Calypso 1960 - 1969


(Left to right) Lord Kitchener, Lord Superior, Lord Melody (In Guyana, 1962)

The 1960s were highlighted by the return of Lord Kitchener to Trinidad in 1962 after he resided and performed in England for several years. The Mighty Terror also returned from overseas for the 1965 Carnival season. The ten Calypso Crowns were won by seven calypsonians with the Mighty Sparrow (3) and the Mighty Duke (2) winning the title more than once. The Road March competition was dominated by Lord Kitchener and the Mighty Sparrow with five and four titles, respectively.

Lord Kitchener composed and sang calypsoes that dominated the steelband Panorama competition which began in 1963. Panorama winners played Kitchener's Mama Dis Is Mas (1964), Sixty-Seven (1967), The Wrecker (1968), and The Bull (1969). The Mighty Sparrow's Dan Is The Man In The Van (1963) and Obeah Wedding (1966), and Lord Melody's Mas (1965) were the only other winning selections in the seven Panorama contests held in the 1960s. In addition to the winners listed below, other singers who were popular during the 1960s were Lord Brynner, Lord Nelson, Maestro, and "Nap" Hepburn.

The following are the results of both the Road March and Calypso Crown competition.

CALYPSO COMPETITION RESULTS: 1960 - 1969
YEAR ROAD MARCH CALYPSO CROWN
1960 Mae Mae (Mighty Sparrow) Mighty Sparrow (Mae Mae/Ten to One Is Murder)
1961 Royal Jail (Mighty Sparrow) Mighty Dougla (Lazy Man/Split Me in Two)
1962 Maria (Lord Blakie) Mighty Sparrow (Model Nation/Sparrow Come Back Home)
1963 The Road (Lord Kitchener) Mighty Sparrow (Dan Is The Man in the Van/Kennedy and Kruschev)
1964 Mama Dis Is Mas (Lord Kitchener) Mighty Bomber (Joan and James/Bomber's Dream)
1965 My Pussin (Lord Kitchener) Mighty Sniper (Portrait of Trinidad/More Production)
1966 Obeah Wedding (Melda) (Mighty Sparrow) Mighty Terror (Pan Jamboree/Last Year's Happiness)
1967 Sixty Seven (Lord Kitchener) Mighty Cypher (Last Elections/If the Priest Could Play)
1968 Miss Tourist (Lord Kitchener) Mighty Duke (What Is Calpyso/Social Bacchanal)
1969 Sa Sa Yea (Mighty Sparrow) Mighty Duke (One Foot Visina/Black Is Beautiful)

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