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44-543: Slinger Francisco ORTT CM OBE (born July 9, 1935), better known as Mighty Sparrow , is a Trinidadian calypso vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist. Known as the "Calypso King of the World", he is one of the best-known and most successful calypsonians . He has won Trinidad's Carnival Road March competition eight times, Calypso King/Monarch eight times, and has twice won the Calypso King of Kings title. Slinger Francisco

88-601: A " Gospel -lypso" hybrid. In 2008, he released a song supporting Barack Obama 's presidential campaign, "Barack the Magnificent". He also did a remake of his "Congo Man" song with fellow Trinidadian Machel Montano on the 2008 Flame On album. In 2010, Sparrow left the stage in a wheelchair after a performance in Trinidad, and later that year was hospitalised after suffering an inguinal hernia while performing in Maryland . He made

132-815: A forty-minute set at a bar in Brooklyn , New York. At the end of the year he was voted "Express Individual of the Year 2014" by the Trinidad Express . In 2020 he released Live at 85! , a recording of a show at Joe's Pub in New York City in December 2019. Sparrow's lyrics are famous for being witty, ironic, and ribald. He sings flirtatiously of the attractions of Hispanic women in "Margarita", and of East Indian women in "Marajhin". He tells some outrageously frank tales of sexuality in "Mae Mae", "The Lizard" and "Big Bamboo". And there

176-520: A full recovery and continued to tour internationally. He has been hospitalised several times with complications of diabetes . In September 2013 he was due to receive a lifetime achievement award from the Trinidad & Tobago consulate in New York, but was admitted to a New York hospital where he fell into a coma for two weeks before regaining consciousness. He returned to public performance in January 2014 with

220-549: A large banana-shaped vegetable, is a staple of West Indian cuisine, and Sparrow praised the BG plantain as larger, sweeter, and superior to the home-grown Trinidadian variety. One of his most famous hits, "Dead or Alive" (1979), which achieved international acclaim, addressed the tyranny of rulers like Idi Amin, the Shah of Iran and other leaders of the era. His tongue-in-cheek humor is best expressed by his 1970 hit "Sparrow Dead", which addressed

264-720: A life that they all longed for but in many cases could not or would not return to. He immortalised the defining moment for many of the migrants in writing the " Victory Calypso " with its lyrics "Cricket, Lovely Cricket" to celebrate West Indies cricket team 's first victory over England in England, in the Second Test at Lord's in June 1950. This was one of the first widely known West Indian songs, and epitomised an event that historian and cricket enthusiast C. L. R. James defined as crucial to West Indian post-colonial societies. Kitchener opened

308-689: A nightclub in Manchester and also had a successful residency at The Sunset in London. Further US performances followed in the mid-1950s. In the 1950s, he also composed "Bebop Calypso". In 1962, he returned to Trinidad, where he and the Mighty Sparrow proceeded to dominate the calypso competitions of the 1960s and 1970s. Lord Kitchener won the road march competition 10 times between 1963 and 1976, more often than any other calypsonian. For 30 years, he ran his own calypso tent, Calypso Revue, within which he nurtured

352-452: A point or accusing someone in the crowd with the pointing of a finger, but mostly they stood motionless. When I sing, I get excited and move around, much like James Brown , and this was new to them. The older singers said "Why don't you just sing instead of moving around like a little sparrow?" It was said as a joke, but the name stuck. After a couple of years he changed his stage name to "Mighty Sparrow". On leaving school he began working for

396-432: A relationship with Betsy Pollard. Kitchener's son Kernal Roberts is also a performer, playing drums for a soca band Traffik in the 90's and then in the early 2000s, Xtatik . He was also their musical director and is a composer of multiple Soca Monarch and Road March titles. The first biographical work on Lord Kitchener, Kitch: A Fictional Biography of A Calypso Icon , by UK-based Trinidadian author Anthony Joseph ,

440-476: A song celebrating the departure of US troops from Trinidad). A live performance of "Yankees Gone" was included in the album Jump Up Carnival in Trinidad . His prize for winning the Calypso King title was $ 40. In protest of the small sum (the winner of the Carnival Queen beauty contest won $ 7,500), he wrote the song "Carnival Boycott" and attempted to organize other singers to boycott the competition. About half of

484-670: Is honoured with a statue in Port of Spain . A bust is also on display on Hollis Avenue, Arima, not far from the Arima Stadium . In 1952, he met his wife Elsie Lines. They married in 1953, and lived for a period in Manchester where Kitchener ran a nightclub. Together, they adopted a baby, to be named Tyrone Roberts, and the three of them moved back to Trinidad. They divorced in 1968. He later married and had four children (Christian, Kernel, Quweina and Kirnister Roberts) with Valerie Green, and also had

