Edwin Ayoung (born 1944), better known as Crazy, is 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. He has been active since the mid-1970s and is one of the most successful artists from Trinidad and Tobago.
Career
Ayoung was born in 1944 at Maraval Road,
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 muni ...
,
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 ...
, one of eleven children to a
Chinese Trinidadian father and an
Afro-Venezuelan
Afro-Venezuelans (Spanish: ''Afrovenezolanos'') are Venezuelans of African descent. About 4% of the Venezuelan population self-identify as "black" or "Afro-descendant", although most Venezuelans are mixed with African ancestry. Afro-Venezuelans ...
mother.
[Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , pp. 81–83][Guilbault, Jocelyne (2007) ''Governing Sound: The Cultural Politics of Trinidad's Carnival Musics'', University of Chicago Press, , pp. 119–120] As a youth he showed promise as a cricketer, but chose a career in music.
He initially worked under the names Wong Ping and the Mighty Arawak, but was renamed 'Crazy' by fellow calypsonian Fred Farrell due to his extravagant performances.
Crazy made his solo carnival debut in 1975 with "The Electrician", which was also released as a single.
He followed this with "Satan's Coming" and "A Great Achievement", before signing for
Eddy Grant's Ice Records label, for which he had his first hit, "Dustbin Cover"/"Listen Joffre Serrette".
The two songs from the single gained him second place at the National Calypso Monarch finals in 1978.
Crazy was the first artist to sing a "Parang Soca" song (mixing soca and hymnal Latin music) in 1978.
[Loubon, Michelle (2011)]
Crazy appeals to soca/parang bards: Stop the smut, keep it holy
, ''Trinidad and Tobago Guardian
The ''Trinidad and Tobago Guardian'' (together with the ''Sunday Guardian'') is the oldest daily newspaper in Trinidad and Tobago. The paper is considered the newspaper of record for Trinidad and Tobago.
History
Its first edition was published ...
'', 28 November 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2016 His debut album, ''Crazy's Super Album'', was released in 1979 and sold over 35,000 copies in his home country.
Crazy acted in the Trinidad All Theatre Productions' shows ''Cinderama'' (1980) and ''Snokone and the Seven Dwens'' (1981), and in 1982 toured Europe with the company in their re-enactment of carnival's traditional ''J'Ouvert'' opening ceremony.
In 1982, he finished joint second at Road March with "Uncle Crazy".
In 1984 he became one of the first soca artists to perform at
Reggae Sunsplash
Reggae Sunsplash is a reggae music festival first staged in 1978 in the northern part of Jamaica. In 1985 it expanded with the addition of an international touring festival. The festival ran annually until 1996, with a final event in 1998, befo ...
.
He won Road March in 1985 with "Suck Meh Soucouyant", and finished as runner-up in 1989.
He pioneered the crossover genre
chutney soca with his 1989 Road March entry, "Nani Wine", a big hit in North America and the West Indies in 1989.
After a relative lack of success in the early 1990s, which included an album recorded with
Byron Lee
Byron Lee ,
''Jamaica Gleaner'', 27 October 2008.
, his fortunes improved in 1997 with the release of the album ''Still Crazy After 25 Years'', the same year finishing third in the Soca Chutney Monarch competition and reaching the final of International Soca Monarch.
He continues to feature in major contests, and in 2007 placed 5th at Road March with "Cold Sweat".
In 2012 he pioneered another new style, "Trini-style reggae", releasing a Trini-reggae cover of "Hotel California".
In 2013 Crazy was named in a list of the top 50 calypsonians of the 20th century by the
Trinbago Unified Calypsonians' Organisation The Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation (TUCO) is a professional body representing the interests of calypsonians in Trinidad and Tobago and working to promote calypso music nationally and internationally. TUCO was established in 1993 and i ...
(TUCO).
In 2015 he headlined the Pan New England Steelband Festival in
Blue Hill, Maine.
Lyrical content
Crazy's lyrics are often humorous, but have also incorporated political themes. While many of his lyrics have been risqué, in 2011, he appealed to parang soca artists to keep lyrics 'holy' in the runup to Christmas.
