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The great Lord Burgess (July 28, 1924 – November 29, 2019), real name Irving Louis Burgie, is a champion in the
calypso arena and a person of great historical significance in this esoteric artform. Mr. Burgie played a major role in the popularization of calypso music in the 1950s, when he wrote eight of the 11 songs on Harry Belafonte’s 1956 album called Calypso; the first album to sell one million copies, which included the Irving Burgie’s interpretation of the Jamaican banana boat folk song, Day-O
Irving Burgie was born in Brooklyn, New York on July 28, 1924. His father was an American from Virginia and his mother was born in Barbados. He joined the US Army during World War II, at which time he started playing the guitar and singing. He was exposed to calypso music after visiting Barbados and other islands, directly as a result of his mother’s Bajan heritage. The American born and Julliard School educated Irving Burgie was, in the 1950s, playing his guitar and singing calypsoes at various locations in New York, including the Village Vanguard, under the sobriquet of Lord Burgess. In 1954 Lord Burgess released his milestone “Lord Burgess, Calypso Serenaders” also known as “Folk Songs of Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad”. Irving’s songs were performed in over 20 languages.
Among his numerous accomplishments, Irving Burgie also wrote the song Jamaica Farewell, the lyrics to the Barbados National Anthem and the chorus of the popular Christmas song “Mary’s Boy Child”. He said he was locked in a room and told to write the lyrics to the Christmas song. Eventually only his chorus was used in recording Mary’s Boy Child.
In 1977 Burgie wrote the book entitled “The Caribbean Songbook”, which included songs of Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Cuba, Barbados, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Bahamas. The songs from these countries were compiled and arranged by Irving and published by Caribe Music Corporation.
In 1997 Irving Burgie was inducted into the Sunshine Awards Hall of Fame for his contribution to calypso music. Sunshine Awards founder and chairman, Gil Figaro, recalled that the president and CEO at that time of Irving publishing company, Cherry Lane Music, Peter Primont, said Irving was totally deserving of a Sunshine Award as he is one the most successful composers of all time. By 1997 his songs had sold over one hundred million records throughout the world. On April 15 of the same year he was also featured in the New York Times. In 2006 he received another Sunshine Award for his contribution to the performing arts. It was the same year The Awards paid tribute to the 50th anniversary of Day-O.
In 1989, Burgie received an honourary doctorate from The University of The West Indies (UWI). And, in January of 2007, Irving was honoured by UWI at a gala event in New York, when he was recognized as one of the greatest song writers of all times. Others honoured at that event were Ossie Davis, Maya Angelou, Sidney Poitier, Colin Powell and Butch Stewart. In the same year, Irving Burgie was inducted into song Writers Hall of Fame at their 37th annual award dinner.
Burgess and Sunshine Awards Founder, Gil Figaro, in Burgess’ backyard.
He was highly featured in the ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) Playback publication in the March-April 1997 issue. Burgie also published “Island In The Sun” in which he featured the musical score for the songs Day-O, River Coming Down, Island In The Sun, Jamaica Farewell, Yellow Bird, Land of The Sea and Sun, I Do Adore Her, Angelina, Gamblin and Kingston Market.
His music was featured in the 1957 movie of the same name, which was filmed in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Grenada. The movie, Island In The Sun, featured actress Dorothy Dandridge among other leading stars of that era. View the full movie by clicking on the link above.
Irving must be remembered as a Titan of Calypso Music, a significant personality in the spreading of this music to the rest of the world. Right now, he must be singing calypso in heaven with Maya Angelou, who stayed at his home while she was singing calypso in the 1950s. Irvin Louis Burgie deserves to be on that heavenly stage with all the great ones who have passed; King Radio, Growling Tiger, Spoiler, Lord Melody, Lord Kitchener and Mighty Shadow, just to name a few.
I’ve met Irving Burgie a few times at the Sunshine Awards. He was always so humble and polite and so welcoming. Never a man of arrogance or hubris, but always flashed a smile, bowed and said hello.
*First published on Limers’ Forum, December 1, 2019.
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Clevil James, Director of Calypso College (Canada), Founder of The Limers Online Calypso Forum, has been a Calypso Competition Judge in Canada for 12 years. Clevil is a graduate in the field of computer science whose mother hails from Hermitage, Saint Patrick, and his father from Victoria, Saint Mark, Grenada.