Lord Caresser
Lord Caresser | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Rufus Callender |
| Born | 1910 San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Died | 1976 Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Genres | Calypso |
| Years active | 1936 – late 1950s |
Rufus Callender (1910–1976), better known as Lord Caresser, was a Trinidadian calypsonian (calypso singer/composer). He is best known for his 1937 recording of "Edward the VIII" (a.k.a. "Love, Love Alone"), a calypso about the 1936 Abdication of Edward VIII of England. This was one of the best-selling records in the golden age of calypso of the 1930s and early 1940s, and generated further hits for Jamaican singer Lord Flea and American singer Harry Belafonte when they covered it in the 1950s.
Early life
Caresser was born Rufus Callender in
Golden era
By 1936, Caresser was back in Trinidad and singing calypso at the Crystal Palace tent in the Port of Spain carnival. He took first prize in the Besson Street singing competition, with another important newcomer, the Growler, taking second place. In 1937, Caresser sailed to New York with Roaring Lion, Atilla the Hun and Lord Executor to record for Decca. The first recording Caresser made turned out to be the biggest hit of his career, ‘Edward the VIII’. It was one of 14 sides (78-rpm) which he recorded for Decca on this trip; others include his classic duet 'Old Ginger' with the veteran calypsonian Executor, and also "War", in which the four visitors from Trinidad issue challenges to Wilmoth Houdini, the Trinidadian calypsonian who made his home in New York and became the most prolific calypso recording artist of the era.[3]
In 1938, Caresser recorded another 12 sides for Decca, but this time the recordings were made in Trinidad. After appearing at the 1938 carnival, Caresser went on tour to Guyana with popular Guyanese singer Bill Rogers; Caresser later recorded the calypso "So Many Women" to boast of the welcome he received on this tour. Performing in the capital, Georgetown, as part of a vaudeville show that included dancers, comedians, and impersonators, Caresser sang his recently recorded calypsos "Madam Khan" and "The More They Try to Do Me Bad (The Better I Live in Trinidad)". When the troupe left Georgetown to continue their tour, however, Caresser stayed behind, possibly because of a falling out with Rogers; in his calypso "No Surrender", Caresser calls the "bhaaji composer" (a reference to Rogers’s most famous song, "B.G. Bargee") an "old-time flouncer" and "sweetie vendor" (Rogers also worked as a confectioner).[citation needed]
During his stay in Georgetown, Caresser began a romantic relationship with the famous dancer Peggy Daniels, later known as "The Rhumba Queen". Daniels had performed in Trinidad in 1936 and so impressed the Roaring Lion that he recorded a calypso in her honour, "Peggy Daniels" ("That woman was so tantalizing; The kind of dance she did was surprising"). Caresser's own calypso for her, "Peggy Dearie", ends with "the Lord and his fiancée joining hands in matrimony" and tells of a romantic boat trip they seem to have taken together ("Oh, Peggie dearie, I want to spend me honeymoon in the Mazaruni"); but whether or not Caresser and Daniels did actually marry is not known. In any case, they were performing together in Trinidad in early 1939 and continued to do so until at least 1944. In 1945, with calypso more popular than ever in the USA due to the success of Lord Invader's "Rum and Coca-Cola", Caresser planned a North American tour with 22-year old newcomer, Lord Kitchener. The tour never happened, but Caresser did make some successful appearances in Jamaica later that year.[2]
Canadian years
In 1947, Caresser moved to Canada after securing a 5-year contract with the
Caresser began a relationship with Monique Côté from
References
- ^ Michael Eldridge (2012-06-17). "Sometimes I Feel Like a Fatherless Child". Working for the Yankee Dollar. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
- ^ a b c d "Vainglorious Appellations" by Donald R. Hill and John H. Cowley, essay printed in accompanying book to West Indian Rhythm - Calypso 1938-1940, Bear Family Records, 2006.
- ^ Calypso Calaloo: Early Carnival Music in Trinidad, by Donald R. Hill, University of Florida Press 1993, p. 268.
- ^ a b c Michael Eldridge (2009-11-11). "Caresser in Canada". Working for the Yankee Dollar. Retrieved 2023-01-15.