Lionel and The Clipper Trio

Artist: Lionel and The Clipper Trio

LP: On a Calypso Cruise

Song: "Wings of a Dove"

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Song: "Clipper Lounge Cha Cha"

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Song: "Mary Ann"

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If magically given one hour to travel to any destination at any point in time, I can never decide if I would go back to 1998 to have another eggs, sausage patty and toast breakfast at The Hurricane Cafe, which has been destroyed, or spend my hour on board a calypso cruise enjoying a Lionel and The Clipper Trio show live and in person. I could even bring this 1973 LP to have it signed by Lionel and his gang! I wonder if I'd be allowed to split my time into two 30-minute segments. In that case, I think I'd first go to The Hurricane, and then zip down to my calypso cruise, since I'd probably end up with sausage grease all over my autographed LP if I attended the cruise performance first, followed by the egg and sausage breakfast. 

I don't know if the magic will allow it, but if it does I'll try to bring you with me, since that may be the only way you'll get to properly hear Lionel and his Clipper Trio. The LP was recorded in some annoying form of stereo that my mp3 producing mechanism is not able to grasp, so it sounds like the vocals are being performed from a separate cruise entirely, one that only occasionally passes by the ship we're lounging on with The Clipper Trio. In any case, that's Lionel Lotmore on vocals for "Wings of the Dove," and, not that you can hear him, but that's William Anderson handling the vocal duties on "Mary Ann." 

The Talbot Brothers of Bermuda

Artist: The Talbot Brothers of Bermuda

LP: Calypsos

Song: "You Can Go (But You'll Return)"
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Song: "Sager Boy"
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The Talbot Brothers, who were all the rage in Bermuda when this LP was released back in 1957, have asked me to wish you Happy Valentine's Day, from you to them. They would have told you themselves, but Archie, Austin, Bryan, Ross, Roy and Cousin Mandy are no longer with us. Roy Talbot, who was the last surviving member of the group, died in May of 2009. So anyway, Happy Valentine's Day!

The Talbot Brothers of Bermuda on YouTube:

[ "Bermuda Buggy-Ride" ]

[ The Talbot Brothers of Bermuda ]

Calypso Rose

Artist: Calypso Rose

LP: Splish Splash

Song: "Me Ein't Going"
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Record Archive is humongous. When I first laid eyes on its Tweety Bird yellow exterior walls, I figured there was simply no way that the entire building could be filled with record store. But it is. I felt like Charles Foster Kane in Xanadu when I stepped inside. It's got to be one of the vastest record stores I've ever seen. Anyway, after recovering from my awestruck state, I had only about 45 minutes to browse before they closed for the day. So of course I was back the next morning when they opened the doors to pick up where I'd left off. Even then I was only able to dig through a small fraction of the records they have for sale. 

It was at Record Archive that I finally found the ever-elusive 7" of Missing Persons' "Walking In L.A.," which I'd been hunting for since the 1980s; I found a Bohannon record I hadn't seen before, a couple of Billy Williams LPs, and a few other goodies too—including this 1970s album by Calypso Rose (she was called Linda McCartha Monica Sandy-Lewis, when she was born, so you can hardly blame her for the name change). Rose has been living in New York City since before I started looking for that Missing Persons single, and even earlier than that she was the first woman to win the Trinidad Road March competition. That was in 1977, and she won again in 1978 too! There's more to know about this dynamite diva on Wikipedia here.

[ Record Archive — Rochester, NY ]

The Confidential Club Orchestra feat. Jonathan Kemp

Artist: The Confidential Club Orchestra feat. Jonathan Kemp

LP: Goombay Carnival
Song: "Pretty Boy"
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Song: "Drums"
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Song: "Hard Times (Fish Man)" 
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Here's something to play at your 4th of July fireworks party tonight instead of fucking Lee Greenwood for god's sake. The notes on the back of the record say it was recorded in the British West Indies (BWI), but The Bahamas gained their independence from Britain, an event commonly referred to at the time as "the Bahexit," in 1973. They've been an independent nation ever since. 

There's not a lot of information about The Confidential Club Orchestra and vocalist Jonathan Kemp on the web, but I did find this June 24, 1957 article from the St. Petersburg Times which indicates that the group would be playing calypso for one final week in the Flamingo Room at St. Petersburg's Robert James Hotel. The hotel doesn't seem to be operating today, but my research did unearth an interesting artifact—the Spring 1956 edition of The Negro Travelers' Green Book. 

The Green Book was a sort of printed Yelp guide for African-Americans who enjoyed traveling the USA during the Jim Crow era, providing tips on which hotels and restaurants served black people. The Robert James Hotel, for example, is listed as a viable option for African-Americans in search of lodging in St. Petersburg, Florida. According to the forward section of the guide, The Green Book helped 'The Negro Traveler' steer clear of 'embarrassing situations' and provided 'ASSURED PROTECTION,' which I think we can assume means the guide helped its readers avoid lynchings and murder.

 
The negro traveler in Washington state was evidently on their own if they decided to venture anywhere outside Everett, Tacoma or Seattle. And only in Tacoma could they be sure to avoid embarrassment when ordering a meal!

 
Anyway, Happy Independence Day. We've sure come a long way...and yet somehow it feels like we're still not even halfway there. LP liner notes are included below.

[ The Confidential Club Orchestra feat. Jonathan Kemp (w/ arrow) in 1957 ]

King Short Shirt

Artist: King Short Shirt

LP: Leroy

Song: "Leroy"

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McLean "King Short Shirt" Emanuel first entered the annual calypso contest in his native Antigua in 1962, when he was just 20 years old. The rest, as they say, is history...a history you can read about on Short Shirt's MySpace page here. You can find more info here (just highlight the text so you can read it all), including details about the intense, decades-long rivalry between King Short Shirt and King Swallow for the title of Calypso King of Antigua. All I know is that on my next trip to Antigua, I'm gonna take a ride in Shorty's Glass Bottom Boat after enjoying a large and delicious meal at his beach bar and restaurant in Halcyon Cove.

[ McLean Emanuel — aka. King Short Shirt ]

Beckett

Artist: Beckett

LP: Disco Calypso

Song: "Calypso Disco"

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Originally from St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Alston Becket Cyrus (he dropped the extra "t") earned the name "the ABC of Calypso" due to (his initials, obviously, and) his infectious Caribbean rhythms that have graced both sides of 26 albums, numerous singles, and the soundtracks of several American TV shows, including "Full House." The combustible compound of musical styles found in the dyslexic title track of Beckett's 1977 "Disco Calypso" LP also put in an appearance in Peter Yates' all-star subaquatic scare-fest called THE DEEP. You can read more about Alston B. Cyrus, buy some of his music, and send him an email by visiting his website here. Though there's certainly lots to look at on the cover of "Disco Calypso," I'm especially drawn to the androgynous figure in bluejeans and ascot dancing amongst the palms.

[ Alston "Beckett" Cyrus ]