Lord Executor (c. 1878-84 – 1952) 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 belonged to the first generation of calypso pioneers that included

Julian Whiterose Henry Julian, better known by his stage name Julian Whiterose, was a pioneering Calypso music, calypso performing and recording artist. Other names he was known to perform under include: J. White Rose, Julian White Rose, J. Resigna, and, his real ...

(Iron Duke; not to be confused with Duke of Iron), Norman le Blanc (Richard, Coeur de Leon), Henry Forbes the Inventor (Senior Inventor) and

Black Prince Edward of Woodstock, known to history as the Black Prince (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376), was the eldest son of King Edward III of England, and the heir apparent to the English throne. He died before his father and so his son, Richard II, suc ...

(Christopher Howell). Unlike those other early figures, however, Executor recorded extensively during the golden age of calypso of the 1930s and early 1940s, producing 28 record sides (78-rpm) and directly exerting influence on the second generation of

calypsonian A calypsonian,Definition of CALYPSO
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 ...

, Executor "helped raise the general standard of the Calypso genre, gaining it more respect and acceptability in the public eye".

Early life

Lord Executor (sometimes mistakenly listed as Lord Executioner) was born Philip Garcia in

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 ...

, Trinidad (possibly in the suburb of

Laventille Laventille is a ward of Trinidad and Tobago. Etymology The name ''Laventille'' hearkens back to colonial times, especially when the French dominated the cultural traditions of the island. One etymological derivation of the name is because the no ...

) in around 1880; dates cited range from 1878 to 1884. He was a white Creole of Portuguese descent and his parents may have been Venezuelans. He attended a prestigious secondary school – either St. Mary's College or

Queen's Royal College Queen's Royal College ( St.Clair, Trinidad), referred to for short as QRC, or "The College" by alumni, is a secondary school in Trinidad and Tobago. Originally a boarding school and grammar school, the secular college is selective and noted for it ...

– and maintained a reputation throughout his career for erudition; in addition to English, he spoke fluent French Patois, Portuguese and Spanish. His singing career seems to have started sometime between 1897 and 1901, when he was working as a store clerk at Salvatori Scott & Co. in Port of Spain and joined a carnival band composed of store clerks, which was called the Crescent Boys band. After being fired from his position as a clerk, he occasionally worked as a sign painter, but was a professional singer during carnival season. In 1905 he joined the "Iere Belles" calypso tent band, which was the arch-rival of Norman le Blanc's "White Rose" band.

Golden Era

In the 1910s he had established himself as a leading calypsonian, with a special reputation for his abilities in calypso war (or "

picong Picong or Piquant is light comical banter, usually at someone else's expense. It is the way in which West Indians (particularly those in the Eastern Caribbean) tease, heckle and mock each other in a friendly manner. However, the line between ...

") competitions. These competitions required calypsonians to improvise choruses of calypso with lyrics that criticised or undermined their opponents. The Executor regularly "executed" his adversaries, but lost in one notable contest in 1914 against Henry Forbes the Inventor. Inventor improvised a verse which ended by calling Executor a "half-scald mulatto", and this apparently caused Executor to hesitate with his response, thereby losing the day. It was around this time that

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 ...

, who first performed calypso in 1911, became Executor's apprentice. By the end of the decade, Executor was probably the most prominent figure in calypso. Executor participated in calypso shows held in theatres, which served to lend the music a greater measure of respectability; in one such show, held at the New Theatre 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 ...

in 1929, he appeared "disguised" as a "Tea Planter", and at a later calypso drama show in 1933 he played the defence counsel in a courtroom drama which also featured

Atilla 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 ...

and

Lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

. In 1929, Executor joined a group of calypsonians, including

, to establish a carnival tent called the Toddy Syndicate (after their sponsors, producers of a popular chocolate drink). 1929 was also the year that

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 ...

recorded his first ‘

’ attacking Executor, called "Executor Doomed to Die";

Houdini Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...

was based in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, but had competed against Executor in calypso wars back in Trinidad in the 1910s. Executor continued to be involved in tent management during the 1930s, building a calypso tent on Henry Street in Port of Spain in collaboration with young calypsonians

King Radio Norman Span, known as King Radio, was a top Trinidadian calypsonian active in the 1930s and 1940s. He was a waterfront worker in Port of Spain when he started performing in public in 1929. Six years later he started his short-lived recording car ...

