The Mighty Sparrow Interview is featured on The Paul Leslie Hour.
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It is with great honor we present an interview with the unrivaled Calypso King of the World, the Mighty Sparrow. From his beginnings in Gran Roi, Grenada, he migrated to Trinidad at one year old. It’s been said about the Mighty Sparrow that “He rightfully wears the Calypso crown having defeated every single challenger to his throne.”
The Mighty Sparrow has recorded over 70 albums and performed all over North and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Africa. His story and music are both mesmerizing. Join us as we present this interview from the archives with the Mighty Sparrow, the Bird with the Word, the Supreme Serenader!
And while we’re introducing the Mighty Sparrow, we’d like to humbly invite you, gentle listener, to subscribe to Paul Leslie’s YouTube channel and don’t forget to ring that bell! Oh yeah, and maybe like The Paul Leslie Hour on Facebook too. We’d love to hear from you.
And now ladies and gentlemen, it’s an extreme pleasure and excited reverence that we begin this grand episode. It’s time. It’s time…
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In this episode, we interview Dr. Slinger Francisco, the mighty Sparrow, the number one Calypsonian of the 20th century. He shares his journey in Calypso music, collaborations with legends, and insights into the genre. We explore his experiences with Lord Melody, the impact of the American presence in Trinidad and Tobago, and his commitment to Caribbean roots. Dr. Francisco’s humor, anecdotes, and reflections make for a captivating interview, showcasing his passion and impact on Calypso music.
The Official Mighty Sparrow Transcript
“Redemption” – Exploring Stories of the Bible
What was your latest album?
Latest album is called Redemption. That’s dealing with the stories of the Bible.
Nebuchadnezzar was a king of Babylon. Woe be unto him.
Must have been crazy for the way he was carrying on. Oh, what an awful king.
Took a lot of gold and built an idol towering in the sky, and told everyone,
You got to worship this idol, otherwise you’ll surely die.
He was a wicked little king in an evil regime.
He thought he was supreme, but all he did was blaspheme.
Never, ever get the Lord to show you his anger. You’ll slide on a slippery slope.
Nebuchadnezzar with his megalomania, learned the hard way, he couldn’t go.
Wow, that’s some incredible lines.
Well, it’s me when I’m ready, you know. Sometimes you get the inspiration and it’s not party, party, party.
Something you know you want to get a feeling to do it and you do it.
Well let’s begin our interview here on May 4th, 2008.
This is Paul Leslie of Time After Island Time, and we are pleased to present our exclusive interview with Dr. Slinger Francisco, known affectionately to some as the Birdie, ranked as the number one Calypsonian of the 20th century, the current king, the Calypso king of the world, best known as the Mighty, Mighty sparrow. Thank you for joining us.
Thank you very much.
Most stories are best from the beginning. So tell us, where were you born?
I was born in a little fitting village called Gran Roi in Grenada. Now you have to know how to spell that, otherwise it makes no sense. Gran Roi.
[2:10] She had one time the French controlled Grenada many, many moons ago and that’s where the name came from, G-R-A-N-R-O, for the British. The British didn’t particularly like that, so they spelled it G-R-A-N-D-R-O-Y, and it ain’t nothing like a grand lord, but in French it means great king. Somebody knows that a great king was going to be born there one day. At eight months old my family migrated to Trinidad and Tobago and that was it for me.
You know like some people they tell me, well you were born in Grenada. Of course I was born in Grenada. I’m proud of that. How do you know I was born in Grenada? I told you. I couldn’t tell my mother and my father where to give birth to me. And then when they decide to migrate, like how most of the other people migrate to America for a better life, for education, housing, I was in no position to tell them anything. So, what, does a child do? And everything I know, good, bad, and indifferent, including my honorary doctorate degrees in Trinidad.
A Humble Upbringing and Family Support
The second highest honor, the Chaconne of Gold, Trinidad and Tobago, King of Kings, the bird with the word, his excellency, the honorable Dr. Slinger Francis from Trinidad and Grenada. What can I tell you man, if you want to be mad at me for something, be mad at me for being an American. That’s what I did.
Well, tell us about your life. What was your life like growing up?
Family was poor, and I don’t mean P-O-O-R. I’m talking about P-O. Family was always there for me. My mother was one of the quick thinkers. Father, nice guy, good thing, had roots in Venezuela, that’s where I got the name Francisco from. But he was so kind hearted that he would work for people and when they couldn’t pay him, he would just come home with nothing and then he’d get into an argument with her.
Well, they didn’t have no money, what do you want me to do? She’d say, well, you ain’t got either.
So she would make sure that she would always have a little something there, hidden, where, the old people would hide their money. And so we would get dinner or get some something to, you know, that type of thing. And then we had a lot of friends and other family who would help here and there.