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528-508: Is humorous commentary on West Indian culture to be found in " Obeah Wedding" and "Witch Doctor". Robert Christgau called his controversial song "Congo Man" "a wildly perverse piss-take on African roots, interracial revenge, interracial sex, male-female relations, and cannibalism". The 1965 song was criticized for its attitudes toward women and Africans, and banned from radio airplay until 1989. Sparrow also frequently comments on social and political issues in his songs. During his early career he

572-549: The Empire Windrush to England in 1948. Upon his arrival at Tilbury Docks , Kitchener performed the specially-written song " London Is the Place for Me ", which he sang live on a report for Pathé News . Within two years he was a regular performer on BBC radio, and was much in demand for live performances. He found further success in the UK in the 1950s, building a large following in

616-627: The Trinity Cross . The government declined but offered him a lesser honour, which he turned down. Having been diagnosed with bone marrow cancer, Kitchener retired in 1999 after delivering a final album, Vintage Kitch . He died on 11 February 2000 of a blood infection and kidney failure at the Mount Hope Hospital in Port of Spain . He is buried in the Santa Rosa Cemetery in Arima. It

660-620: The "King of Kings" title and the US$ 10,000 first prize. He would later win the title for a second time. His last major title came in 1992, with "Both of Them" and "Survival" winning him the Calypso Monarch title. He made an appearance at the Reggae Sunsplash festival in 1993. Although less active since the mid-1990s, Sparrow continued to perform, and tour into the 21st century; in a 2001 interview he mentioned that he had been singing and performing

704-576: The 1957 carnival in the Young Brigade Calypso Tent, where the four songs he performed were recorded and later released on the album Calypso Kings and Pink Gin . Sparrow went on to have local hits in 1956 and 1957 with singles such as "Jack Palance", "No Doctor No", and "Sailor Man", before beginning a musical slanging match with Lord Melody , each releasing singles attacking the other. The rivalry went on for several years. In 1957, Sparrow recorded his first album, Calypso Carnival 58 , released

748-816: The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, see Orders, decorations, and medals of Trinidad and Tobago . References [ edit ] ^ "National Awards" . Government of Trinidad and Tobago . Retrieved 2013-08-02 . External links [ edit ] ORDER OF THE REPUBLIC OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Office of the President ;» National Awards Ceremony » Events And Ceremonies » About The Awards 2011 Trinidad & Tobago National Awardees v t e [REDACTED] Orders, decorations, and medals of Trinidad and Tobago [REDACTED] Order of

792-489: The PNM's pay-as-you-earn tax system) echoed PNM positions. Sparrow did express discontent in 1957's "No, Doctor, No", but it was comparatively mild, and aimed at holding PNM politicians to their promises rather than replacing them. Sparrow cleverly combined political criticism with sexual innuendo in his mid-1960s song "BG Plantain", which decried the ban levied by PM Williams on imported plantain from British Guiana (BG); plantain,

836-409: The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago [REDACTED] Trinity Cross [REDACTED] Chaconia Medal [REDACTED] Hummingbird Medal [REDACTED] Public Service Medal of Merit [REDACTED] Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Order_of_the_Republic_of_Trinidad_and_Tobago&oldid=1173456500 " Categories : Recipients of the Order of

880-512: The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Orders, decorations, and medals of Trinidad and Tobago Awards established in 2008 2008 establishments in Trinidad and Tobago Orders of the Republic Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata Lord Kitchener (calypsonian) Roberts was born in Arima, Trinidad and Tobago ,

924-610: The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Award Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Type Single class distinguished service decoration Awarded for distinguished and outstanding service to Trinidad and Tobago. Presented by [REDACTED]   Trinidad and Tobago Eligibility Nationals and Non-Nationals Post-nominals ORTT Status Currently awarded Established 2008 Last awarded 2022 Total 30 Total awarded posthumously 5 [REDACTED] Ribbon bar of

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968-539: The Road March title in 1961 with "Royal Jail" and won his third Calypso King title in 1962 with "Model Nation" and "Sparrow Come Back Home". He won further titles in the 1960s and 1970s and continued to enjoy great popularity in Trinidad. He recorded prolifically, with forty albums released in the 1960s and 1970s. In the latter half of the 1960s his recordings began to be released in the United Kingdom. In 1968 he recorded

