Mighty Panther
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Vernon Joseph Roberts (24 November 1921 – 29 July 2002), U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014, Number: 342-32-6149, ''Ancestry.com''
Retrieved 20 May 2019
known as Mighty Panther or Mighty Panta, was a
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 ...
ian
calypsonian A calypsonian,Definition of CALYPSO
Mighty Panther, ''Discogs.com''
Retrieved 20 May 2019 In 1956, he was one of six calypso singers chosen to perform at the Governor's House for
Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth  ...
. He left the island around 1958 for the United States, and performed there in clubs in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
,
Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
,
Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; was, Dáʔaw, meaning "the lake") is a Fresh water, freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada of the United States. Lying at , it straddles the state line between California and Nevada, west of Carson City, Nevad ...
,
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
, and
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
, where he also made television appearances. He settled in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
in 1962, continuing to make club appearances in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
and San Diego, and in 1966 recorded the album ''Songs of Dynamite'' issued on the Drum Boy label, a subsidiary of Jay Jay Records. He opened his own club in San Diego in 1967, with a show called "The Mighty Panther and the Jungle Cats" featuring other calypsonians and
limbo dance Limbo is a popular game, based on traditions that originated on the island of Trinidad. The aim is to pass forwards under a low bar without falling or dislodging the bar. The dance originated as an event that took place at wakes in Trinidad. ...
rs, but it was not successful and closed the following year. Ronald C. Emrit, "Mighty Panther", ''Best of Trinidad''
Retrieved 20 May 2019
He then sang regularly on cruise ships, returning to Trinidad in 1969 to sing at the Original Young Brigade Tent. After returning to the United States he lived in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, where he became active in the West Indian community and involved in
social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...
. He also recorded the album ''Mighty Panta's Going To The Moon'', released in 1971. He was several times the master of ceremonies at the annual
Labor Day Carnival The West Indian Day Parade Carnival is an annual celebration of West Indian culture, held annually on around the first Monday of September in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York City. It is organized by the West Indian American Day Carnival Associ ...
in
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, and in March 2001 joined with fellow calypso performer King Wellington to perform at the People's Poetry Gathering in
Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
. He died in
The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
in 2002, aged 80.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mighty Panther 20th-century Trinidad and Tobago male singers 20th-century Trinidad and Tobago singers Calypsonians 1921 births 2002 deaths Trinidad and Tobago expatriates in the United States