But she wanted to be independent.
When you work, you get paid, and she used to work for the white people, taking care of their kids and cooking for them and doing everything just to get a few shillings at he end of the day, end of the week rather, so that I can get some good.
reatment, you know, to go to school, see my clothes, go and wash them clean and freshen them days with a short khaki pants. And everything was alright, you You know, we didn’t have the important things all the time. But the love was there.
Love and Family: Growing Up with Different Relatives
Some people would tell you, I grew up with my aunt, I grew up with my grandmother, I grew up with my cousin, and that type of thing. I think I have a little edge there saying, I grew up with my mother and my father.
Moving on to the music, when did you first become aware of Calypso music?
Second place.
When did you become aware of Calypso music?
And it shows all around me. That’s like, you know, rap music or rock and roll, if you wish, around the average American youngster. Everywhere you turn, you hear some kind of boom, choo, zap, choo, zap, music. And it all depends which one you like and you get into it and then you get a chance ti show your friends what you learn and that type of thing.
There were so many great Calypsonians around, but they weren’t in Trinidad at the time. Most of them had migrated to the United States and England. So after a while, I became like a youngster, but with a good opportunity. The big star, one day, presently to knock me off my feet.
Lord Kitchener’s Records and Road March Victories
[7:13] But they would send records, for instance, like Lord Kitchener, he was one of the greatest ever.
He would send records down and whether he sent it out personally or his record company sent it, it came down, it used to be big hits and win the road march. Well, ever since I came on the scene, professionally in 1955, Kitchener hadn’t won a road march until I went back and brought him from England to Harry Belafonte. Well, I said to Harry Belafonte because of Harry Belafonte. It’s a long story. See, there was always a two-some in entertainment, And you know, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Ozzy and Harriet, and Bob Hope, and Bing Crosby.
The Humble Beginnings of Sparrow
What happened to me was, Melody and I, Lord Melody, we became very good friends even though he was the first man to put me and get me, real nervous, got me very nervous on the stage.
Imagine I get my opportunity to make a first appearance on stage and Lord Melody going to announce me in this way: “Ladies and gentlemen, I have this young fella here in the backstage, always bothering me, he want a chance to sing. Well, tonight is his night. If you like him, clap if you don’t,” and then he put thumbs down.
I wanted to tell him I don’t want a chance! Nervously, I went out there and did what I had to do.
At one time, people thought I was dancing, dancing, nervous. Stage fright! Funny enough, after a while, the remarks that they use, and that’s how I got my name. Why don’t you stand and sing like everybody else, man? You know, you keep jumping around the stage like a damn little sparrow. It was supposed to belittle me.
And when I realized what they’re trying to do, I know that the more you try to duck away from a name, the more it sticks to you. So I added “mighty” to it but they ain’t nothing like a mighty sparrow, except me.
I wanted to have a name like Dubb, Dep Charge, or Torpedo, just like some of these other fellas, you know, they had Lion, and Tiger, and Growling, the Killer, the Execute, Viper, even the Lord Kitchener was named after, you know, some great warlord from England. But that’s how it went, you know, to show people how powerful you are. By the strength of your name, sounding that way, people will see you in high esteem.
I mean, if the lion is going to tell a story, and the sparrow is going to tell the same story, who are you going to believe most? So when I realized that I’m going to be stuck with sparrow, sparrow humble little bird, not even as good as a hummingbird, he just jumping from branch to branch, from limb to limb, I said, “okay, I’ll fix that.”
Mighty Sparrow, here comes the Mighty Sparrow.
I introduced my own self as years went on.
The Tempo Change in Sparrow’s Calypso Music
What is it that you liked about Calypso?
The humor, I liked the beat, but it was a little slow for me. But I didn’t really realize how slow it was until I started making my live appearances. It was natural for me to be a little faster, So that is why I thought to change the tempo, which a lot of people didn’t realize then, except when I was singing Jean and Dinah, Rosita and Clementina, which is nothing compared to what’s happening now. But they tell me I was singing too fast. People won’t understand what I’m saying.
Three years later, 1961, I gave them one called “10 to 1 is Murder” that was really fast but by today’s standard it’s mediocre. “10 to 1 is Murder.”
A Father-Daughter Lawyer Banter
That was an incident that took place and that was my side in the story. I was my own lawyer.
Very good.
Look today, my last daughter is a lawyer, is a legal lawyer, she just passed the bar. She graduated from St. Johns University and she passed the bar right here in New York and now she’s working on a big firm.
She’s a lawyer, but I was a lawyer before her, so anytime she tried to pick on me, I said,” girl, let me tell you something,” because she picked on me one time, you know, when I threw a graduation party for her. Cost me over $6,000 and I was just showing off with her.
