Brother Minister, what in the woooooooorld?

Seriously, I don't think I heard anything from his calypso era that I disliked

WHAT???!!! The brother minister used to be a singer? Learn something new every day.

Yep, he was a club sensation for a period of time back in the early 50s before he converted to Islam.

I really dig his music. I have The Charmer Is Louis Farrakhan.

missfee said:

WHAT???!!! The brother minister used to be a singer? Learn something new every day.

You DIDN'T know this? This is old news. As a matter of fact, he is distantly related to my ex....

shorttrini said:

missfee said:

WHAT???!!! The brother minister used to be a singer? Learn something new every day.

You DIDN'T know this? This is old news. As a matter of fact, he is distantly related to my ex....

Nope never knew.

shorttrini said:

missfee said:

WHAT???!!! The brother minister used to be a singer? Learn something new every day.

You DIDN'T know this? This is old news. As a matter of fact, he is distantly related to my ex....

I didn't know he's from the Carribian until I read Manning Marble's book.

He really is a fascinating person, I've never been so confliced about a public figure the way I am about him.

I liked this one....

His later 'hits' included Malcolm X.

Harlepolis said:

shorttrini said:

You DIDN'T know this? This is old news. As a matter of fact, he is distantly related to my ex....

I didn't know he's from the Carribian until I read Manning Marble's book.

He really is a fascinating person, I've never been so confliced about a public figure the way I am about him.

Yes, I was very surprised to find out he was from the Caribbean, and even more surprised that he was a Calypso singer as well, before he became a member of the NOI.

Considering his religious beliefs now if you listen to some old time Calypso, some songs have sexual references in a humorous sense or a political message in the lyrics. To me Calypso is a form of folk blues but in Caribbean style. I doubt he'd be singing/embrace Calypso music today, because of his religious beliefs though.

[Edited 3/12/12 9:51am]

2elijah said:

Harlepolis said:

I didn't know he's from the Carribian until I read Manning Marble's book.

He really is a fascinating person, I've never been so confliced about a public figure the way I am about him.

Yes, I was very surprised to find out he was from the Caribbean, and even more surprised that he was a Calypso singer as well, before he became a member of the NOI.

Considering his religious beliefs now if you listen to some old time Calypso, some songs have sexual references in a humorous sense or a political message in the lyrics. To me Calypso is a form of folk blues but in Caribbean style. I doubt he'd be singing/embrace Calypso music today, because of his religious beliefs though.

[Edited 3/12/12 9:51am]

TBH, I don't know much about old school calypso outside of the novelty things that Sarah Vaughan & Ella Fitzgerald did. But I still have Maya Angelou's calypso album from the late 50s, there were some "strong" overtones in there, which is not strange given the spunk that most people from the Caribbean display in their art/lit. But its interesting, how the lyrics are dark while using an upbeat/happy music as a backdrop.

I def need to get into this genre.

[Edited 3/12/12 10:13am]

Harlepolis said:

2elijah said:

Yes, I was very surprised to find out he was from the Caribbean, and even more surprised that he was a Calypso singer as well, before he became a member of the NOI.

Considering his religious beliefs now if you listen to some old time Calypso, some songs have sexual references in a humorous sense or a political message in the lyrics. To me Calypso is a form of folk blues but in Caribbean style. I doubt he'd be singing/embrace Calypso music today, because of his religious beliefs though.

[Edited 3/12/12 9:51am]

TBH, I don't know much about old school calypso outside of the novelty things that Sarah Vaughan & Ella Fitzgerald did. But I still have Maya Angelou's calypso album from the late 50s, there were some "strong" overtones in there, which is not strange given the spunk that most people from the Caribbean display in their art/lit. But its interesting, how the lyrics are dark while using an upbeat/happy music as a backdrop.

I def need to get into this genre.

[Edited 3/12/12 10:13am]

You mean Sara, Ella and Maya did Calypso too? I had no idea. Calypso seems to be a dying form of Caribbean music. I was raised on that type music being played by my parents in our household. Along with salsa, latin jazz, etc. My parents and their friends, family members loved 'The Mighty Sparrow' who was a very, popular Calypso singer.

When I went to the USVI in the late 70s to my maternal grandmother's funeral, I remember it was my first time finally visiting my parents' island home. You could hear Calypso and Latin music playing throughout the island, as you entered the very, small airport at the time, and as you drove along the road on the way home. The music just had you in high spirits and a partying mood

I just found out that the official music of the Virgin Islands is called 'Quelbe', and the official dance is the 'Quadrille'. Apparently 'Quelbe' is played by scratch bands, because they use improvised instruments to play it, i.e., 'washboards', 'gourds', ''banjos', 'conga drums', etc., according to what I've researched, and it is a form of folk music traced back to the days of slavery, which by that description, seems that "Calypso' music, is a bite off of "Quelbe" .