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 ...

. His improvisational mastery during this period is attested to by the following anecdote from

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 ...

, concerning a 1935 calypso tent competition to improvise a verse about the "Dancow" brand of milk that was sponsoring the tent. After efforts by

Radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

, Beginner,

and Growler, Executor won the prize by coming up with the following on the spur of the moment:

"Doctors and scientists have all declared,
That Dancow Milk must be sold everywhere,
Doctors and scientists have all declared,
That Dancow Milk must be sold everywhere,
For these are not the days of fable,
So you must look for the Cow on the label,
You may say what you may, even take it anyhow,
But give the fame to Dancow
Dancow means reliability
It's full cream and renowned for its palatability
It gives you vim, it gives you pep and gives you vitality
One tea spoon of Dancow contains a bag of energy
It's good for the bouncing baby but it's better for the old, old lady
So say what you may, even take it anyhow but give the fame to Dancow."

In 1937 Executor sailed to New York with Roaring Lion, Atilla the Hun and Lord Caresser 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 ...

. He recorded 15 sides (78-rpm) including his classic duet with Caresser, "Old Ginger", and also "War", in which the four visitors from Trinidad issue challenges to New York resident

. 1937 did not end well for Executor, however, for he received an eye injury while chopping wood and subsequently found himself recovering in hospital on Christmas day, as he explains in the lyrics to, ‘How I Spent my Time at the Hospital’. Nevertheless, Executor was to record more classic sides for

in 1938, 1939 and 1940.

Final years

In the 1940s Executor continued to perform in calypso tents, but less frequently since his popularity and health were both waning. In 1947, he became involved in a lawsuit over the authorship of "

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 ...

", a calypso which provided a big hit for the

Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (July 6, 1911 – May 8, 1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (January ...

and a major financial boost to

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

in 1945.

Lionel Belasco Lionel Belasco Maracaibo (Venezuela) 1881 – ) was a prominent Venezuelan pianist, composer and bandleader, best known for his calypso recordings. Biography According to various sources, Belasco was born in Maracaibo (Venezuela), the son of ...

sued on the grounds that he had written the song in 1906, and in order to rebut this claim, a statement from Executor was produced to the effect that he had already known the melody back in 1893. Gerald Clark, a New York-based Trinidadian bandleader whose "Caribbean Serenaders" accompanied many great calypso recordings, was called by Belasco's lawyers to attest to the unreliability of Executor’s testimony. Clark said that Executor was a "bum", "incoherent" and that he begged for a living – "I was glad to give him a dollar and get rid of him", Clark said. Although this suited Belasco's case, Executor was indeed in serious decline by this time, but did still manage to sing in calypso tents in both 1948 and 1949, on the latter occasion to celebrate his 50th year as a calypsonian. In 1949 he went blind, after suffering from deteriorating eyesight for many years, and by 1952 he was living in poverty on the charity of friends. In recognition of his plight,

Radio Trinidad Radio Trinidad was the oldest radio station in Trinidad and Tobago. It began broadcasting in 1947 at 11B Maraval Road in Port of Spain on the frequency 730 AM. Over the years, the station successfully hosted a wide variety of programmes includi ...

raised a benefit fund for him, which provided the opportunity for a final calypso:

"The technical beauty of my elaborate praise
It must be mentioned by generations for many days
I, Executor, Calypso King
Now at the very moment that I was called to sing
What I have done to all mankind
Must be remembered as I'm getting blind
So come and hear the story of my fatal misfortune
In this colony."

Lord Executor died on August 9, 1952, in his home in Belmont, Port of Spain. In his book about the history of calypso, Atilla the Hun rated Executor as the greatest calypsonian of all time.''Atilla's Kaiso: A Short History of Trinidad Calypso'', by Raymond Quevedo (Atilla the Hun), University of the West Indies 1983, p. 96.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lord Executor Trinidad and Tobago musicians 19th-century births Year of birth uncertain 1952 deaths Musicians from Port of Spain

Early life

Golden Era

Final years

See also

References