Calypsonian The Mighty Gabby, Says Calypso Carries Messages People Want To Hear
“Calypso is more relevant in today’s society because [it] carries the message which the people need [to hear]…” those were the exact words of Calypso legend and the Barbados cultural ambassador, Dr. Anthony Carter, popularly known as The Mighty Gabby.
The music and cultural icon is presently in Dominica to participate in the Calypso Day celebrations hosted by the Dominica Calypso Association (DCA). Mighty Gabby, who will be delivering a lecture and putting up a live performance during the weeklong event is in Dominica with his son, Kenaz “Mighty Bit Bit” Walker.
Gabby said his research reveals that Calypso music started in Africa before being exported to the Caribbean where it has taken solid root. He stated that the cultural music brand evolved over thousand of years and that it will remain relevant for hundreds of years to come. He said that Calypso meets the needs of the Caribbean people across a wide spectrum of situations in the society.
I’ve done immense research on Calypso, but also on black history. So I will go back, way back, not just to slavery, but hundreds, if not thousands of years before that and then bring us up to West Africa and into the Caribbean and the role of calypso in all of this.
Dr. Anthony Carter, popularly known as The Mighty Gabby
He noted that two of the most outstanding elements of Calypso music are the melody and the lyrics. He said the lyrical content resonates with younger folks the way it resonated with aged folks hundreds of years ago across continents. He added that the music genre has undergone a few innovations over the decades but that this has served to ensure its relevance and continuity.
We witnessed this in the 1930s right through to the 60s, then it changed in the 70s, then it changed again in the 90s; now it’s changed again in the last 10 years or so. Calypso has survived all the genres. When jazz came they said calypso going to die; when Rock and Roll came they said the same thing, we survived that, when Reggae came they said we’re going to die and we survived that, same with Pop music. We always survived because we make adjustments all the time and the music doesn’t stay stagnant.
Dr. Anthony Carter, popularly known as The Mighty Gabby
Kenaz Walker, who is also making waves in Calypso in Barbados, encouraged the youths to embrace the music and support it with everything they have. The current reigning junior monarch in Barbados said Calypso is a music that feeds both the soul and the body. He added that Calypso has the combined power of dancehall and Bouyon when it comes to lyrical inclusion and overall attractiveness.
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