In contrast to the homophobic lyrics of many calypsonians, Crazy's "Take ah Man", with its line "If yuh cyar get ah wooman, take ah man", was adopted as a gay anthem in Trinidad and Tobago. He wrote "Stop the Crime" in response to the murder of state prosecutor
Dana Seetahal
Dana Saroop Seetahal SC (July 8, 1955 – May 4, 2014) was an Independent Senator in the Trinidad and Tobago Senate. She was an attorney at law in private practice and was formerly a lecturer at the Hugh Wooding Law School, Trinidad and Tobago, ...
and general level of crime in Trinidad.
[Fraser, Mark (2014)]
Crazy sings against crime
", ''Trinidad Express'', 14 May 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2016
Discography
Albums
*''Crazy's Super Album'' (1979), Crazy
*''Madness Is Gladness'' (1980), Crazy
*''My Method of Madness'' (1980), Crazy
*''Mad Man Jam'' (1982), CCM
*''New Direction'' (1983), Kalico
*''Fire'' (1985), Crazy
*''Here I Am'' (1986), Crazy
*''Chief Crazy'' (1987), Crazy
*''Crazy Crazy'' (1981), Kai Soca
*''Nani Wine'' (1989), Trinity
*''Soca Beti'' (1990), Benab
*''Jump Leh We Jump'' (1991), Dynamic
*''Crazymania'' (1992), JWP
*''Let's Go Crazy'' (1993), JWP
*''Craziah Than Ever'' (1994), JWP
*''Crazy For You'' (1995), JWP
*''Wildness'' (1996), JWP
*''Still Crazy After 25 Years'' (1997), JWP
*''Ah Crazy Again (Back to Basics)'' (1999), JWP
*''Dangerously Crazy'' (2001), JWP
*''Masquerade'' (2002), JWP
*''Best of Crazy'' (2002), JWP
*''Crazy On De Loose'' (2003), JWP
*''Trnidad Crazy'' (2004), Hometown Music
*''Sweet Madness'' (2005), Hometown Music
*''De Maddest'' (2006)
*''Cold Sweat'' (2007)
*''Unstoppable'' (2008)
*''Crazylicious'' (2009)
*''Evergreen'' (2010)
*''The Recipe'' (2012)
EPs
*''Crazy 2011'' (2011)
*''Crazy's Crazy Singles 2012'' (2012)
*''Crazy 2013'' (2013)
Singles
*"Chinaman" (1974), Strakers
*"Religious Procession"/"The Electrician" (1975), Crazy
*"Satan's Coming" (1976), MAM/Charlie's
*"Band Leaders Ain't Care" (1977), MAM/Bellini
*"A Great Achievement" (1977), MAM/Bellini
*"Dustbin Cover"/"Listen Joffre Serrette" (1978), Ice
*"Parang Soca"/"Guadeloupe Chick" (1979)
*"Crazy’s Contribution To The International Year Of The Child" (1979), Crazy
*"Muchacha" (1979)
*"Don't Try That" (1980)
*"Sweet Daisy" (1983), Kalico
*"Ain’t Boung For You" (1984)
*"Drive It" (1988)
*"Christmas Parang Parti" (1990), Charlie's
*"De Party Now Start" (1992)
*"Parang Soca" (1992), Cahrlie's
*"Dis Is How" (1994), JWP
*"D'Ride" (1998)
*"Qualified Cashier" (2003), Hometown Music
;Digital singles/tracks:
*"Phone Card" (2008)
*"When Steel Talks" (2009)
*"Rub It Up" (2010)
*"Patrick Manning Must Go" (2010)
*"More Percy" (2010)
*''Crazy 2012'' (2012)
*"I For Kamla" (2013)
*"Big Band" (2013)
*"De Bull" (2013)
References
External links
*
on The Calypso Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crazy
1944 births
Living people
20th-century Trinidad and Tobago male singers
Trinidad and Tobago people of Chinese descent
Calypsonians
Soca musicians
Trinidad and Tobago people of Venezuelan descent
21st-century Trinidad and Tobago male singers