From the CD liner notes:
McCartha Lewis, sobriquet Calypso Rose is the undisputed Calypso Queen of the World. To acquire a double CD of her works is a privilege that calypso lovers should cherish. To say it is a “must have” is an understatement when one considers the achievements of this superstar and ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago.
Rose was born in Bethel, Tobago. She was the fifth child of eleven children, her father being a spiritual Baptist leader. At age nine, she moved to Barataria, in Trinidad. In 1955 she composed her first Calypso after witnessing a man stealing the spectacles off of a lady’s face in the Croisée, San Juan. In the calypso she advised Tobagonians to stay at home, because Trinidad was no place for them. She first called herself “Crusoe Kid” but the late Spoiler, and tent members Piggy and Spike changed her name to “Calypso Rose – the Mother of all Flowers”.
In 1963, she traveled outside of Trinidad and Tobago for the first time. She covered the islands from Grenada to St. Thomas. Little known is the fact that she won the Calypso King contest and the Roadmarch in St. Thomas singing “Cooperation”, her first recording. In 1965 she wrote “Fire In Meh Wire”, her trademark song (which is included on the double CD). The first verse was written in St. Croix, the second verse in Barbados and the final verse in Trinidad. In 1967 she recorded it on Sparrow’s National :abel and competed with it for the Calypso Crown in 1968. Although Kitchener won the Roadmarch that year with “Miss Tourist”, it was “Fire In Meh Wire” that carried revelers through the streets that year and the year after.
She followed up with “Palet” and “The Bicycle” in 1968. Two years later she released “Rose Making a Baby” and “Engagement Ring”, both of which are featured in a medley on Disc 1. Rose then migrated to New York in 1974 and bounced back with the hot “Do Dem Back” in 1975 to be the runner-up behind Kitchener for the Roadmarch. She also placed third in the Calypso finals, but more importantly the song won her a Gold Record in New York.
Finally in 1977 she officially won her first Roadmarch with “Tempo”. This was a significant achievement, making her the first female to win the coveted title. On a personal note, she did the double in 1978, winning both the Roadmarch with “Come Leh We Jam” and the National Monarch Title singing “Her Majesty” and “I Thank Thee”. “Her Majesty” also placed second in the Roadmarch race, a unique feat. “Come Leh We Jam” came from a dream she had while in Tortola. In her dream she saw a tall Afraican lady chanting. She then saw a blackboard with letters on it. She woke and wrote the tune without stopping.
It should also be recorded that she won the Calypso Queen titles from 1974-1978. Now that she had ensured that the Calypso Final would never be referred to as the Calypso King Contest again, she chose to stay out of competition, having achieved the highest calypso pinnacle. She continued however to produce a variety of hits, many of which are featured on this production. They include “Gun Play In De Parkway”, “We Rockin For Carnival”, “Soca Tempo” and “Balance Wheel”. In 1982 she became an auxiliary Policewoman in New York.
[Alvin C. Daniell]
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