She came in between me and my boys and she said, “listen, let me tell you something, Dad, you gotta change your ways.” I said, “change my ways? What do you mean?” She said, “I won’t be able to defend you.” I said, “oh.” I said, “why not?” She said, “I’ll be on the prosecutor’s side.” I looked at her and everybody was laughing at me.
So I said to her, “girl, let me tell you something,” half drunk, “let me tell you something, you see that brain you got there? I only loan it to you. So don’t think you’re smarter than me.”
Se almost fell off. Everybody cracked up, but that man, he could think on his feet, whether he’s sober or he’s drunk.
A minute ago you were singing a line from” Jean and Dinah” and the Calypsonian Gabby. He once said that your 1956 song ‘Jean and Dinah’ is the Calypso masterpiece. Tell us about that song. You see, there was a military base in Trinidad. So all the sailors, the Marines and all the different people who they had, And it was very strategic to have a military base in different places, you know, like I suppose in Guam, in Hawaii, and Trinidad, and all over because, you know, it’s good for security.
When the planes used to park over here at night, there used to be this big flashlight shining through the clouds to identify who the…
And as I was a youngster, seeing all this kind of thing, and me and all the American personnel down there, whenever we meet them, you know, we all like them. “Hi, Joe! How you doing?” Everybody was Joe.
“Hi, Joe! What’s up, man?”
We never even went down to the military base, but we talking Yankee.
“Hi, Joe! Everything all right? Yeah, man!”
Ha, ha, ha, ha! But you see, the Americans used to control all the nightlife. And then I started reaching my peak. I started getting a little bit, I don’t want to say angry, but jealous.
You know, you got everything, man, why should you leave this one for me?
You know, girls that you know, you know, you all went to school together sometime, you know, in a mixed school or something. They went to their school, but you were nearby. You knew them.
Then all of a sudden, Americans got married to this one, took this one away, got this one pregnant.
Anyway, in the long run, those at the club where we used to go hang out and sing, would tell you every once in a while, “I ain’t got no time with you, you know, because I got my Yankee man and me ain’t got no time with you, so you better go your way.”
But we could do nothing. All we could do is, Joe is my boy, man, but Joe is taking everything away.
The Influence of Dr. Eric William and the Military Base
What’s going on? Up comes Mr. Eric William, Dr. Eric William, the first Prime Minister of the United those days he was not the Prime Minister he was just the first, how do you call it again?
The Premier. Before we got independence, long before we got independence, and he was trying to point out some of the things that went on with the occupation of the military base in Trinidad.
Some of the best lands you could think about with all the wonderful beaches and if and case, and when Trinidad wants to develop eventually they will have to go to that part of the world to become you know like a French Riviera. So he tried to get them to leave because it was not legal what they did. You can’t occupy a country like that. That’s what he said.
Now, we didn’t know the difference between occupation and terrorism or any kind of ism or whatever it may have. So, he pointed out to him, put to them. And at that time, they realized that he was right, that he was a brilliant mind. In addition to that, according to them, Trinidad was not all that strategically important anymore at that time. So they decided they’re gonna leave. So here comes Joe, my boy Joe, leaving just around that time. I had made a song, that same song was not supposed to be a regular calypso, it was supposed to be an advertisement. You know, there other Calypsonians singing about different things including the same Lord Melody he had a song, singing about glamour girl lingerie lingerie or you want to pronounce it.
Singng: “Darling I am going out shopping how you want me to bring you this morning.”
“I want you to make it clear” and he had a deep voice you know “I want you to make it clear a whole box of underwear,” and things like that. Now I’m looking around And this big store in Trinidad, one of the biggest, and they were making money hand over foot. I didn’t know where it was going on. I had no training in that.
First of all, you should realize I have never attended the High Incubators of Knowledge and Wisdom, so I ain’t got them kind of brains. But just talent was there.
And I made a song with “Jean and Dinah, Rosita and Clementina.
Came to me one morning after they complete their shopping they told me, honey, I never had more luxury, more than when I stopped, and went into Salvatore to shop” and Salvatore was the biggest store in the city.
[18:33] So I say, well why is Salvatore advertising all this glamour girl, lingerie and cannings and different little things that these other guys thinking about about there’s nothing compared to so I went to Salvatore with it and let them know well you know I think I got a gem here for you and there was a fellow named Jean Antony I don’t know if he was French but it sounded like you know his name Jean Antony, Italian or French whatever it is but he was a nice guy you know what he would tell me every time I tell him about what I have done and sometimes he would say, come back, not sometimes, every time I go, he said to me, “come back, come back. I don’t have the time now, but I’ll talk to you later.
Come back next week.”
[19:21] After about six weeks of going back, the man got tired of me. I was too persistent.
It was annoying him. So eventually, he took me to the cashier and told the cashier, “give him $2.
