Black Stalin

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Black Stalin , real name Leroy Calliste (born September 24, 1941 in San Fernando ), is a Trinidadian calypso singer and songwriter. He is a supporter of the Rastafarian movement and known for his political texts.

Early years

Calliste was born in San Fernando, one of four children of George and Elcina Calliste. His schooling consisted of attending a Catholic elementary school. His first job was that of an inspector in the port of Pointe-à-Pierre , a center of the Trinidadian oil industry north of San Fernando. In terms of music, he learned to play the instruments steel pan and piano.

Career

Calypso has a competitive character in Trinidad ; the annual season culminates during musical competitions in the carnival season in February. The performances take place in "tents" (German: Zelten), permanent venues that are run by established Calypsonians and where aspiring singers have their first appearances. Calliste made his first appearance as a calypso singer in 1959 at the Southern Brigade Tent in San Fernando. His first competitive appearance was during the 1962 Carnival season; the winner of the "Calypso Road March" title of that year, Warlord Blakie, coined Calliste's nickname "The Mighty Stalin", which he changed to "Black Stalin" in 1969, influenced by political currents resulting from the death of Martin Luther King . In 1976 Black Stalin took part in the "Calypso Monarch" competition for the first time, and in 1979 he won the competition for the first time. Further victories followed in 1985, 1987, 1991 and 1995, making him the third most successful Calypsonian in Calypso history after Mighty Sparrow and Chalkdust . Outside of Trinidad, Calliste performed regularly in countries with larger Anglo-Caribbean communities (USA, Canada, Great Britain), and in 1986 he appeared at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival .

In 1987 Calliste was awarded the Hummingbird Medal in silver. In 2008 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies .

Style and reception

Calypso was originally a musical narrative form and thus reported current events. In the course of the 20th century, the musical genre went through some changes in meaning; the Calypsonians used their medium to first laugh at their competitors, but later also to laugh at politicians. Social grievances were also addressed, which led to censorship by the British colonial rulers. Lyrically and musically, the Calypso remained primarily committed to entertaining the audience. Musically Calliste always adapted to these demands, but lyrically many of his Calypsos are serious and thoughtful, which makes him an exception in the scene. His comments on the political situation caused media coverage, especially in the 1970s; After the release of the Calypsos Caribbean Man , which criticized CARICOM and conjured up a Caribbean unity, Prime Minister Eric Williams was forced to address the song in a radio address in 1979. Linguistically Calliste stops the Trinidadian Creole, one from the mixing of English and Patois resulting creole language that is spoken by about two-thirds of Trinidadier. He himself calls the language "Resistance English" to indicate the rejection of New English by the Trinidadian descendants of African slaves, and defines the language as an elementary element of calypso.

"Oil drilling, money making
Mr. Divider, here is a warning
Mih blood in this country
Mih sweat in this country
So when yuh sharing yuh oil-bread
Ah say remember me"

- Black Stalin: Piece of the Action (1976)

In 1987, Spin magazine described Calliste as the “political lancer par excellence” in a portrait. The music critic Robert Christgau called him the "heir to the calypso tradition of eloquent esprit" and his music, consisting of "sun-warmed arrangements and the baritone of a chain smoker", as "casual". Winthrop Holder, a columnist for the Afrocentric US daily Daily Challenge , described Black Stalin in the literary magazine Small Ax as " linguists of the oppressed", who "set signs with words that are bullets aimed at the hearts, souls and minds of the world."

In 2007 a Black-Stalin monograph by the Trinidadian non-fiction author Louis Regis, who had previously published two standard works on calypso, was published. In 2012 the documentary Come With It, Black Man: A Biography of Black Stalin's Consciousness by the Trinidadian filmmaker Tamara Tam-Cruickshank, who accompanied Calliste for four years, was released.

Private

Calliste is married and has three children with his wife Patsy. He lives in San Fernando. In 2014 Calliste suffered a stroke.

Discography

  • 1979: Caribbean Man (Makossa)
  • 1980: In Ah Earlier Time (Makossa)
  • 1988: Moving Up (B's Records)
  • 1989: To De Master (WB Records)
  • 1991: The Bright Side (Straker's Records)
  • 1991: Roots Rock Soca ( Rounder Records )
  • 1992: Cry of the Caribbean (Straker's Records)
  • 1993: Help (Straker's Records)
  • 1994: Rebellion (Ice Records)
  • 1995: Message to Sundar (Ice Records)
  • 2009: Just For You ( VP Records )

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ TUCOTT.org: The Black Stalin. Retrieved April 7, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Trinidad Express of November 8, 2008: Black man party ( Memento of October 10, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ↑ Trinidad Guardian, September 1, 2015: Calypso bards join Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 6, 2016 .
  4. ↑ Trinidad Newsday of January 15, 2009: Dr. Stalin's fifth decade. Retrieved August 9, 2016 .
  5. ↑ Michael Anthony: Historical Dictionary of Trinidad and Tobago . Scarecrow Press, London 1997, ISBN 0-8108-3173-2 , pp. 91 .
  6. ↑ a b Spin November / December 1987, p. 12
  7. ↑ a b Small Ax # 9, March 2001: "Notting Eh Strange": Black Stalin Speaks! Retrieved October 13, 2016 .
  8. ↑ Louis Regis: The Political Calypso: True Opposition in Trinidad and Tobago, 1962-1987 . University Press of Florida, Gainesville 1999, ISBN 978-0-8130-1580-4 , pp. 132 .
  9. ↑ RobertChristgau.com: Black Stalin. Retrieved October 10, 2016 .
  10. ↑ IMDb.com: Come With It, Black Man: A Biography of Black Stalin's Consciousness. Retrieved October 10, 2016 .
  11. ↑ Jamaica Observer of September 22, 2014: Calypso King remains hospitalized after suffering stroke. Retrieved August 9, 2016 .
personal data
SURNAME Black Stalin
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Leroy Calliste (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Trinidadian calypso singer and songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH September 24, 1941
PLACE OF BIRTH San Fernando