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Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesCALYPSO LOVERS GET WHAT THEY CAME FOR

CALYPSO LOVERS GET WHAT THEY CAME FOR

Friday was a night of Caribbean stars as this year's first V.I. Carnival Calypso Revue played to a modest but enthusiastic crowd at the Lionel Roberts Stadium on St. Thomas.
Lt. Gov. Gerard Luz James II and several members of the 23rd Legislature led the cheers for an impressive array of top performers from the Virgin Islands and throughout the Eastern Caribbean.
Calypso die-hards clung to their seats and stood in clusters along the perimeter for six hours through two segments each featuring 15 artists. At intermission, Carnival Committee chair Kenneth Blake, also known as Lord Blakey, led a host of local and regional performers paying tribute to the late Aldwyn Roberts, better known as Lord Kitchener.
Among those providing the local flavor were Devon, who in the chorus sang "I ain't singin' no seh seh, I ain't singing' no melee" — but then hinted he had heard two V.I. politicians were "prettier than John Travolta."
St. Croix reigning calypso monarch Happy told lawmakers in the audience, "You must talk to the people straight, straight, straight."
The 1999 V.I. Carnival calypso king, Whadablee, sang a song called "Stress" ("plenty mess, I must confess"). He said the voters had removed Gov. Roy Schneider but brought in Charles Turnbull and Gerard Luz James, who were not much better.
Whadablee also sent a musical lash toward the Legislature, saying it, too, must take some responsibility for the territory's problems.
Trinidad's extempo master the Mighty Chalkdust told the story of a Virgin Islands woman who told him political icon Cyril E. King was still alive and coming home in 2000. In his song, Chalkie cited the reasons he knew that "Cyril King Is Dead."
Not to be outdone, Edward Ayoung, a Trinidadian known as "Crazy," predicted in his song "In Time To Come" that Senators Lorraine Berry and Adelbert Bryan would marry and that former Carnival King of the Band William "Champagne" Chandler would be named Miss Universe.
Visiting calypson monarchs from Dominica, Antigua, Grenada and Trinidad showed the audience their winning talents on the stadium stage. Ajamo from Grenada sang about "Trouble in the World." Dominica's Panther danced his way through a song for national unity, singing of "one flag, one blood, one people, one nation."
Among the most popular acts of the night was the first St. Thomas appearance of Kernal Roberts, the son of Lord Kitchener. For a separate report on his Friday performance and his announcement that he would be staying on for Saturday's Calypso Revue II show, click on St. Thomas Source.
Shadow, the reigning king in Trinidad, shuffled onto the stage past the midnight hour looking very shadowy in a three-quarter length black sharkskin suit and black fedora hat, his full white beard appearing ghostly in contrast. He said he wanted to entertain his audience into the night but the hour was late. After he sang his 2000 prize-winning "What's Wrong with Me?" the crowd cheered him on to sing two more — his famed "Columbus Lied" and "When You're Young, You're Young."
He then wished all in the audience a good night, but promised them more if they returned Saturday night for Calypso Revue II.

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