"King" Eric Gibson was a Bahamian musician and entrepreneur. He was also the semiofficial Ambassador of Bahamian Goodwill. Gibson was born on the small island of

Acklins Acklins is an island and district of the Bahamas. It is one of a group of islands arranged along a large, shallow lagoon called the Bight of Acklins, of which the largest are Crooked Island () in the north and Acklins () in the southeast, and ...

to a musical family, although he didn't pursue music until his adulthood. After leading several musical acts in the 1950s, Gibson formed King Eric & His Knights around 1957, which specialized in a modernized style of

calypso music Calypso is a style of Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago during the early to the mid-19th century and spread to the rest of the Caribbean Antilles and Venezuela by the mid-20th century. Its rhythms can be traced back to We ...

, a type of Caribbean folk music that received worldwide recognition when American singer

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...

released the album '' Calypso'' in 1956. King Eric & His Knights enjoyed immediate popularity among tourists in

Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...

, almost certainly due to their performances of the Calypso folksongs made famous by Belafonte. The band regularly performed at nightclubs and hotels, where their records (often in high demand by both tourists and locals) could be purchased in the gift shop. In 1966, Gibson opened a recording studio to support other native Bahamian musicians. While the lineup of the Knights continued to rotate, King Eric & His Knights remained a popular musical staple in Nassau, often headlining music festivals. In 1973, Gibson formed the "King & Knights Club", a nightclub that not only featured the band, but a variety show that included

carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

-style entertainment such as fire juggling and limbo dancing. It was renamed "The Blue Note" in 2006. King Eric & His Knights also enjoyed popularity outside of the Bahamas, touring in North America and Australia. While the international appeal of calypso music has dwindled in recent times, Gibson remained a successful entertainer and businessman in Nassau. He was active in the

regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

and maintained a successful racing

sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

; he also owned an Italian-Bahamian restaurant. Gibson and his common law wife, Brigitte Neven, were in Florida at the time of

Anna Nicole Smith Anna Nicole Smith (born Vickie Lynn Hogan; November 28, 1967 – February 8, 2007) was an American model, actress, and television personality. Smith started her career as a ''Playboy'' magazine centerfold in May 1992 and won the title of 1993 ...

's death. They were invited guests of Anna Nicole, and were among the first to arrive when she began to exhibit signs of trouble. Gibson died in Nassau, on December 28, 2013, aged 79.

Partial King Eric & His Knights Discography

*''BAMA Hit Parade'' (1960) *''Calypso Encores'' (with

Ronnie Butler Ronald Butler Sr., MBE (August 17, 1937 – November 19, 2017) was a famous Bahamian calypso and rake n scrape entertainer and singer. Butler is referred to as "The Godfather of Bahamian Music" and his career spans more than five decades. But ...

) (1962) *''King Eric & His Knights at the Big Bamboo'' (1964) *''Paging King Eric & His Knights'' (1964) *''Checkmate'' (1966?) *''All Time Favourites Calipsos'' ic(1966?) *''Emerald Beach Plantation'' (1971) *''Bahama Goombay Summer'' (1972) *''Live at the King & Knights Club'' (1974?) HYP RECORDS/Vinyl Safari: Calypso
/ref> *''Island Boy'' (1978)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Eric Year of birth missing 2013 deaths Bahamian singers Calypsonians People from Nassau, Bahamas People from Acklins

Partial King Eric & His Knights Discography

See also

References