Lord Nelson (calypsonian)

Last updated
Lord Nelson
Birth nameRobert Alphonso Nelson
Also known asNello, Papa Nelo
Born(1931-07-27)27 July 1931
Plymouth, Trinidad and Tobago
Genres
Occupation Calypsonian
Years active1962 - 2022
LabelsDiverse

Lord Nelson, born Robert Nelson, is one of the acknowledged stars of soca.

Contents

Background and music career

Born and raised in Plymouth, Tobago, Nelson went to the United States after graduating from high school, hoping for a better life in Brooklyn. However, he was soon drafted and sent off with the U.S. forces to Korea, which was where he first showed his talents as a singer and comedian, performing in Army shows. [1] He patterned himself after calypsonians such as the Mighty Sparrow, Lord Melody, and Lord Kitchener, especially Sparrow, and sang calypso and ballads for his fellow troops. [2]

Back in America, he began singing with West Indian steel bands in Brooklyn, covering calypso hits in his original fashion, much appreciated by the Caribbean community. He started writing his own material under the mentorship of another calypsonian, Mighty Duke and was heralded as the Calypso King of New York in the 1960’s [1] [3]

Nelson's personal style derived from calypso, but also from the American music he heard every day, adding some funk to his Caribbean hits like "La La Jam Back" and "King Liar". While he was not the first to make soca music, he found a great deal of popularity, and won the title of Uncrowned King in a competition for off-island artists at Trinidad's annual Carnival in 1989. Nelson has said the average person did not know that he was instrumental in inventing what would be known as soca along with Ras Shorty I and Maestro. He often mentions his deep hurt at not initially being accepted in calypso circles, due to the fact that he was born in Tobago. Nelson has documented that dark moment in his musical history in the 1978 calypso "Foreigner". [3] [2]

In 1990 he signed with Shanachie, which ensured good distribution for his music and was then able to go global with his sound. His label debut, "When the World Turns Around", offered a digital remake of his earlier album "Love You Forever", which had originally appeared on the Joker label. [1] He is recognized as a soca pioneer making the music known in places like Sweden, Germany Norway, England and Latin America. [2]

His legacy consists of more than a party song composer and singer, but also a calypsonian who covered humorous topics, and included social commentary - on subjects such as racism, colonialism, politics, inequality, cultural identity and corruption - in his songs. Nelson, as a resident abroad, had both the opportunity to spread the soca and calypso message beyond the boundary of the islands, as well as performing in Trinidad and Tobago, in the calypso tents. [3] He has also performed at prestigious venues and events around the world, such as Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall, and the Smithsonian Institution. He is widely regarded as a pioneer and a legend of soca music, and has influenced many younger artists in the genre. Indeed, Nelson not only built a career in music for himself, but also helped others to start their musical careers. He is credited with giving nine-year-old Machel Montano an opening slot to perform at his show in Paris, singing “Too Young to Soca”. [4] [2]

Nelson continues to record and perform. [1] On July 30, 2022 (age 91) he performed at the Friends of Lord Nelson tribute concert at Queen's Hall, St Ann's (Trinidad). He attributes his health to his diet of seafood, but not eel as it resembled a snake. [5] He says his hobby is fishing, he likes to go out there and try his best to see if he can outsmart the fish below the water. [2]

He is known for wearing one of his trademark colorful jumpsuits when performing on stage, and loves to be referred to as ‘Disco Daddy’ from one of his successful tunes. [5] [2]

Merits

Family

Lord Nelson is the uncle of another young soca/rapso artist, Mojah. [1]

Discography [6] [7]

Albums

Singles, EPs & Digital

Compilations

See also

Related Research Articles

Soca music is a genre of music defined by Ras Shorty I, its inventor, as the "Soul of Calypso", which has influences of African and East Indian rhythms. It was originally spelled "sokah" by its inventor but through an error in a local newspaper when reporting on the new music it was erroneously spelled "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 mid-19th century and spread to the rest of the Caribbean Antilles 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.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Lord Nelson - Biography". All Music. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Kong Soo, Charles. "Papa Nelson, 86: I not old, I ripe...and ready for Soca Monarch". Trinidad & Tobago Guardian. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Campbell, Nigel (5 August 2022). "'Disco Granddaddy' Nelson shakes up Queen's Hall". Trinidad & Tobago Newsday. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 Hunte, Camille (30 October 2022). "A musical treat from lord Nelson". Saturday Express. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Georgej, Kinnesha. "Lord Nelson honoured with Lifetime Achievement award". Trinidad & Tobago Newsday. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  6. ↑ Emrit, Ronald. "Calypsography". Best of Trinidad. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Lord Nelson(2)". Discog. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  8. 1 2 Gibbs, Craig Martin (April 30, 2015). Calypso and Other Music of Trinidad 1912-1962. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 384. ISBN   978-0786478514.
  9. ↑ Emrit, Ronald. "Calypsonians 1900 - 2018". Best of Trinidad. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  10. 1 2 Warner, Keith Q. (January 1, 1982). Kaiso! The Trinidad Calypso - A study of the calypso as oral literature. Washington D.C.: Three Continents Press. p. 153. ISBN   0-89410-025-4.
  11. 1 2 Maharaj, George. "Top 100 Calypsos of the 20th Century" (PDF). Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  12. ↑ Rampaul, Giselle (2015). "Shakespeare, Empire, and the Trinidad Calypso". Borrowers and Lenders: The Journal of Shakespeare and Appropriation. 9 (2).
  13. ↑ Unknown (22 January 2020). "16 great calypso songs for teaching". Study assistant. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
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