Prime Minister Bruce Roosevelt Skerrit has described the late Slinger Francisco, known as ‘The Mighty Sparrow ’, as “an extraordinary, talented, musical genius.”
The ‘Mighty Sparrow’ died in New York on September 27 at the age of 91.
He was a Grenadian-born Trinidadian calypso musician, songwriter, and guitarist and was celebrated as the “Calypso King of the World.”
Over a seven-decade career, ‘the Mighty Sparrow’ won eight Carnival Road March titles, eight Calypso Monarch crowns, and twice the King of Kings.
“The Mighty Sparrow was an extraordinary, talented, musical genius. His ability to use words and to mask lyrics and songs is unparalleled,” Skerrit stated. “Every one of us grew up listening to the songs that are 50, 60 years old.”
He continued, “ They play in your ears as if they came out yesterday. I think the Caribbean and, of course, our musical artists or Calypsonians would do themselves and the art form well to seek to go back to visit Sparrow.”
The Prime Minister said ‘the Mighty Sparrow’ dealt with social commentary and the issues of the day and political commentary, with the greatest of respect, but with lyrical clarity.
“And I think that he was an extraordinary performer and I think the Caribbean and indeed the musical world is poorer today with the passing of the Mighty Sparrow,” he stated.
Moreover, the Prime Minister said he had the good fortune to have met ‘the Mighty Sparrow’ “and to attend some of his concerts.
“And he is always extraordinary. So we extend our sympathies to his family, to the government and people of Grenada where he was born and to the Government and the people of Trinidad where he lived, and to the entire world,” Skerrit stated. “We all considered ‘Mighty Sparrow’ to be our own and he had such an infectious personality.”
Meanwhile, he said a lasting legacy for Mighty Sparrow should include establishing a regional school or programme possibly through the University of the West Indies (UWI), where aspiring calypsonians can receive training in lyrical composition and songwriting.
“We run the risk of losing that which has defined us as a Caribbean people where calypso is concerned,” he noted. “We see calypso almost like a dying breed,
and so I am hoping that with the death of Mighty Sparrow it breathes new life into the calypso platform and into the minds and spirit of calypsonians and calypso writers in the entire Caribbean, Dominica included.”
