Eddy Grant's Tribute To The Late MIGHTY TERROR

Yesterday the fourteenth day of March 2007 I lost my friend, my artist, and my staunchest supporter. And, the Caribbean lost another of its irreplaceable icons in the form of Fitzgerald Henry more famously known as THE MIGHTY TERROR.

There will be many words written with many quoted statistics about the achievements of The Mighty Terror. He will be lauded and applauded by many pundits of Classic Calypso, and by some whose hearts have at some time been touched by the beauty of this great Calypsonian’s voice.  Yet this is not what I’m here to write; though, believe me in the coming months, God willing, I know that I will be engaged in many discourses about the value of Terror to the Classic Calypso firmament.

Firstly I would like to convey on behalf of the ICE family, my sincerest condolences to the Henry family, and hope that at this time they find all the necessary strength normally required when a family suffers such a loss, especially in such a case where their loved-one is a person who has lived his life unstintingly in the public’s eye.  God be with you all.

I like to think that I have special relationships with all or most of the artists I work with. Sometimes because of perceived favouritism in one direction or the other I may find more than a little truculence in the behaviour of one or two of them, but generally I have tried to create a feeling of family among the artists so that jealousy is rarely a factor in our lives as we try to create that greatest of all gifts, music and in the case of The Mighty Terror, Classic Calypso M usic. Yes, The Mighty Terror was one of the last of the greats of Classic Calypso.

You may have noticed that I use that term a lot. I decided some time ago that there was a need to distinguish between just plain old Calypso which Lord Anybody sang and that which artists like The Mighty Terror sang. What  they sang made sense and you could actually see the situations they sang about. Equally, a true true Classic Calypsonian may decide to dedicate his melodies to the Players of Pan, making it easy for them to interpret the song for their instruments. The Players of Pan would reciprocate by bringing new life to the song, enabling it to have a longer shelf life in most cases. Certainly this would have been the case in those days long gone, before the now all pervasive sound system came to the fore on the road. Trends have come and gone in Calypso; the faint-hearted have wavered and doubted its resilience in the face of the onrushing power of youth, but Classic Calypso is the foundation of Caribbean Culture and cannot easily be shunted to one side.

The Mighty Terror was a Foundation Man. He stood by and for, the Creation and proliferation of Classic Calypso. He never would just raise the tempo for the sake of wishing to appear “modern”. He knew the value of telling it like it is, so that one day a young man or woman wishing to pick up the baton would be able to read it right and also tell it like it is for the sake of the artform of Classic Calypso.

I don’t think that there could be anyone in calypso circles who would dare to say that The Mighty Terror was not one of a kind. I mean, he could actually sing; as good as any classically trained singer , pop star or jazz singer. He was not called GOLDEN VOICE for nothing. Even into his mid eighties when most other voices would have diminished in potency, Terror continued to terrify his calypso opponents  most of whom were of a later vintage and at the same time he would never forget to do something for his beloved Players of Pan.

I look forward to hearing the pans play the songs of The Mighty Terror in the same way that they have honoured that other great Classic Calypsonian Lord Kitchener.

Yes, I shared many confidences with Fitzgerald Henry The Mighty Terror, Classic Calypsonian and GREAT HUMAN BEING during his lifetime. At all times, wherever the conversation would go, it would always return to his love of Classic Calypso and Steel Pan and his wish for a museum for both in the Land of Steelband and Calypso. Somehow knowing Terror, I think the reason he has decided to leave us at this time is because he knows that he has done his work beautifully and he may have seen the signs that he needs to wish no more for those things.

Rest In Peace MIGHTY TERROR. As your good friend Gabby would say, WELL DONE.

By Eddy Grant
Chairman of ICE RECORDS Ltd.
And associated companies.