Raymond Quevedo (24 March 1892 – 22 February 1962), better known as Atilla the Hun, was a calypsonian from

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

. He began singing in 1911 and was at his most prominent in the 1930s and 1940s. He was one of the pioneers in spreading awareness of calypso beyond its birthplace in

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

. Together with the Roaring Lion ( Rafael de Leon) he brought calypso to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

for the first time in 1934. One of his popular calypsos was " FDR in Trinidad", commemorating U.S. President

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

's 1936 trip to Trinidad. Atilla competed in the first

Calypso King The Calypso Monarch (originally Calypso King) contest is one of the two major annual calypso competitions held in Trinidad as part of the annual carnival celebrations. History While Trinidad's carnival has its origins in the 18th century, a sing ...

contest in 1939, and won the title in both 1946 and 1947.Thompson, p. 5, 59 Known as a defender of the poor, Atilla was able to transition to a political career. When several of his records were

censored Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

he composed "The Banning of Records", which was itself banned. Atilla was the first calypsonian to hold elected public office; he was elected to the

Port of Spain Port of Spain (Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a municip ...

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

in 1946 and was elected to the

Legislative Council of Trinidad and Tobago The Legislative Council of Trinidad and Tobago served as an advisory commission to the governor in British-ruled Trinidad and Tobago, between 1831 and independence in 1962. The Legislative Council consisted of a mixture of appointed and elected me ...

in 1950 representing the St. George County East. (See: ''

Elections in Trinidad and Tobago Elections in Trinidad and Tobago gives information on election and election results in politics of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago (located in the Caribbean) elects on national level a House of Representatives (the L ...

''). He also authored ''Atilla's Kaiso: A Short History of Trinidad Calypso'' with

John La Rose John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, published posthumously in 1983.

Notes

References

* Hill, Donald R. 1993. ''Calypso: Early Carnival Music in Trinidad''. University of Florida. (Includes a CD of early calypso music.) * Quevedo, Raymond (Atilla the Hun). 1983. ''Atilla's Kaiso: a short history of Trinidad calypso''. University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad. (Includes the words to many old calypsos as well as musical scores for some of Atilla's calypsos.) * Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books,

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