He said he had some nice song there for us, but we’re not interested, give him $2 for his time.” “Thank you very much.”
[19:45] I watch him and this guy, I sit with this man and I even hear his song, I say, what’s going on?
He ain’t even interested in the song. It’s like you telling Texaco and Shell and Exxon that you got a song about them. They don’t, you know, it ain’t no big deal to them, you know, they got things going.
You’ve mentioned a couple of the the calypsonians that you admire, like the Lord Kitchener.
When you were growing up, who did you consider to be the great calypsonians?
There was so many of them. Lion, I think Lion, Tiger, Growler. Lord Kitchener, I was a fan of by hearing his songs. I didn’t know him. He started in 1946 in Trinidad. He sang in 1946, 1947 and 1948. He left for England and he never came back. Not even go on holiday. I was like, you know, he was to me, it’s like Nat King Cole or Frank Sinatra, which is incidentally I came to, I was able to meet them, you know, later on. And I had the opportunity to sing for Nat King Cole and when people asked me, “what’s your claim to fame?” I said, “I sang for Nat King Cole.” “What did you sing?”
Singing like Nat King Cole. You know? I’m trying to sing his song. Like him, for him.
You were pretty convincing, I have to say.
I’ll tell you what, he looked at me and said, “you’re alright, you’re alright.” You know, we sort of hit it off.
And as I grew older and started coming up to the United States and we started to have the H1 visa in those days, I think. I got to meet Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson And we used to be performing on the same stage, not that we were close friends, I mean, you know, I’m just glad to be there with them, but those two in particular.
I was, we were friends with Brook Benton later on, and he said whenever he came to Trinidad he would come to my house, and I remember the first time he came down to my house, I was so happy to drive him from the airport down to my house, it was going so fast, and I’m driving on the wrong side of the road.
He was nervous.
He was, “what you doing?” He think I’m driving on the wrong side, but our side is his wrong side.
So when he see another car coming, he would hide his head.
Goddamn.
Fond Memories of Meeting Barack Obama
He remind me of Barack when I first met Barack, you know. He was just so warm.
“My son, come here boy, what you doing? God damn!” And I made a song for Barack, so I gave it to him.
Anyway, to come back to these other Calypsonians again, Lord Kitchener was, like I was telling you, you know, stories shouldn’t be going from here and there. It was a two-thumb.
When Harry Belafonte sang my song, “Jean and Dinah,” I was happy because I know I’m going to get some money at least.
Like the guy who made “Rum and Coca-Cola,” Lord Invader. His song was sung by the Andrews sisters and they made money, and he eventually got a lot of money. So we say, well, it’s no big problem. When American star sings your song, you will get some money.
And anyway, to cut a long story short, me and Melody, who had teamed up, the same guy who messed me up the first time putting me on stage. Years past, we became very close friends. We traveled to Guyana, Grenada, St. Lucia, Martinique, Guadalupe, all over the Caribbean. And eventually, we came up to the States to meet Harry Belafonte and to get that kind of money that we were looking for.
But anyway, we didn’t get that amount of money. we got a little something, Harry was all right. But Melody wanted to be one of the hangers-on with Harry Belafonte.
What I wanted from Harry Belafonte was to introduce me to a few people, to open some doors for me. Eventually, he introduced me to Dorothy Kilgallen and a fellow named Dick Olmar.
He used to run the left bank of the nightclub, a restaurant, right near to the Madison Square Garden when I started doing some work there. Singing with my guitar, going around. “About the lady sitting on the chair, oh, you look like the daughter of a millionaire. Don’t think I’m rude, but I wish you would give me some of your food.”
I know you’re not as stupid as that, but you would say things like that.
Taking a Trip to the USA
We kept on, this time I’m finishing time for Carnival, run back to Trinidad. Well, one year, I was ready to go down to Trinidad. At that time, I wanted to have myself more entrenched in what’s happening over here. With Carnival, that year, I think that was 1957. Oh yeah, and these people down there in Trinidad almost killed and I had to make a song. “Sparrow come back home. They used to heckle me, heckle me very, very bad here in Trinidad. Until I take a trip to the USA just to get out the way. Mama, every day the mailman comin’. So many letters he bring in. Before he walk out the hall, I get an overseas call. Hey, Sparrow back home. Don’t leave we alone. Sparrow come back home. If you hear the cry, Sparrow come back home, you never make me want that in the well-drawn track.”
Anyway, when I reach back now in the same song, the same people who were so in the song saying to come back home and they miss me and “oh man, come on, you can’t do that to us,” the song ended up with them watching me and saying look at him, look at the hog, You did fun to come back here, dirty dog.
After all these letters and all these phone calls that I said in the song.
So it was a lot of humor and different things for me. And I was telling you about the military base.
