History Of Calypso

One of the main forms of music in the Caribbean, which led to the evolution of Caribbean music, is called Calypso. Calypso is a mixture of African folk songs and has its roots in a West African form of music called Kaiso.

Most calypso songs are improvisations based on standard melodic types. The lyrics of a calypso song are extremely important. Expert calypso singers are clever at choosing words and making up rhymes on the spot. The lyrics may express a personal philosophy or comment on local or world events, social conditions/affairs, or gossip.

Kaiso was sung by the first enslaved Africans and was used to unite the Africans on plantation life in Trinidad & Tobago where Calypso evolved. In Guyana, Shanty, also African folk songs, was sung amongst the enslaved Africans when they wanted to talk about their masters.

Early Calypso in Trinidad was sung in French Patios, a mixture of French and other languages, as there were a large number of French immigrants on the island. And later on with the British influence, Calypso was sung in English Patios, which is a mixture of English with other languages. The enslaved Africans also sung Calypso as a means of communication to mock their slave masters.

The first Calypso Hits
The first calypso recording was made in 1914. In the 1930's calypsonians such as Atilla the Hun, Lord Invader and the Roaring Lion were making an impression in the calypso world and in the 1940's, Lord Kitchener dominated the calypso scene until the 1970's.

Day-O, The boat song
In 1956, Harry Belafonte’s album with the Banana Boat Song, Day-O, became the first calypso album to sell over one million copies and in this same year the Slinger Francisco, popularly known as the Might Sparrow, burst onto the calypso scene.

The Mighty Sparrow, with “Dan Is The Man In The Van”
In 1963, Sparrow dethroned the king of calypso, Lord Kitchener, with the song "Dan Is The Man In The Van." Sparrow had become the King of Calypso, winning the Calypso Monarch Crown and the Road March Title many times.

Soca
According to many, Soul and Calypso, were combined in Trinidad to form a new style of music called Soca which quickly became very popular.

Calypso and East Indian rhythms hybrid as two cultures joined in Music According to one source, Soca is actually a combination of Calypso hybrid with East Indian rhythms which originated in Trinidad and was created in 1973 by Garfield Blackman when he fused Indian rhythms with Calypso.

 

Blackman was born on Oct 6, 1941 in Lengna, Trinidad. As Calypso was dying and Raggae was becoming popular, Garfield was experimenting with music and created Soca when he fused traditional calypso music with East Indian rhythms.

 

He added the dholak, tabla and dhantal, combining the music of the two largest ethnic groups in Trinidad, the Africans and East Indians, bringing a new "energetic musical hybrid called Soca." The intoxicating rhythms of Soca became popular amongst the younger generations with this new up beat tempo which was added to Calypso 

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