In the United States, interest in calypso was sparked largely by Harry Belafonte’s 1956 album Calypso, the first LP to sell over one million copies. Trinidadian expatriate Lord Kitchener had helped popularize calypso in England, and Sparrow also found some success there. Sparrow refused to participate in the competition for the next three years, but he continued to perform unofficially, even winning another Road March title in 1958 with "P.A.Y.E." Taking calypso abroadĬalypso music enjoyed a brief period of popularity in other parts in the world during the 1950s. Sparrow claims credit for succeeding improvements in the conditions of calypso and steelband musicians in Trinidad, as well as the formation of the Carnival Development Committee, a musicians’ assistance organization. In protest of the small sum, he wrote the song "Carnival Boycott" and attempted to organize other singers to boycott the competition. In 1956, Sparrow won Trinidad’s Carnival Road March and Calypso Monarch competitions with his most famous song,"Jean and Dinah". The themes of peace, tolerance, and concern for the poor show up repeatedly in songs such as "Human Rights" (1981), "Capitalism Gone Mad" (1983), and "This Is Madness" (1995). "Crown Heights Justice" is a plea for peace and understanding in the wake of the 1991 Crown Heights Riot in Sparrow’s adopted home of New York City. In more recent times Sparrow continues to incorporate social issues into his music. Batting or bowling, he’s the cricket King, no joke! Three cheers for Captain Sobers!" "Who’s the greatest cricketer on Earth or Mars? Anyone can tell you, it’s the great Sir Garfield Sobers! This handsome Barbadian lad really knows his work.
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