And when Dr. William objected to the occupation of the island and they were doing anything they wanted.
And I had the “Jean and Dinah” at the same time, fighting them on one hand, then I’m getting to hear the story about the military base is not legal and lawfully occupied.
So I made another song, “long, long ago, we didn’t even know, not even my trip,” no, you hear the tempo? That’s the kind of tempo that used to go on. Long, long ago, we didn’t even know, not even my trip. Nobody said Stagaramus was exchanged for a few old battleships. So when we asked the Yankees to move, they really didn’t care, they refused to go, they said the place is theirs for at least 99 years, but when we asked the Chief Minister, he said no, it isn’t even registered, it’s not sealed, not stamped. Somebody is a big, big scam. If they go remain, let them take the Karone swamp.”
Now the Karone swamp is supposed to be a place that he did not rule in high esteem.
You know, and it, well of course, it was a messy place. Not like the Chagorama Bay or the Chagorama area. That was one of the best parts of the island. Anyway, he eventually ran for election and he won by one seat.
That was now in 1956 so I thought I associated myself with him because I won in 1956 the crown I became the king and he won in 56 also but when, the argument break out I used to tell them and his supporters “let me tell you, something I won before him” you know I won in February he won in September That’s when they had the election. I was king in February, so don’t be talking to me like that.
You know, I was king before him. Still again, making fun. And I suppose that’s how I am, you know. I talk a lot of foolishness and singing and make people dance and that type of thing. But sometimes, again, I put myself in trouble.
I caught myself in some deep, deep nonsense with the government of the day.
Some years later on, I sang a song that they didn’t like. And they audited me.
What was that song?
It’s called “Prophet of Gloom and Doom,” Singing: “If you happen to see and know when politics going wrong with facts and figures prepared to show, it’s better to bite your tongue, to them political boss who the people trust and get double-crossed, you’re an obstacle to be removed at any cost, A social conscience is really very dangerous to your health. The awesome strength of the powers-that-be most certainly will be felt to tell them that their priorities and performance is on the par.
It’s poetic to hear them describe to you who you are. Folk they call you megalomaniac, a power seeker, a creepy or a troublemaker, and if you dare tell them the economy is no longer in full bloom, then you become a prophet of gloom and doom. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
You are quite a bard.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
There you were and you know they looked at me and said, oh so you want to, you think you have all the answers? And I learned the hard way, they took over $387,000 from me.
Well. Luckily I had property, I had to sell this one and sell that and get a cash and get a loan. And ever since then, my auditor, my certified public accountant, and different people, you, know, to handle that sort of thing for me.
Because you know, in the old days, you were an entertainer, man, you know, like, you’re, talking about Bo Diddley and Marmot Mabley, we worked this week, we didn’t work the month before, but we got some, who the hell is keeping books? And they know that. So they took advantage of me, in front of, but whatever it is. Maybe they taught me to be more astute and aware of the fact that. You can’t just continue to be picking on people who, you know, who got the power. Tell them in the song, question every deal, made it hate, continue to grow and grow. Latent refusals have replaced the people’s right to know. Anyway, that was a long time ago. I think that was 1987, 88.
The Purpose of Performing and Making People Laugh
When someone hears one of your albums or they see you perform, they see you sing, what do you hope it is that people get out of that experience?
Whatever the song says. If it’s a humorous song, I want to see them laughing, carrying on. If it’s an up-tempo, I’m going to make sure that I do my boogie-woogie and on the stage and, you know. You know, they say, James Brown, he’s the hardest man in show business. And I adopted something from him. I say, “I’m the busiest man in show business.” I’m always busy going someplace, Australia, Japan, Vancouver, back to the Caribbean, all over the United States.
Well, the Caribbean people, some of them started getting mad at me. You know what? When you were growing up, you used us, you and Melody. You know, you ain’t got time for us. So now I had to make sure the Caribbean people, when I say now, not right now, by then I had to make the Caribbean people a regular part of what I’m doing. And then there were several other Calypsonians who we encouraged as time went on and they have their own style, so they don’t really need us.
You know, like in Antigua, they have Short Shirt and Swallow and Obstinate and in Barbaros they have Gabby and just the name of a few in the old days. Even they have good females singing, Rihanna and all of them.
Well, what about those newer Calypsonians? Who of those do you think are really carrying on the tradition well?
Well, what has happened is that money started playing a serious part in the development, and the projection of the platform. So the music is no longer humorous, political as it used to be. It’s more party, party music. the young ones who were involved, biggest one I think would be Machel Montano. There are several others, but his first name came to mind. He was always one of our favorites. Kitchener and myself sort of lifted him up and we have a picture. When he was young, wearing pampers, singing. Well, of course, he was a bigger guy, But being that age, he looked like the kind that would fit in pampers.