Most of Calypso and Quelbe's lyrics are in "English Creole" a form of island slang, (much like my mother still speaks) or many outsiders would refer or see it as t as 'Broken English', but is is quite the everyday dialect, used in various forms throughout the Caribbean--mostly spoken among family and close friends, but of course doesn't necessarily mean all islanders don't know how to use 'proper English usage' when the situation calls for it. Often times, steel bands are associated with island music, but island music is a mixture of many sounds and instruments.

One popular band during the late 80s through the early 2000s,was the Virgin Islands was "The Jam Band". They had songs with political messages, and just songs to have fun and dance off of. One popular song I used to hear when I visited, not sure if it was from members of the Jam Band, but it was called "Dollar Wine", that was popular back in the late 80s. I think there's been several covers done by others, not sure.

Some Calypso music is upbeat, with african/salsa rhythms, while other songs are like folk blues ballads similar to country music blues. I remember my parents having a good time and laughing because of some of the lyrics of "The Mighty Sparrow's" songs, and also many Black Americans from the south, who were our neighbors, also enjoyed his music and Calypso in general. Calypso and Salsa music was always played at family reunions, especially when my Aunt was alive. I love the 'upbeat' Calypso songs because of the salsa/african rhythms. If you want to get in a high-spirited mood, upbeat Calypso will put you there. , and it makes you want to dance for sure. Good for exercise. I find that it is a 'dying' form of Caribbean music, where not many the younger Caribbean generation today, listen to, especially since, Reggae, Soca, Reggaetone, etc., seems to be more popular these days among the young Caribbean generation.

[Edited 3/13/12 7:01am]

Miss Angelou,,,

[img:$uid]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51yB3Xxnx2L._SL500_AA300_.jpg[/img:$uid]

Her singing career was short lived, she started being a dancer in Porgy & Bess, and eventually caught on with the calypso craze that was caused by Harry Belofante. Even made up a HELLUVA A&R lie about her being a princess of an African tripe who fled to Cuba during an uprising, and even was featured in a film called "Calypso Heat". She thought SO lil' of that period of her time, she only talked about it in passing in her book. But I really value that album, one of my fave, very minimalistic, just her voice backed up with a congo and an electric guitar.

I'm gonna post a couple of things later, just to give you and idea.

Harlepolis said:

Miss Angelou,,,

[img:$uid]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51yB3Xxnx2L._SL500_AA300_.jpg[/img:$uid]

Her singing career was short lived, she started being a dancer in Porgy & Bess, and eventually caught on with the calypso craze that was caused by Harry Belofante. Even made up a HELLUVA A&R lie about her being a princess of an African tripe who fled to Cuba during an uprising, and even was featured in a film called "Calypso Heat". She thought SO lil' of that period of her time, she only talked about it in passing in her book. But I really value that album, one of my fave, very minimalistic, just her voice backed up with a congo and an electric guitar.

I'm gonna post a couple of things later, just to give you and idea.

Wow. Very interesting. Thanks for that info. I would have never thought she was a singer at one time in her career. Especially singing 'Calypso'.

Maya covered this in her album, the music/singing sound like a cruise ship performance, right? The words have a totally different story though,,,,

Ella did this too,,,

And skip all the foolishness, until you reach mark 00:56,,,

I wish I could find Sarah Vaughan's "De Gas Pipes She Leakin' Joe", to my knowledge this was her ONLY attempt of doing calypso.

TBH though, I've had enough of hearing American singers dabble in this style of music. I want to hear the original songs, by THEIR original artists.

Harlepolis said:

Brother Minister, what in the woooooooorld?

Seriously, I don't think I heard anything from his calypso era that I disliked

Calypso Louie


Don't have time to research which came first.

Jimmy Soul...



...If You Wanna Be Happy



Music for adventurous listeners


tA

Tribal Records

Harlepolis said:

Maya covered this in her album, the music/singing sound like a cruise ship performance, right? The words have a totally different story though,,,,

Ella did this too,,,

And skip all the foolishness, until you reach mark 00:56,,,

I wish I could find Sarah Vaughan's "De Gas Pipes She Leakin' Joe", to my knowledge this was her ONLY attempt of doing calypso.

TBH though, I've had enough of hearing American singers dabble in this style of music. I want to hear the original songs, by THEIR original artists.

LOL! Harlepolis. I can't get over Ella's song in those first two clips. That's some old time Calypso alright. I saw a bit of Maya singing. Unbelievable. I had no idea they tried to do Calypso singing. Thanks for that. I enjoyed those clips. Still can't get over Farrakhan singing Calypso though, before he joined the NOI.

Here's some upbeat Calypso music, that will cause your hips to shake.

[Edited 3/12/12 20:59pm]

deebee said:

I liked this one....

His later 'hits' included Malcolm X.

Oh my damn...

Seriously though...I thought everybody knew about Calypso Louie.