Happy Independence 2015

1982 was the year I started to really take notice of Bajan calypso. I was already a fan of Sparrow, Kitchener and Shadow (thanks to their ubiquitous presence on Barbadian radio), but outside of Gabby’s "Burn Mr. Harding" a few years before, no local Kaiso had captured my imagination.

Until the Pic O De Crop finals that year. It was the year of "Jack" by Gabby, who also performed an almost forgotten gem called "Calypso". The latter song was a masterpiece of lyrics, metaphor and imagery, but because it was performed for the first time that night, unfamiliarity may have diminished it's impact, even among the judges. Never-the-less, the combination of "Jack" and "Calypso" should have won him a crown in any era and any country. The eventual winner was Red Plastic Bag who was competing for the first time, and this result was, I believe, the catalyst for the Gabby / RPB rivalry that continues to this day, at least among their supporters.

I think it was also John King's first year (performing as Johnny Ma Boy). Romeo, the defending monarch, performed "Tribute to Shilling", honouring one of architects of Bajan calypso. In the words of Kid Site, this was “like the passing of a baton”.

1982 was the year that performers really started going all out for stage presentation points. Even though I was a Gabby fan at the time, I have fond memories of a coffin being brought onto the stage by hooded pall bearers, the lid opens and up pops RPB chanting “Zoobadoo” to introduce "Mr. Harding Can’t Burn". The crowd went wild. That night the National Stadium was awash with thousands of waving red plastic bags, a sight that would be repeated annually for decades.

1982 was my baptism as a fan of local calypso, but I will argue that it was also a seminal year in the development of the art form, introducing many of the elements that would become standard for Barbadian calypso competitions to this day.

Happy Independence Day Barbados.