And he wasn’t a big body or that kind of thing. But he was following in the footsteps of his teacher. And he won the Junior thing. There were several other Calypsonians around there. There are good ones now, and there are lots of female singers. In the old days, you had the old white, you had Lady Irie, and then came a superstar, Calypso Rose. She knocked everybody off, defeated even some of the men.
I’m one of the guys that she can’t say she beat. Ain’t no way she beat me, knock out a six. Home run.
That Rose don’t mess with the king.
Ha ha ha. And she was just on our show last week, and she had to give you a lot of respect.
She did?
Yes, she did. Yeah. You said she had a lot of respect for the Mighty Sparrow. And it seems like everyone I’ve talked to has said, as far as Calypso, you can’t… the king.
So you are the Calypso King of the world.
They like when I introduce myself, you know.
And when the emcee you know, come in some places, he don’t know too much about Calypso and what’s going on.
I say, man, what are you going to do? I say, well, you know what?
You got two microphones.
Okay, I’m going to stay in the back of the stage and I’m going to introduce myself.
And just when he hears me saying the mighty, mighty, he would just walk on the stage.
And I woke somebody up with the drummer.
Ladies and gentlemen. Is there a voice that we put on?
[36:29] Yeah. Ladies and gentlemen. We have reached where the air is rare.
Only one Californian have gotten there.
Way beyond the realm of anyone’s dreams. Where royalty reigns supreme, we have found him.
Indeed, we have found him. him, unrivaled, unbridled, prestigious and pristine.
Now ever since he captured and conquered the Caliphate regime, he has kept it in the highest esteem.
And I want to present, ladies and gentlemen, this Serenade the Supreme, who at the time was marginally 18, but he made the ladies daydream on the young girls’ screen.
Please bless your eyes, as we present majestically, none other than His Excellency, the Honourable Dr. Springer Francisco, known as the bird with the word in Nigeria.
He is known as Chief Omowali of Ikoi. This time all the drummers are just rolling.
[37:24] You understand? Getting more excited like me. So here he is, ladies and gentlemen, the Calypso King of the world, the mighty, mighty Sparrow. That’s when the real announcers are going on out now. Sparrow, Sparrow. And the band starts.
But these guys, they say, you know, Sparrow, you gotta be, you miss your fall, you know, you should be a damn comedian.
Well, I hope you come down to Georgia, the Atlanta or Athens, Georgia area, because I’d love to see you. In action?
In action. Oh, man, don’t try to keep up with me, because you better be young and strong, people my Don’t worry about it. Sit down and just shake your head.
Well, thanks a lot. And I am scheduled to be down there sometime.
I’m not quite sure because they haven’t signed the contract and do what they’re supposed to do yet, you know, like send a deposit and make an arrangement with the airline tickets and so on.
But I suppose they think we have time. But I only hope that the date is available still when they are ready.
[38:41] How do you pick who gets to announce you on stage? Oh no, the promoters.
They would tell me, well, this is the guy who’s handling the stage.
You tell him what you’re going to sing, when you, you know.
But if there’s somebody there who I know is of good quality, the person who can really get on and, you know, get involved.
Sometimes you have a guy who is so laid back.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the world star is going to shine for you and please, let’s pay attention now he is the Calypso king of the world and his name is Flinger Francisco but his Calypso name is the Mighty Sparrow so let’s put our hands together the mighty sparrow. That kind of laid-back thing is for me. Ladies and gentlemen, come on now, are you ready? You ready for some action? Come on. Here comes the king. The bird with the word. Look at him. Are you ready? Come on. Everybody’s waiting for you. One, two.
So you’ve got to put some, hype it up.
[40:05] If you don’t want to hype it up, it’s up to you, but if you have that, like I said, the level of sincerity in your presentation, and you can make the people sit and think.
That can also make me change my first or second song, because if somebody comes in, you know, presenting you for some school children or a church group or something, I would singsomething else.
Like when I, instead of coming out with Jean and Dinah or coming out with The Lizard or Mamie or Sandra or some one of them thing, I will come out with like, Celso and Peter.
I told you about the CD, my latest CD, Redemption.
Have I heard it yet? Is that what you’re asking? I haven’t heard that album yet.
Well, it says, I know deep in my heart I’m going on up, riding in that golden chariot.
Trumpets sounding the alarm and angels with the heavenly charm to welcome me on through the pearly gate.
As we meet and as we greet, there’s joyfulness throughout the streets, Because in Jesus’ name, we start to celebrate.
So you just tell St. Peter, I’ll be there. Tell St. Peter, I’ll be there with all my sins forgiven, and all my friends of day in heaven, except two.
[41:34] I said, who is it to? I said, Melody and Kitchener.
