M2 MARKETING & PROMOTIONS

List of calypsonians Monarch Winners 1939 - 1980

1939 - Growling Tiger
1953 - Spoiler (Bed Bug)
1954 - Melody (Second Spring)
1955 - Spoiler (Pick Sense Out of Nonsense)
1956 - Sparrow (Jean and Dinah)
1957 - Pretender (Que Sera Sera)
1958 - Striker (Don't Blame the PNM/Cant Find A Job To Suit Me)
1959 - Striker (Ban the Hoola Hoop/Comparison)
1960 - Sparrow (Ten to One is Murder/Mae Mae)
1961 - Dougla (Lazy Man/Split Me in Two)
1962 - Sparrow (Sparrow Come Back Home/Federation)
1963 - Sparrow (Dan is the Man/Kennedy)
1964 - Bomber (Joan and James/Bomber's Dream)
1965 - Sniper (Portrait of Trinidad/More Production)
1966 - Terror (Pan Jamboree/Last Year's Happiness)
1967 - Cypher (Last Elections/If the Priest Could Play)
1968 - Duke (What is Calypso/Social Bacchanal)
1969 - Duke (Black is Beautiful/One Foot Visina)
1970 - Duke (Brotherhood of Man/See Through)
1971 - Duke (Mathematical Formula/Melvine & Yvonne)
1972 - Sparrow (Drunk and Disorderly/Rope)
1973 - Sparrow (School Days/Same Time, Same Place)
1974 - Sparrow (We Pass That Stage/Miss Mary)
1975 - Kitchener (Tribute to Spree Simon/Fever)
1976 - Chalkdust (Three Blind Mice/Ah Put on Meh Guns Again)
1977 - Chalkdust (Juba Dubai/Shango Vision)
1978 - Calypso Rose (Her Majesty/I Thank Thee)
1979 - Black Stalin (Caribbean Unity/Play One)
1980 - Relator (Food Prices/Take a Rest)

Duke:
Kelvin Pope, better known as The Mighty Duke (1932 – January 14, 2009) was a Trinidadian calypsonian. He was born in Point Fortin.
Pope left a career working at Shell Oil to perform calypso music. In the 1950s, he played locally in his hometown, then began playing in San Fernando at the Southern Brigade Calypso Tent. In 1964 he relocated to Port of Spain and performed at the Original Young Brigade.
He won the National Calypso Monarch title for four years straight (1968-71), and was noted for exploring ideas such as black consciousness and global politics in his lyrics.[1] Lord Nelson was one of many for whom he composed music. In 1987, his "Thunder" was awarded the National Road March prize.[2]
Pope died on January 14, 2009 at 1:05 pm in Saint Clair, Trinidad and Tobago of myelofibrosis, which he had been battling for five years.
Kelvin Pope, known in the Calypso world as 'Mighty Duke', is a legendary Calypsonian whose work spans a period of over fifty years. Born in 1932 in Point Fortin, south Trinidad, 'Duke' grew up in a period that was marked by striking workers who challenged the colonial authorities by protesting against working conditions, wages, racism and exploitation in the oilfields. Growing up in this turbulent period would have a lasting impact on Kelvin Pope and the music that he would create in years to come. His serious Calypsos reflect a spirit of resistance that is still very much alive up to this day. Influenced by Calypso stalwarts like 'Lord Syncopator', 'Mighty Spoiler', 'Mighty Cypher' and 'Lord Kitchener', 'Duke' has, over the years, become renowned not only for delivering social commentary, political and witty, humorous songs with equal skill, dignity and lyrical mastery but also for his stately stage presence and for being one of the best-dressed Calypsonians to this day. The only Calypsonian to win the National Calypso Monarch Crown four times in a row, Kelvin Pope's body of work includes "Black is Beautiful", "Teach the Children", "Brotherhood of Man", "Mathematical Formula", "Treat Your Woman", "Land Of Love" and "Pan In Yuh Ruckungkertungkung". His focus has not been limited to local issues as he has demonstrated the importance of a global awareness in his interest in the liberation struggles in Africa. With such songs as "How Many More Must Die" and "Apartheid" he was a vocal critic of apartheid in South Africa.
Kelvin Pope, known in the Calypso world as 'The Mighty Duke', is a legendary Calypsonian whose work spans a period of over fifty years. Born in 1930 in Point Fortin, south Trinidad, 'Duke' grew up in a period that was marked by striking workers who challenged the colonial authorities by protesting against working conditions, wages, racism and exploitation in the oilfields. Growing up in this turbulent period would have a lasting impact on Kelvin Pope and the music that he would create in years to come.
Duke was born in New Lance Point Fortin and grew up as an ordinary kid during that time in Point Fortin. As a child I grew up hearing Calypsos by the old bards from being around my parents who always played Calypso records because they loved Calypso music. Calypsonians like 'Mighty Growler', 'Roaring Lion', 'Mighty Tiger', 'Ziegfield' - the old great ones.
He grew up in an era when Steelband was just coming into being and they were just making the one note or the three notes on the Pan. Musically, Steelband was just coming into being. Politically, that was the era of Butler. That was in Butler's time and he was in Point Fortin. He grew up in that era of resistance.
He made his Calypso debut in the late fifties. His neighbor was the calypsonian known as 'Syncopater', he encouraged to become a calypsonian and write his own songs. Soon after he joined a tent in Point Fortin with fellow calypsonians; ‘Impressor’, ‘Blacks’
Duke believes that the role of the Calypsonian is to inform, to educate and to speak out when others are afraid to.

Duke you will be missed in 2011...just like 2010 and many years to come.