1012-524: The Royalties of Calypso Kingdom compilation a few years later. In 1955 and 1956, he also recorded "Give The Youngsters A Chance", "Family Size Coke", "Goaty", "Clara Honey Bunch" and "Yankee's Back Again" for GEMS, "Jean And Dinah" and "The Queen's Canary" for Kay, and "Sailor Man" for Veejay Special Ace. In 1956, Sparrow won Trinidad's Carnival Road March and Calypso King competitions with his most famous song, " Jean and Dinah " (also known as "Yankees Gone",

1056-622: The United Kingdom, and Sparrow also found some success there. In the United States, interest in calypso was sparked largely by Harry Belafonte 's 1956 album Calypso , the first LP to sell over one million copies. In January 1958, Sparrow, along with longtime rival Lord Melody , travelled to New York City seeking access to the American music audience. Sparrow had already been recording with Balisier and Cook Records , and with Belafonte's help he also began to record for RCA Victor . He did not achieve

1100-698: The advantages of using New York as a base for recording and international touring, and by the mid-1960s moved his operation and family to Jamaica, Queens. He became a fixture in Brooklyn’s Labor Day Carnival, regularly appearing at the big Dimanche Gras show at the Brooklyn Museum. He wrote a number of calypsos about life in New York, bookended by his 1969 classic "Mas in Brooklyn" and his provocative 1991 "Crown Heights Justice." As soca began to supplant calypso in popularity in Trinidad and Tobago during

1144-555: The album Hot and Sweet for Warner Bros. in Miami, and the following year reunited with Byron Lee for the Sparrow Dragon Again album. He had a big hit in 1977 with "Crawford", a tribute to sprinter Hasley Crawford , and that year embarked on a tour of West Africa, during which he was given the honorary Yoruba title Chief Omo Wale of Ikoyi. In 1978 he recorded the album Only a Fool in London for Trojan Records . Sparrow recognized

1188-691: The album Sparrow Meets the Dragon with Byron Lee in Jamaica. Their version of " Only a Fool Breaks His Own Heart " (written by Norman Bergen and Shelly Coburn) gave them an international hit in 1969, earning a gold disc upon its re-release in late 1977 igniting a #2 hit record in 1978 in the Netherlands . He had his greatest success internationally in the 1970s, starting with the album The Best Of , featuring live recordings in Brooklyn , New York of Sparrow favorites. In 1974, with Van Dyke Parks as producer, he recorded

1232-440: The award Precedence Next (higher) none Next (lower) Chaconia Medal Related Trinity Cross The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago ( ORTT ) is the highest honour of Trinidad and Tobago . Established in 2008, it replaced the Trinity Cross as the decoration for distinguished and outstanding service to the country. Recipients [ edit ] For recipients of

1276-438: The band at Carnival. He received his performing name "Little Sparrow" during his early career, as a result of his energetic stage performances: Your calypso name is given to you by your peers, based on your style. In the old days they tried to emulate British royalty. There was Lord Kitchener, Lord Nelson, Duke. When I started singing, the bands were still using acoustic instruments and the singers would stand flat footed, making

1320-535: The expatriate communities of the West Indian islands, and having hits with "Kitch", "Food from the West Indies", "Tie Tongue Mopsy", and "Alec Bedser Calypso", while remaining popular in Trinidad and Tobago. His prominence continued throughout the 1950s, when calypso achieved international success. Kitchener became a very important figure to those first 5,000 West Indian migrants to the UK. His music spoke of home and

1364-543: The following year on the Balisier label. He again boycotted the carnival in 1959, choosing instead to tour extensively, and early that year released the album Sparrow in Hi Fi before signing a deal with RCA , for whom he recorded eleven albums between 1960 and 1964. Calypso music enjoyed a brief period of popularity in other parts in the world during the 1950s. Trinidadian expatriate Lord Kitchener had helped popularize calypso in

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1408-501: The government Control Board, but continued to perform calypso, which became the better paid of the two, and his residency at the Lotus Club made him a star locally. His first performance as a carnival singer came in 1954 with "The Parrot and the Monkey". In 1955, Sparrow made his first recordings "Missing Baby (Ruby)", "High Cost of Living" and "Race Track" for Vitadisc, which were included on

1452-467: The group by Johnny Khan, who invited him to perform in his Victory Tent, where he met fellow calypsonian Growling Tiger, who decided Roberts should from that point be known as Lord Kitchener. He became known as an innovator, introducing musical and lyrical changes, including frequent criticism of the British government's control of the island. During World War II Kitchener became popular with US troops based on