[41:42] I was telling you the story with Melody, you see when I tell you it was always a two-some and that two-some in the Caribbean was me and Melody and when we came up for the money thing with Harry Belafonte, we got whatever money we got, and but Melody wanted to stay with Harry Belafonte, he stayed And I had to go back and that type of thing.
And that’s when I decided, you know what?
Kitchener has always been a fan of mine, a good favourite of mine.
And I never saw him alive, you know, live performing.
And I know he’s doing good in England. So I went to England when I had the opportunity and brought him back a couple of years later.
And since then, Melody stayed with Harry for a while.
Me and Kitchener developed a good relationship and he started cussing me out and telling me what he didn’t want to sing on the same stage with that Grenadian. And we did a few thingstogether you know we started the class of the Giants and all the road marches and so on but when he would win road march I would win in the Monarchs, you see?
So some of the people just tell me you’re too stupid you could have won the road march too but you have no right to bring him back. I said I didn’t care about I just wanted him to be there, you know, to continue that twosome.
What about a Luke Ostello, you know, that sort of thing? Right.
Harry Belafonte and the Calypso King title
[43:07] Okay. You are the Calypso King of the World, and I know that Harry Belafonte was called the Calypso King, and that was a title that he never approved of, and he never liked to be called that, because he never considered himself a Calypsonian.
But I know that on one of your albums, the live album, you called him a great singer, and you even covered his song, the signature song, Jamaica Farewell.
Yeah, yeah. Harry Israel, right.
You know, this song, I wouldn’t hide it, you know, if I thought that he was good, just, like how I thought Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, you should hear me sing Frank Sinatra’s song.
My way. Man, you would think Frank Sinatra was singing my way. Well.
Well, one of my favorite songs of yours is the song Mama This is Mass.
That’s Kitchener. Is that the Kitchener song?
Mama this is mass, this is mass of class.
In the band, we’ll be hugging up the man. Da da dee, da da dee, do do fa da.
Something, I can’t remember the lyrics now.
You never performed it?
No. No, okay. I was listening to that compilation album and they were you and Kitchener switch, Yeah, song and they a lot of the love them. They blend so well together, So maybe that’s where I got my confusion But he was he was very very good.
[44:35] And I was the one who sort of gave the steel band men a voice in Calypso from the higher echelons in the society.
He would sing songs that would be for the band and make, you know, especially for the band.
But now my approach to it was to get the hierarchy or the oligarchs of the society, to pay attention to the contribution that the steel band has made.
And I came up with one of the classics called from the university, steel band man, historian.
Mr. Polity, tell me when you’re going to write a history upon you taking steel band for granted, stating it always will be wrong.
But when, how it all started, You make no mention, documentation can’t be found.
And with the same steel band beat, try the NCC or the university and tell me if you see any steel band history for posterity.
Pum, pum, pum.
If the steel band must grow, the children must know the trials and tribulations of long ago. Come on!
What defines a Calypso song?
To you, in your opinion, what makes a Calypso song a Calypso song?
Well, as long as it’s from the Caribbean, especially if you listen to Bego.
Well, I mean, they come up with all kinds of parang and different things, but definitely Calypso, most decidedly.
Well, when you’re down there in the Caribbean, other than when you’re singing and performing, and doing these calypso shows, what is it that you like to do down there?
[46:33] When you’re not working? Not working? Well, I hang out with my grandchildren and my kids, who are just some of them taller than me.
But my grandkids are the ones who rule the roof now. The days when the lands were cheap, I bought some lands, a couple of acres down there in Digger Martin, and people would ask me from time to time, what about that place you had down there, you still have it? I said, no.
Oh, the bank took it away from me, what they know. Said, well, what do you mean?
But he texted me, he didn’t have it. I said, well, I don’t have it.
He said, well, who have it?
I said, my children and my grandchildren. I was just trying to make a joke of many things, you know.
[47:19] To me, it makes sense. You recently returned from the Virgin Islands where you were performing, and I know that you travel around a lot.
What is your favorite country to perform in?
Favorite country? well it won’t have to be the country that give me more work and put more money in my pocket and that, where I am right here USA. I mean there are many other places that do well and people love you and that kind of thing but you don’t make the kind of money that you make in the United States so and answer directly to your question the US of A. Kind of going along the international line there’s a lot of great places to eat in the world and this may sound like a strange question but I really want to know the answer. I really like eating international cuisine. Just the other day I was eating some curry from a place in Athens, Georgia. If you, ever play in Athens, Georgia you’ll have to eat at this restaurant called Kelly’s.
I really like Caribbean food so I was wondering what is your all-time favorite meal?
The love for fish as a favorite meal
[48:18] I’m a fit man. My father grew me up on fit. I told you before, he couldn’t afford all the chicken and the beef and the pork.
The neighbors would be stewing and cooking on the weekend. Man, sometimes I used to get kind of mad.
