Soca music is a genre of music defined by Lord Shorty, its inventor, as the "Soul of Calypso", which has influences of African and East Indian rhythms. It was originally spelt "sokah" by its inventor but through an error in a local newspaper when reporting on the new music it was erroneously spelt "soca"; Lord Shorty confirmed the error but chose to leave it that way to avoid confusion. It is a genre of music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago in the early 1970s and developed into a range of styles during the 1980s and after. Soca was initially developed by Lord Shorty in an effort to revive traditional calypso, the popularity of which had been flagging amongst younger generations in Trinidad due to the rise in popularity of reggae from Jamaica and soul and funk from the United States. Soca is an offshoot of Calypso/Kaiso, with influences from East Indian rhythms and hooks.
Calypso is a style of Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago during the early to the mid-19th century and spread to the rest of the Caribbean Antilles and Venezuela by the mid-20th century. Its rhythms can be traced back to West African Kaiso and the arrival of French planters and their slaves from the French Antilles in the 18th century.
Aldwyn Roberts HBM DA, better known by the stage name Lord Kitchener, was a Trinbagonian calypsonian. He has been described as "the grand master of calypso" and "the greatest calypsonian of the post-war age".
The music of Trinidad and Tobago is best known for its calypso music, soca music, chutney music, and steelpan. Calypso's internationally noted performances in the 1950s from native artists such as Lord Melody, Lord Kitchener and Mighty Sparrow. The art form was most popularised at that time by Harry Belafonte. Along with folk songs and African- and Indian-based classical forms, cross-cultural interactions have produced other indigenous forms of music including soca, rapso, parang, chutney, and other derivative and fusion styles. There are also local communities which practice and experiment with international classical and pop music, often fusing them with local steelpan instruments.
A calypsonian, originally known as a chantwell, is a musician from the anglophone Caribbean who sings songs of the calypso genre.
The music of Saint Kitts and Nevis is known for a number of musical celebrations including Carnival. The last week in June features the St Kitts Music Festival, while the week-long Culturama on Nevis lasts from the end of July into early August.
The music of Montserrat is influenced by Irish traditions, noticeable in the set dance-like Bam-chick-lay, and the presence of fife and drum ensembles similar to the bodhrán. Natives are also witness to the jumbie dance, the style of which is still strongly African. Instruments include the ukulele and shak-shak, an African instrument made from a calabash gourd; both of these are used in traditional string bands. Calypso and spiritual-influenced vocal choirs, like the Emerald Isle Community Singers, are popular.
The Growler was a Trinidadian calypsonian. Growler recorded 36 record sides (78-rpm) during the 1930s and 1940s, making him among the most prolific recording artists in the golden age of calypso, with only Roaring Lion, Growling Tiger, King Radio, Attila the Hun and Wilmoth Houdini exceeding his output during this period. Lord Kitchener, one of the most important figures in the later development of calypso, acknowledged Growler as one of his influences.
Roaring Lion was a Trinidadian calypsonian. His 65-year career began in the early 1930s and he is best known for his compositions "Ugly Woman" (1933), "Mary Ann" and "Netty, Netty", which are still performed today. The song "If You Wanna Be Happy", which hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on 18 May 1963, as well as the R&B singles chart, is based on Roaring Lion's "Ugly Woman".
Alphonsus Celestine Edmund Cassell MBE was a Montserratian calypso and soca musician, regarded as the first superstar of soca from Montserrat. He performed under the stage name Arrow. Internationally, his biggest hit song was "Hot Hot Hot" (1982), known from the original by Arrow and numerous later versions by other musicians.
George Browne, better known as the Young Tiger, was a Trinidadian calypso musician.
Winston McGarland Bailey OBE, HBM, DLitt, better known by his stage name The Mighty Shadow or Shadow, was a calypsonian from Tobago.
Edson Mitchell, also known as Ajamu, or King Ajamu. is a Grenadian calypsonian. His music covers several Caribbean styles, including calypso, soca and reggae. He has held the title of Grenada Calypso Monarch a record nine times in 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 2004, 2014 and again in 2015, meaning that he holds the most crowns in comparison to anyone else in Grenada Calypso. In 1998, he was appointed as a Member of The Order of the British Empire.Ajamu now has a band based in Brooklyn. In 2005 he and his band visited Grenada and held a live concert. He then went to Carriacou and demonstrated his prowess in music for the enjoyment of all present. Edson Mitchell AKA Ajamu is from Mama Cannes in St. Andrew. He started his music career singing in church and later by singing reggae with his friends. He is considered to be one of the better and more significant musicians by the people of Grenada.
Finley Jeffrey, born 22 July 1969, also known as "Scholar" and "King Scholar", is a Grenadian, Calypsonian, Soca artist and songwriter. He has been crowned King of Grenada Calypso on seven separate occasions since his 1993 debut. He is also a one-time Soca monarch and one-time Groovy Soca monarch.
Lord Flea was the stage name of Norman Byfield Thomas, a Jamaican mento musician credited with "helping start the calypso craze in U.S." With his band The Calypsonians, Flea toured America throughout the late 1950s, and released an album on the Capitol label. The band also performed in two calypso-related films.
Augustus "Lord" Messam was a Jamaican mento singer who performed throughout the 1950s up until the mid 1960s. With his band, Messam released several records that consisted of a mixture of original and traditional material on the Stanley Motta record label, under the name Lord Messam & His Calypsonians.
Lord Pretender was the stage name of Aldric Farrell, M.O.M., H.B.M. a calypsonian vocalist born on the island of Tobago widely acknowledged to be a "master" of extempo, a lyrically improvised form of calypso music. Starting with an impromptu performance at the age of 12, his career spanned nearly seven decades until cancer of the larynx forced him to retire in the mid-1990s.
The Montserrat Secondary School, often referred to for short as MSS, is the only pre-16 years of age secondary school on the island of Montserrat. The school's campus is currently located in Salem. Prior to 2004 it was responsible for Montserrat's sixth-form education (post-16); currently Montserrat Community College (MCC) now offers Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) sixth-form classes.
Clifton Ryan, better known as the Mighty Bomber, was a Grenadian-born calypsonian from Trinidad and Tobago.
