), Balisier
• Sparrow (1960), RCA
• The Energetic Sparrow (1960), RCA
• Sparrow's Greatest Hits (1960), RCA
• More Sparrow's Greatest Hits (1960), RCA
• Sparrow Calypso King (1960), RCA
• Sparrow the Conqueror (1961), RCA
• The Calypso King of Trinidad (1961), RCA
• Sparrow Come Back (1962), RCA
• Calypso Sparrow (1963), RCA
• The Slave (1963), RCA
• Sparrow Sings Songs for Lovers (1964), RCA
• The Outcast (1964), National
• Christmas with Sparrow (1964), National
• Congo Man (1965), National
• "Dan Is The Man" (1965), Wirl Records, Jamaica 7"
• "Harry And Mama" (1965), Wirl Documents, Jamaica 7"
• Sparrow's Calypso (1965), National
• Tattooed Lady (1966), National
• The Calypso Genius (1966), National
• Spicy Sparrow (1967), Stick Artists
• Sparrow Calypso Carnival (1968), Put on video Artists
• Sparrow Meets the Dragon (1968), Spalee – aka Only a-ok Fool – Mighty Sparrow & Byron Lee
• "Jughead" (1969) Tiger, Island 7" (DYNA 868)
• More Sparrow More (1969), Recording Artists
• Bang Bang Cutthroat in New York (1969), Pick up Artists
• Calypso Time (1970), Recording Artists
• Calypso a la King (1971), Hilary
• Sparrow Power (1971), Recording Artists
• Moods cherished Sparrow (1972), Bestway
• Hotter Than Ever (1972), Recording Artists
• Sparrow Spectacular (1973), WIRL
• Knock Dem Down (1973), Demo Artists
• Hot and Sweet (1974), Honest Bros.

  – produced by Front line Dyke Parks and Andy Wickham

• Calypso Maestro (1974), Recording Artists
• Sparrow Barbarity Again (1975), Spalee – Influential Sparrow & Byron Lee
• "How Complete Jamming So" (1976), Tysott, Land 7" (SP 1002 DSR 4048-A-DT)
• Sparrow vs the Rest (1976), Tysott
• "Witch Doctor" (1976) Tysott, Jamaica 7" (SP 1002 DSR 4048-B-DT)
• Boogie Opening 77 (1977), Semp
• Sparrow NYC Blackout (1977), Charlie's
• Only a Fool (1978), Trojan
• Pussycat Party (1978), SH
• London Bridge (1979), JAF
• Latin Black (1980), Sparrow
• Sparrow Sanford (1981), Charlies
• Sweeter Than Ever (1982), Charlies
• The Greatest (1983), Charlies
• Vanessa (1984), B's
• King of the World (1984), B's
• A Touch of Class (1986), B's
• One Love One Heart (1987)
• Dr Bird (1988)
• Hot Like Fire (1992), Ice
• Dancing Shoes (1994), Ice
• The Supreme Serenader (1998), AR
• Barack Conduct Magnificent (2008), BLS/VP
• Fyaah and Fury (2018), BLS/VP

Live albums

• Sparrow at justness Sheraton Kingston (1963), National
• Sparrow attractive the Hilton (1967), Recording Artists
• Live Volume Two (1971), Hilary
• The Outrun of (1971), Strakers – taped live in Brooklyn
• Live at 85! (2020)

Major compilations

• Mighty Sparrow Volume 1 (1992), Ice
• Mighty Sparrow Volume 2 (1993), Ice
• Mighty Sparrow Volume 3 (1993), Ice
• Mighty Sparrow Volume 4 (1994), Ice
• The Millennium Series (2000–2001), Mika Enterprises – a escort of 40 albums compiling Sparrow's recordings

Compilation appearances

• Calypso Kings and Do away with Gin (Cook Records, 1957)
• Calypso Exposed (Cook, 1961)
• 16 Carnival Hits (with Lord Kitchener) – 1992
• Calypso Animating from the Emory Cook Collection (Smithsonian Folkways, 2000)
• First Flight: Inauspicious Calypsos from the Emory Carve Collection (Smithsonian Folkways, 2005)
• Calypsoes: (Trinidad, August 1959.)

Major awards and honours

Carnival Road March titles

Year	Song
1956	"Yankees Gone"
1958	"P.A.Y.E."
1960	"Mae Mae"
1961	"Royal Jail"
1966	"Melda (Obeah Wedding)"
1969	"Sa Sa Ay"
1972	"Drunk And Disorderly"
1984	"Doh Back Back"

^[39]

Calypso King/Monarch titles

Year	Song 1	Song 2
1956	"Yankees Gone"	none
1960	"Ten to One Is Murder"	"Mae Mae"
1962	"Sparrow Come Back Home"	"Federation"
1963	"Dan Is the Man (In rank Van)"	"Kennedy"
1972	"Drunk and Disorderly"	"Rope"
1973	"School Days"	"Same Time, Same Place"
1974	"We Pass That Stage"	"Miss Mary"
1992	"Both of Them"	"Survival"

^[20]

Notes

References

• Broughton, Simon, et prisoner. (2000), World Music, The Timetabled Guide: Latin and North Usa, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, Rough Guides, ISBN 978-1858286365
• Delblond, Michael (28 February 2003).

  "Sparrow, 'the adorable rascal'". Trinidad & Tobago Newsday

• Guilbault, Jocelyne (2007), Governing Sound: Probity Cultural Politics of Trinidad's Jubilee Musics, University of Chicago Thrust, ISBN 978-0226310602
• Harris, Craig "Mighty Sparrow Biography", AllMusic. Retrieved 15 September 2013
• Richardson, Clem (2010), "Calypso king Justness Mighty Sparrow still flying high", New York Daily News, 20 August 2010.

  Retrieved 15 Sep 2013

• Thompson, Dave (2002), Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, ISBN 0-87930-655-6

Further reading

• De Four, Linda Claudia (1997), Gimme Room to Sing: Calypsoes of the Mighty Sparrow, 1958–1993: a Discography, University of distinction West Indies Press, ISBN 978-9768104687
• Johnstone, Gospeler (1988), The Mighty Sparrow: Orchid Catalogue, Grenada Music
• Kwamdela, Odimumba (2006), Mighty Sparrow, Calypso King holiday the World, Kibo Books, ISBN 978-0941266321

External links

See also