Singing Sandra

Singing Sandra
Birth name Sandra DesVignes
Born 1957
East Dry River, Trinidad
Genres Calypso
Years active 1980s-present

Sandra DesVignes-Millington (born 1957), better known as Singing Sandra, is a Trinidadian calypsonian who won the Calypso Monarch title at the 1999 and 2003 carnivals.

Career

Born in East Dry River, and raised in Morvant, DesVignes sang and acted as a child, including performances in 'Best Village' productions.[1] She left school at the age of fifteen, taking on a succession of low-paid jobs.[1]

She was approached in 1984 by calypsonian Dr. Zhivago to perform two of his songs, and the following year was recruited to Mighty Sparrow's Youth Brigade tent at the carnival.[1] She won the National Calypso Queen title in 1987.[1] She went on to win the Carifesta Monarch and Calypso Queen of the World titles in 1992.[1]

She performed at the Reggae Sunsplash festival in 1992, and subsequently formed the group United Sisters along with Lady B, Tigress, and Marvellous Marva.[1][2] Sandra continued to perform as a solo artist and won the 'Best Nation Building Song' award, along with a $5,000 prize, at the 1997 carnival for the song "One Destiny One Heart".[1]

She became only the second woman to win Trinidad's Calypso Monarch title, winning in 1999 with the songs "Song for Healing" and "Voices from the Ghetto".[1][3] She finished in third place in 2000 and fifth in 2001.[1] In 2003 she won the title for a second time, with "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "Ancient Rhythm", winning a Honda Civic car and a $70,000 cash prize, becoming the first female calypsonian to win the title twice.[4] She placed third in 2005 and second in 2006.[5]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Thompson, Dave (2002) Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, ISBN 0-87930-655-6, pp. 5, 257-258
  2. ↑ Broughton, Simon et al (2000) World Music: The Rough Guide: Latin and North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, Rough Guides, ISBN 978-1858286365, p. 514
  3. ↑ Ferguson, Isaac (1999) "Trinidad's Women Set Tone of '99 Carnival", Billboard, 20 March 1999, p. 8, 87. Retrieved 29 September 2013
  4. ↑ Joseph, Francis (2003) "Sandra Snatches Monarch Title...Just So", Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, 4 March 2003
  5. ↑ O'Donnell, Kathleen (2013) Tobago Adventure Guide, Hunter Publishing