What does the 1957 calypso boom mean here?
Rohlehr reads the song as a celebration of calypso’s international commercial moment in 1957. He places that moment alongside Harry Belafonte’s success while distinguishing Jamaican material in Belafonte’s repertoire from Sparrow’s assertion of Trinidad as calypso’s home.
His commentary also names Edric Connor and Louise Bennett when tracing earlier recordings of that material. The useful distinction is between an international commercial category and the specific Trinidadian tradition Sparrow claims. It does not make every song marketed as calypso the same kind of music.
Sources: Smithsonian Folkways — First Flight: Early Calypsos from the Emory Cook Collection booklet
A song reference and a later compilation
The header names King Sparrow’s Calypso Carnival, which the booklet’s earlier-edition list dates to 1959. Those references preserve the distinction between the song year and a named album edition.
| Detail | Source information |
|---|---|
| Writer(s) | Slinger Francisco |
| Year printed beside the song | 1958 |
| Earlier album named in track notes | King Sparrow’s Calypso Carnival |
| Earlier edition reference | King Sparrow’s Calypso Carnival — C 00920, 1959 |
Sources: Smithsonian Folkways — First Flight: Early Calypsos from the Emory Cook Collection booklet
Find the documented performance
Use the Smithsonian track link below to find this selection on the 2005 First Flight edition. The earlier album reference and the year printed beside the song are retained separately in the tables.
| Detail | Source information |
|---|---|
| Album | First Flight: Early Calypsos from the Emory Cook Collection |
| Edition year | 2005 |
| Catalog number | SFW40534 |
| Track position | 18 |
| Label track title | No More Rocking |
Mighty Sparrow artist profile ↗
Sources: Smithsonian Folkways — First Flight: Early Calypsos from the Emory Cook Collection booklet · Smithsonian Folkways — First Flight: Early Calypsos from the Emory Cook Collection tracklist