All my friends, I could smell the food.
[48:40] And sometimes I hung out with them, you know, until they get to realize what I was doing.
So some of them, there was one guy in particular, he said, Go home! Go home!
I said, I didn’t mean go home. You see, you’re waiting for his food.
Because, you know, lunchtime, his mother would always come over and say, Would you like to have something to eat with us?
Yes!
Okay, I will tell your mother that you’re here. And then I go and I eat my food, you know, and this is not the kind of food that I normally would get in my house.
My father would make sure that I get some fresh fish every day.
I didn’t know the value of fish, but I must have ate too much.
I got tired of it.
So, when I got an opportunity to eat something from the neighbor’s tree, they used to pick on me in that kind of way.
Sometimes you end up with a few fish sticks.
But all in all, fish, and after having gotten to know the value of good fresh fish, man, you can’t stop me from eating fish, fish in the morning, fish in the evening, and once in a while, you know, we eat some chicken, but, and then again, as soon as I start eating it, I realize that, you know, this is not really what is good for you.
[50:04] Yeah, fish is certainly the healthiest. Is there a song of yours that is a favorite?
Favorite? What do you mean I got so many favorites?
The Architect of Economic Slavery, have you heard that one? I have not.
When does someone really become a good citizen?
I’d like to know for sure. Why, when the ordinary man disagrees with the establishment, they call it treason?
And why should they persecute a brother for seeking black power?
Don’t they know a blind man could see that this is blatant hypocrisy?
The real traitors and them are all high in society.
[50:49] And the government protecting all of them and penalizing you and me and in a million different ways they violate the law, it’s the same good no good bastards who oppress the poor with a false declaration, tax evasion, defrauding customs duty, these good citizens are the architects of economic You know, one day they got mad at me.
You’re certainly a very accomplished man.
What accomplishment are you most proud of? I would think that I have grown up fast enough and got to the reality of the situation that fall is not 100% good with you, you know.
Growing up and facing reality in life
[51:40] Or how I put it, my way is that, hey, you know, you’re shit and sugar.
So, stop feeling like that.
Stop thinking that everybody must worship you and bow down to you and carry on and you can say and do anything you want.
And Auditing Me sort of brought that more to reality than anything else.
I wanted to talk a little bit about, just for a minute, about the movie that you’re in called Calypso Dreams.
Have you seen that film? Not in its entirety.
[52:19] I saw when they were screening it, Superior, and my friend in LA, they own it.
Catching Up with Geoffrey Dunn
[52:35] Superior is one of the Calypsonians that was there with me when I was singing, you know, singing on each other’s improviser.
What’s the name of the camp I’m in right now, man? Everything’s been using this new here grease here.
My mind keeps slipping, you know what I’m saying? The filmmaker, you mean?
Yeah. Geffrey Dunn? Geoffrey, yeah.
Yeah. Nice guy.
How is he feeling these days? He’s doing okay. I haven’t seen the film yet either, but I’m excited to see it, Another one of your great song is called obey a wedding Tell us about that one,Well, you know sometimes when a girl, Find herself in trouble with a man that she can’t control because they’re used to controlling men as they want, And they can’t control me She decided to go to, some one of these voodoo places and give the people my name and whatever little pieces of my clothing she could get so they could work something on me so that I can not get away from marrying her.
[53:57] So the song is self-explanatory.
It’s a good thought. I think you’ll like it. But don’t do it to find yourself in that situation, you know?
Well, I have one final question.
This show is going out all over the world, and since you are the Calypso King of the world, I would like to ask what would you, Dr. Slinger Francisco, the Mighty Sparrow, what would the Mighty Sparrow like to say to the world? Thank you.
Thank you. And I propose a toast to you. I drink to your health in the bar room, and I drink to your health in my home.
[54:37] I drink to your health so goddamn much, folks, now it’s time to ruin my own.
And people have been very, very, very kind to me.
People have been very good, and I am, you know, I consider myself really blessed.
I may find myself from time to time, you know, in a hard position because there are certain things that I didn’t quite understand, not as well-educated as I should have been at the time, so things were a little bit difficult. But then all of a sudden, as soon as the door is closed in my face, the good Lord will have a window or louver or something open and I can get some fresh air to breathe and a new way of thinking. And one thing I can tell you that I did, all my kids went to college.
I feel that’s a great achievement.
I like that.
One is a nurse, the one next one is a lawyer, the other one is a scriptwriter with television, you know, the other one, both the boys, he is a photographer with Macy’s, and the other one is handling his own company down in Trinidad.
They’re all doing good. The grandkids, man, the grandkids, they’re the ones who control me.
It’s been a pleasure speaking with you, and I thank you very much for giving so generously of your time.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for having me.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Mighty Sparrow, the Calypso King of the World.
