Mighty Terror
| Mighty Terror | |
|---|---|
 Portrait on sleeve of "Double Gold" LP | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Fitzgerald Cornelius Henry |
| Born | January 13, 1921 |
| Origin | Arouca, Trinidad |
| Died | March 14, 2007 (aged 86) |
| Genres | Calypso |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, Trumpeter, Bassist, Drummer |
| Instruments |
Trumpet Bass drums vocals |
| Years active | 1947–2007 |
| Labels |
SaGomes Christopher Dial Melodisc Nixa Pye |
| Associated acts |
Lord Kitchener Bert McLean's Trio |
Fitzgerald Henry (January 13, 1921 – March 14, 2007), better known as the Mighty Terror, was a Trinidadian calypsonian.
Early career in Trinidad
His career started in 1947 and he debuted at the Calypso Palace Tent in 1948. He joined the Young Brigade Tent in 1949, where he continued playing until leaving Trinidad in 1953.
During his time in Trinidad he recorded first for Sa Gomes (1951), for Christopher (1952) and took part in the Dial sessions in 1953. He was one of the first major calypsonians to have records released on Emil Shallit's UK-based Melodisc Records, in 1950.[1]
Move to England
In 1953, he took a job as a fireman on a ship and arrived in England later that year. On arrival in England, he went first to London. In his own words:
I jump in a taxi and I say, Do you know of a gentleman called Lord Kitchener? I figure he popular and a taxi driver should know. He tell me he dead long time ago. Not that one (I said). This one is a calypsonian from the West Indies, Trinidad.
Popular or not, the taxi driver had not heard of Lord Kitchener so took him to a West Indian club where he was given the phone number of Fitzroy Coleman. Terror moved in with the Colemans and within a month he was regularly singing in the clubs and had won a contract to sing a jingle for the BBC.
He continued recording for Melodisc in 1954 and took part in the Nixa sessions in 1958 (these tracks being released by Pye).
In 1957 Terror won the title of Calypso King of Great Britain at the concert organised by Claudia Jones after attacks on the West London black community. This concert was the prelude to the now famous Notting Hill Carnival.
The time between 1958 and 1964 was spent touring, first with Lord Kitchener and later with Bert McLean's Trio
Return to Trinidad
Terror returned to Trinidad in 1965 and won the Calypso King crown in 1966.[1] In April 1966, he represented Trinidad at the Festival of Negro Arts in Dakar, Senegal.
In 1985 his home country awarded him the Silver Humming Bird Medal for services to Calypso music.
The Mighty Terror, until recently, performed in Trinidad.
The Mighty Terror was ill with cancer of the throat. After an appeal by his wife Gloria, Pan Trinbago and the National Carnival Commission agreed to foot the bill for Nursing Home care once he left hospital. Patrick Arnold of Pan Trinbago said, "We felt a responsibility to spare him the ignominy of an existence that would rob him of his dignity and decided to do something about it" while Kenny Da Silva of the NCC added, "You can’t leave somebody like Terror to chance and to the vagaries of a life in an infirm condition in the winter of his years".
The Mighty Terror died on 14 March 2007 because of his cancer.
Music and Lyrics
Like most Calypso, the Mighty Terror's songs tell a story. Many of them contain a lot of innuendo and some surprisingly explicit themes for the time they were released. There are a number of themes (examples follow):
Personal life
TV Calypso About him buying his very first TV after being continually nagged by his wife and daughter.
Patricia Gone With Millicent About his wife leaving him for a violent lesbian relationship.
Other Calypsonians
Kitch Calvacade A tribute to Lord Kitchener.
Calypso War A tirade against "fake" calypsonians from Jamaica.
Social Commentary
Heading North About the racial discrimination in the Southern States of the U.S. at the time.
Brownskin Gal and Jamaica Girl About the behaviour of American soldiers towards local girls in the Caribbean.
Pure Humour
Women Police in England About his efforts to get arrested by the "lovely blondy" policewoman he saw. (Perhaps inspired by Spoiler's "Women Police in Trinidad.")
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Thompson, Dave (2002) Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, ISBN 0-87930-655-6, p. 5
Sources
- Mighty Terror from bestoftrinidad.com
- Sleevenotes from the CD release London In the Place For Me, Honest Jons Records, 2002, catno: HJRCD2
- Tracks from the CD Kings Of Calypso, Pulse Records, 1997, catno: PLS CD 229
- Newsday Trinidadian newspaper article about his recent illness and funding for his care.
External links
- Discography, not totally complete, but pretty good.
- Recent article about the Terror's current illness and an appeal from his wife.
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