Mighty Sparrow, the undisputed Calypso King of the World, was christened on Saturday at Far Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York, USA.
According to the Searchlight newspaper in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sparrow, 87, whose real name is Slinger Francisco, “was immersed in the holy water of baptism by Vincentian Seventh-day Adventist Pastor Claudius Morgan.” Morgan, a former calypsonian, carried the Samaritan singer.
The newspaper said Sparrow, who now lives in Queens, was “dressed in white” for his water baptism.
“He is now known as Brother Francisco (and is) a member of the Linden Seventh-day Adventist Church in New York,” Searchlight said.
As he celebrated his 87th birthday in July, the legendary Mighty Sparrow told the Express he was feeling “amazing”.
The release said Sparrow, who was born July 9, 1935, was expected to spend his special day listening to a tribute on i95.5 FM radio, called “Sparrow Day.”
The Express said the musical buffet, hosted by presenters John Gill and John Wayne, featured “a host of (Sparrow) classics”, including “Jean and Dinah”, “Sa Sa Yea”, “Both of Them”, “Drunk and Disorderly”. . “, “Survival, capitalism gone mad” and “Education”.
Sparrow, who grew up in Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad, was born in the fishing village of Grand Roy, Grenada.
He moved to Trinidad and Tobago when he was one year old with his mother. His father had moved there in 1937.
Sparrow, who is also a composer and guitarist, is considered one of the most popular and successful calypsonians.
He has won Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival Road March eight times, Calypso King/Monarch eight times and Calypso King of Kings twice.
Reflecting on his life and career, while celebrating his 87th birthday in July, Sparrow told the Trinidad Express: “Everybody went (passed) and left me. Winsford Devine (famous songwriter who wrote some of his mega-hits).
“I was watching a video with Kitch (short for Kitchener, whose real name was Aldwyn Roberts) and I. We were dancing and going on stage,” Sparrow said. “Now he’s gone.
“I was watching another video, ‘We are the world.’ There are a bunch of performers like Shadow (Winston Bailey). Now he’s gone,” Sparrow added. “Guitarist George Victory and artists like De Fosto, Rootsman, Brigo and Penguin came through.
“Sugar Aloes and Cro Cro are in the video. They’re still here,” Sparrow continued. “It was a great experience working with all of them.”
In July 2010, the United States Congress listed Sparrow in its congressional record.
SOLEMNE: Calypso legend The Mighty Sparrow (Slinger Francisco), center, during his christening ceremony Saturday in Queens, New York, USA.
As the Caribbean community in New York celebrated Sparrow’s 75th birthday on July 9, 2010, Caribbean American Congresswoman Yvette D Clarke said she made sure Sparrow was listed on the Record.
“It’s important for the whole nation to know what the Mighty Sparrow has done for us,” Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, said at an honor ceremony at Brooklyn Borough Hall in downtown Brooklyn hosted by the Dee Vee entertainment company. International Productions. owned by Grenadian-born Brooklyn resident Derek Ventour.
“So we’ve put it in the Congressional Record,” added Clarke, representative for Brooklyn’s then-11th Congressional District. She now represents the Ninth Congressional District in Brooklyn.
Reading from the Record, Clarke said then that Sparrow had entertained audiences “from the Caribbean to Asia and all points in between”, in a career spanning more than 50 years.
The Congressional Record says that “The Bird,” as Sparrow is also called, found early success with his hit, “Jean and Dinah,” at age 20.
Record says Sparrow’s songs cover a “wide range of socially conscious topics, including education, tyranny in Africa, animal cruelty and the well-being of his home in Trinidad and Tobago”.
Assessments and achievements
Mighty Sparrow’s achievements include multiple Trinidad and Tobago Road March Competition titles; multiple Calypso Monarch titles; an honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies; and general contributions to music and society, with then-New York City Mayor Ed Koch declaring March 18, 1986 “Mighty Sparrow Day,” notes the Congressional Record.
Presenting a citation, then-Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg said Sparrow had “touched the lives of countless listeners”.
Former Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz joked that he became a “Trini,” short for Trinidadian, from Tunapuna because of the Mighty Sparrow, stating that Sparrow’s “Congo Man” was one of the songs his favorite.
“It’s great that you can understand his music and his words,” Markowitz said, declaring July 10, 2010, “Mighty Sparrow Celebration Day,” before giving a citation to Sparrow’s daughter, Nicole Robinson.
Former New York State Assemblyman Nick Perry, born in Jamaica, former representative for the 58th Assembly District in Brooklyn, currently the United States Ambassador to Jamaica, said that Sparrow’s story as the Calypso King of the World , is “irrefutable and indisputable.”
Perry, who also presented a citation, during the celebration, described Sparrow’s achievements as “remarkable” and “unique”.
Hailing the calypso maestro, former Prime Minister of Grenada, Tillman Thomas said very few artistes anywhere can boast of a continuous career that has spanned more than five decades.
“Indeed, you have made significant contributions to the culture, politics and storytelling of the Caribbean and the world, through your extraordinary wit, breadth of topics covered and unsurpassed propensity to construct, innovate and capture new beats across genres,” Thomas said at the time in a statement.
With his baptism on Saturday as a Seventh-day Adventist, it is uncertain whether the legendary Sparrow will once again sing calypso to his legions of fans around the world.
– CMC
