The Duke of Iron

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The Duke of Iron
The Duke of Iron, center
Background information
Birth name	Cecil Anderson
Born	(1906-11-22)22 November 1906 Port of Spain, Trinidad
Died	17 November 1968(1968-11-17) (aged 61) Jamaica, Queens, New York City, U.S.
Genres	Kaiso calypso
Occupation(s)	Singer entertainer
Years active	1930s–1968

The Duke of Iron (born Cecil Anderson, 22 November 1906 – 17 November 1968) was a calypsonian, nightclub and concert entertainer, and recording artist from the 1930s through the 1960s. Born in Trinidad and working mainly in the United States, he was renowned for his bawdy humor, crisp diction, and confident vocal mannerisms. His clarity in pronouncing English lyrics helped him achieve tremendous popularity with American audiences.

Biography

Anderson was born in

Anderson regularly returned to Trinidad to keep up with current trends in calypso, and performed and recorded many annual Carnival hits.

He died on 17 November 1968 in Jamaica, Queens, at age 62.^[6]

Jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, who recorded a number of Caribbean-styled instrumentals, composed and recorded a piece entitled "Duke of Iron" in his memory.^[7]

Recording career

The Duke of Iron recorded singles and albums for a variety of labels, including Decca; Virgin Isle–Supertone; Varsity; Paragon;

He was notorious for humorous, ribald calypsos, like "I Left Her Behind For You," "Miss Constance" ("she said: I may be small, and yet/I can take on any runner when the track gets wet"), "The Naughty Fly," and "The Postman" (who has "the longest route in town/they know he rings the bell whenever he comes round"). He also wrote topical songs about radio commentator Walter Winchell and the New York Mets baseball team.^{[citation needed]}

Anderson played cuatro and was reportedly an exceptional pianist. His brother George "Boysie" Anderson played flute, clarinet and saxophone, and recorded with Cecil on several of his later albums.^{[citation needed]}

Some sources have erroneously alleged that Anderson, as the Duke of Iron, made the first calypso recording in 1914. Anderson was eight years old at the time. The recording in question, titled "Iron Duke in the Land," was made by calypso pioneer Henry Julian (a.k.a. Julian Whiterose). Although calypsos had originally been sung in French,^[8] by the time "Iron Duke" was recorded, calypsonians were developing the art of singing in English.^{[citation needed]}

References