Calypso

This Afro-Caribbean music style has nothing to do with the nymph from Greek mythology but has its origins in the West-African word »kaiso« and the music brought to Trinidad by African slaves in the 17th century. Other influences later came from French planters and their slaves from the French Antilles.

Originally used as a form of communication – as the slaves were not allowed to talk to each other – calypso later continued to be a vehicle for spreading news as well as criticism of political and social conditions and a form of protest against colonial culture.

First calypso recordings date back to 1912 and 1914 but the genre got really popular during the 1930s with musicians like Attila the Hun, Roaring Lion, Lord Invader and Lord Kitchener becoming stars even outside Trinidad and Tobago. The Andrew Sisters’ biggest hit, »Rum and Coca-Cola« from 1944, actually is a rip-off of a song of the same name by Lord Invader and Lionel Belasco. Another boost in popularity occurred through US singer Harry Belafonte’s third album »Calypso« in 1956 which became the first record album ever to sell over a million copies.