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Kelvin Pope,
the Mighty Duke, is the
only person in the history
of Trinidad and Tobago calypso
to ever win the calypso
monarch title four consecutive
times. No one has ever seriously
challenged his calypso record.s
Duke wrote his first calypso
in the 1950's. From early
in his career, he sang in
"bacchanal" calypsos
side by side with his serious
messages. Duke, who was
once a school teacher, says
his social conscience was
forged from his childhood
days in the oil town of
Point Fortin in southern
Trinidad. Here, Trinidad
conservative, country values
collided with the foreign
values of the expatriates
who settled in this remote
area to work in the oil
industry. This was also
a place where many "small"
island people had migrated
carrying their own cultural
and religious values which
were often shaped by their
African heritage. Duke's
own family was originally
from St. Vincent.
And so, Point Fortin, a
deeply religious community
known for its extraordinary
number of entertainers,
became the springboard for
Duke's career in calypso.
Growing up there assured
Duke of having all the humour
all Trini's are noted for,
but gave him that haunting
social conscience that could
only come from witnessing
the merging of foreign cultures.
Point Fortin afforded a
singer the opportunity of
being an outsider looking
in and an insider looking
out. Duke stood on the cutting
edge of the social strata
in this community with a
keen sense of observation
which he translated into
his songs.
In 1964, Duke left his Point
Fortin home to come to the
capital city of Port of
Spain to sing professionally.
In his career, which has
spanned three decades, he
became the epitome of conventional
calypso. He kept humour
and double entendre alive
in calypso long after Spoiler
and Cypher had died. He
proved that well constructed
suggestive lyrics that dealt
with social issues could
make the masses laugh, as
well as catch the nod of
the calypso judges in competition.
No artist has matched his
style and grace in making
people take humourous calypsos
seriously. While other calypsonians
used exaggerated antics
to capture the audience's
attention, Duke remained
regal and dignified in his
presentation.
Duke kept humour, the dying
branch of the artform, alive
and he gave humourous calypsos
a dignity that few other
calypsonians could match.
While other calypsonian's
themes always dealt with
sex, Duke's often dealt
with general social condition
and position.
Duke has become one of a
handful of calypsonians
who is equally able to make
calypso fans laugh and cry.
He has created serious social
messages including classics
like "How Many More
Must Die," a haunting
question address to the
apartheid regime in South
Africa.
Duke's classic hits over
the years include "Social
Bacchanal," "Black
is Beautiful," "Brotherhood
of Man," "Black
Skin," "White
Mask," and "Melvie
and Yvonne."
To this day, no calypso
connoisseur can forget those
four consecutive calypso
crowns duke earned. The
first was in 1968 when he
emerged victorious with
"What is Calypso"
and "Social Bacchanal."
The following year, he turned
back all challengers with
"Black is Beautiful"
and "One Foot Visina."
In 1970, when Trinidad and
Tobago was immersed in black
consciousness, Duke beat
back his competitors with
"Brotherhood of Man"
and "See Through."
His fourth victory came
in 1971 with "Mathematical
Formula" and "Melvie
and Yvonne." It took
the Might Sparrow to stop
him in 1972 with "Drunk
and Disorderly." Even
after his noble defeat in
the calypso arena, Duke
remained a force to be reckoned
with on the calypso scene.
He loyal fans return perennially
to see him perform in the
calypso tents and to sigh
over his keen sense of fashion.
In 1987, he proved his power
in the Soca scene with the
Roach March, "Thunder."
Kelvin Pope is one of those
few entertainers who has
managed to stick loyally
to the roots of the music
while adapting to the nuances
of the changing time. He
has reminded everyone, through
his vast collection of work,
that in the lineage of royalty,
which we all admire, there
is something beyond the
power and grace of a king
and queen, prince and princess.
There is a Duke.
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