1496-475: The island, leading to performances in New York. After the end of World War II, the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival took place in early March 1946, during which Kitchener won his very first official Road March title with a catchy calypso leggo called " Jump In The Line ". He toured Jamaica for six months in 1947–48 with Lord Beginner ( Egbert Moore ) and Lord Woodbine ( Harold Phillips ) before they took passage on

1540-570: The late 1970s and early 1980s, Sparrow embraced the hybrid of calypso and soul fused with the local chutney music . In 1984 he won his eighth Road March title with the soca-influenced "Doh Back Back". Also around this time, he began to spend at least half the year in New York City, finding an apartment in the West Indian neighborhoods in Jamaica , Queens. In 1985, he performed at the carnival's King of Kings show alongside The Mighty Swallow, Blue Boy, Scrunter, Blakie, Mighty Duke, and Black Stalin , taking

1584-413: The potential of the new soca phenomenon of the late 1970s and adopted the genre on a string of albums over the years that followed. In 1977 he recorded his most commercially successful song, and one of the earliest major soca hits, "Sugar Bum Bum", which became a big hit for the 1978 Trinidad Carnival season. In 1993 a campaign was launched for Kitchener to receive the island's highest civilian honour,

1628-581: The premature rumors of his death, which persist to this day. Amongst the lyrics of the song: In more recent times Sparrow continues to incorporate social issues into his music. "Crown Heights Justice" is a plea for peace and understanding in the wake of the 1991 Crown Heights Riot in Sparrow's adopted home of New York City. The themes of peace, tolerance, and concern for the poor show up repeatedly in songs such as "Human Rights" (1981), "Capitalism Gone Mad" (1983), and "This Is Madness" (1995). Order of

1672-546: The singers followed, including Lord Melody . Sparrow claims credit for succeeding improvements in the conditions of calypso and steelband musicians in Trinidad, as well as the formation of the Carnival Development Committee, a musicians' assistance organization. Sparrow refused to officially participate in the competition for the next three years, but he continued to perform unofficially, even winning another Road March title in 1958 with "P.A.Y.E." He did perform at

1716-590: The son of a blacksmith, Stephen, and housewife, Albertha. He was educated at the Arima Boys Government School until he was 14, when his father died, leaving him orphaned. His father had encouraged him to sing and taught him to play the guitar, and he became a full-time musician. He moved to Port of Spain , the capital of Trinidad in 1943 where he joined the Roving Brigade. He was spotted singing "Mary I am Tired and Disgusted" (aka "Green Fig") with

1760-461: The success he had hoped for; he said in a 2001 interview, "When nothing happened for me, I went back to England and continued on with my career." In 1960, Sparrow returned to the Calypso Monarch competition, winning his second Kingship and third Road March title with "Ten to One Is Murder" (an autobiographical song about an incident in which Sparrow allegedly shot a man) and "Mae Mae". He also began recording for his own label, National Recording. He won

1804-560: The talent of many calypsonians. Calypso Rose , David Rudder , Black Stalin and Denyse Plummer are among the many artists who got their start under Kitchener's tutelage. Later he moved towards soca , a related style, and continued recording until his death. Kitchener's compositions were enormously popular as the chosen selections for steel bands to perform at the annual National Panorama competition during Trinidad Carnival. He won his only Calypso King title in 1975 with "Tribute to Spree Simon". He stopped competing in 1976. Kitchener saw

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1848-502: Was a supporter of Eric Williams and his People's National Movement (PNM), which formed in 1955 and led Trinidad and Tobago to independence in 1962; songs such as "Leave The Damn Doctor Alone" and "William the Conqueror" mentioned Williams directly, while others such as "Federation" (blaming Jamaica for the breakup of the short-lived West Indies Federation ), "Our Model Nation" (celebrating Trinidadian independence), and "PAYE" (supporting

1892-453: Was always important to Kitchener throughout his career to gain new experiences that could be woven into his material. This led him to performances in Curaçao , Aruba and Jamaica in the early days, and finally to London, when he was already flying high in Trinidad. Kitchener once said: "I have reached the height of my popularity in Trinidad. What am I doing here? I should make a move." Kitchener

1936-452: Was born in the fishing village of Grand Roy , Grenada, West Indies, on July 9, 1935. He moved to Trinidad as a one-year-old with his mother, his father having relocated there in 1937. He grew up in Port of Spain . He began singing as a small child, but his love of calypso was discouraged while at Newtown Boys Catholic School, where he sang in the choir. At the age of 14 he joined a steel band comprising neighbourhood boys, and performed with

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