Rufus Callender (1910–1976), better known as Lord Caresser, was a

Trinidadian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The country is home to people of many different national, ethnic and religious origins. As a ...

calypsonian A calypsonian,Definition of CALYPSO
calypso singer/composer). He is best known for his 1937 recording of "Edward the VIII" (a.k.a. "Love, Love Alone"), a calypso about the 1936

Abdication of Edward VIII In early December 1936, a constitutional crisis in the British Empire arose when King-Emperor Edward VIII proposed to marry Wallis Simpson, an American socialite who was divorced from her first husband and was pursuing the divorce of her secon ...

of England. This was one of the best-selling records in the golden age of calypso of the 1930s and early 1940s, and generated further hits for Jamaican singer

Lord Flea Lord Flea was the stage name of Norman Byfield Thomas (1931/32 or 1933/34Some sources, including contemporary sources, give his age at death as 27, and others as 25. His daughter, quoted in 2004, gave his age as 27, but in 2008 gave it as 25. � ...

and 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 ...

when they covered it in the 1950s.

Early life

Caresser was born Rufus Callender in

San Fernando San Fernando may refer to: People *Ferdinand III of Castile (c. 1200–1252), called ''San Fernando'' (Spanish) or ''Saint Ferdinand'', King of Castile, León, and Galicia Places Argentina *San Fernando de la Buena Vista, city of Greater Buenos ...

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 ...

in 1910. His father was Venezuelan and his mother was Trinidadian. His mother died when he was four and Caresser was brought up by his grandmother and aunt; his unrecorded 1945 calypso "I ain’t got no papa" suggests that he had no knowledge of his father. Caresser moved to

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is define ...

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

in the late 1920s or early 1930s, where, according to a story he later told, a witch doctor gave him a ring decorated with the image of a snake. The ring was supposed to have the power to attract crowds, but Caresser threw it away when he noticed the snake moving as he passed by a church.

Golden era

By 1936 Caresser was back in Trinidad and singing calypso at the Crystal Palace tent in 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 ...

carnival. He took first prize in the Besson Street singing competition, with another important newcomer, the Growler, taking second place. In 1937 Caresser sailed to New York with

Roaring Lion Roaring Lion (22 February 190811 July 1999) was a Trinidadian calypsonian (calypso singer/composer). His 65-year career began in the early 1930s and he is best known for his compositions "Ugly Woman" (1933), " Mary Ann" and "Netty, Netty", whic ...

Atilla the Hun Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in March 453. He was also the leader of a tribal empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Bulgars, among others, in Central and Ea ...

and

Lord Executor Lord Executor (c. 1878-84 – 1952) was a Trinidadian calypsonian ( calypso singer/composer). He belonged to the first generation of calypso pioneers that included Julian Whiterose (Iron Duke; not to be confused with Duke of Iron), Norman le Blan ...

to record for

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

. The first recording Caresser made turned out to be the biggest hit of his career, ‘Edward the VIII’. It was one of 14 sides (78-rpm) which he recorded for Decca on this trip; others include his classic duet 'Old Ginger' with the veteran calypsonian

Executor An executor is someone who is responsible for executing, or following through on, an assigned task or duty. The feminine form, executrix, may sometimes be used. Overview An executor is a legal term referring to a person named by the maker of a ...

, and also "War", in which the four visitors from Trinidad issue challenges to

Wilmoth Houdini Frederick Wilmoth Hendricks (November 25, 1895 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago – August 6, 1973 in New York, New York), best known as Wilmoth Houdini, was a prominent calypsonian. Life In 1916 he started his career in earnest when h ...

, the Trinidadian calypsonian who made his home in New York and became the most prolific calypso recording artist of the era. In 1938 Caresser recorded another 12 sides for Decca, but this time the recordings were made in Trinidad. After appearing at the 1938 carnival, Caresser went on tour to

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

with popular Guyanese singer Bill Rogers; Caresser later recorded the calypso "So Many Women" to boast of the welcome he received on this tour. Performing in the capital, Georgetown, as part of a vaudeville show that included dancers, comedians and impersonators, Caresser sang his recently recorded calypsos "Madam Khan" and "The More They Try to Do Me Bad (The Better I Live in Trinidad)". When the troupe left Georgetown to continue their tour, however, Caresser stayed behind, possibly because of a falling out with Rogers; in his calypso "No Surrender", Caresser calls the "bhaaji composer" (a reference to Rogers’s most famous song, "B.G. Bargee") an "old-time flouncer" and "sweetie vendor" (Rogers also worked as a confectioner). During his stay in Georgetown, Caresser began a romantic relationship with the famous dancer Peggy Daniels, later known as "The Rhumba Queen". Daniels had performed in Trinidad in 1936 and so impressed the

that he recorded a calypso in her honour, "Peggy Daniels" ("That woman was so tantalizing; The kind of dance she did was surprising"). Caresser's own calypso for her, "Peggy Dearie", ends with "the Lord and his fiancée joining hands in matrimony" and tells of a romantic boat trip they seem to have taken together ("Oh, Peggie dearie, I want to spend me honeymoon in the Mazaruni"); but whether or not Caresser and Daniels did actually marry is not known. In any case, they were performing together in Trinidad in early 1939 and continued to do so until at least 1944. In 1945, with calypso more popular than ever in the USA due to the success of

Lord Invader Lord Invader (Rupert Westmore Grant; 13 December 1914 – 15 October 1961) was a prominent calypsonian with a very distinctive, gravelly voice. He was born in San Fernando, Trinidad. He became active in calypso in the mid-1930s, and was conside ...

's "

Rum and Coca-Cola "Rum and Coca-Cola" is a popular calypso song composed by Lionel Belasco with lyrics by Lord Invader. The song was copyrighted in the United States by entertainer Morey Amsterdam and was a hit in 1945 for the Andrews Sisters. History The song ...

", Caresser planned a North American tour with 22-year old newcomer, Lord Kitchener. The tour never happened, but Caresser did make some successful appearances in Jamaica later that year.

Canadian years

In 1947, Caresser moved to Canada after securing a 5-year contract with the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

(CBC) to record a regular radio show. "The Lord Caresser Show" ran weekly from May 1946 to June 1948, using "The More They Try to Do Me Bad" as its theme song. The show was broadcast in Canada on the Trans-Canada network, in the West Indies on CBC International, and by relay on the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

(UK),

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

(Australia),

New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation The New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC) was a publicly owned company of the New Zealand Government founded in 1962. The Broadcasting Act 1976 then reformed NZBC as the Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand (BCNZ). The corporation was ...

, and

SABC The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the public broadcaster in South Africa, and provides 19 radio stations ( AM/ FM) as well as six television broadcasts to the general public. It is one of the largest of South Africa's state ...

(South Africa). Caresser continued to make occasional appearances on CBC until 1952. In 1948 he moved to the UK, where Lord Kitchener and

Lord Beginner Egbert Moore (1904–1981), known as Lord Beginner, was a popular calypsonian. Biography Moore was born in Port-of-Spain in Trinidad. According to AllMusic: "After attracting attention with his soulful singing in Trinidad and Tobago, Lord Beginne ...

had already achieved success, and wrote an article entitled "Calypso and Jazz" which was published in ''

Jazz Journal ''Jazz Journal'' is a British jazz magazine established in 1946 by Sinclair Traill (1904–1981). It was first published in London under the title ''Pick Up'', which Traill founded as a locus for serious jazz criticism in Britain.Roberta Freund Sc ...

'' in 1949. Caresser returned to Canada in 1950, where he performed at various venues in and around

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

. In 1951,

Lord Melody Lord Melody (1926 – 26 September 1988)Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', backbeat Books, , p.154-155 was a popular Trinidadian calypsonian, best known for singles such as " Boo Boo Man", "Creature From The Black Lagoon", "Sh ...

recorded the calypso "Tribute to Kitchener", a criticism of expatriate calypsonians which includes a verse about Caresser: Melody exhorts him to return to Trinidad to write new calypsos, because Melody is sick of hearing Caresser's 1930s hits on the radio. Caresser began a relationship with Monique Côté from Abitibi in

Northern Quebec Northern Quebec (french: le nord du Québec) is a geographic term denoting the northerly, more remote and less populated parts of the Canadian province of Quebec.Alexandre Robaey"Charity group works with Indigenous communities to feed Northern Quebe ...

, and their first son, Camille, was born in

in 1953. When Caresser went on a tour of Europe in 1955, Monique accompanied him and they were married at the British Embassy in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. Caresser and Monique went on to have six boys together and the family lived in the La Belle Ville area of Montreal city. Caresser now began to work outside the entertainment industry: in the maintenance department of Sainte Justine Hospital in Montreal, and from 1960 to 1965 he is listed as an employee of the Industrial Acceptance Corporation, a finance company. At some point after 1965 it seems that he left his family to move to

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

in the Western provinces of Canada, where he died in 1976.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lord Caresser Trinidad and Tobago musicians 1910 births 1976 deaths