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July 7 – 9, 2021
Emrold Anthony Phillip, aka Brother Valentino & Slinger Francisco, aka the Mighty Sparrow
The month of July provides the opportunity to salute two outstanding octogenarian Caribbean cultural icons, the Birdie and brother Val. Big Drum Nation features back-to-back releases on these two prolific and popular proponents of socially conscious Caribbean music.
While today, July 7th, marks the 80th birthday of Emrold Anthony Phillip, aka Brother Valentino, Friday, July 9th marks the 86th birthday of Slinger Francisco, the Mighty Sparrow.
Both were born in Grenada: Slinger Francisco was born in Gran Roi, July 9, 1935, while Emrold Anthony Phillip hailed from the village of Cherry Hill on July 7, 1941.
The two Grenadian families followed the migratory pull to Trinidad on the eve of or during WWII. If Grenada was the incubator, T&T was where these two songbirds matured, got up, and began to fly.
Brother Val, who originally acquired the sobriquet ‘Robin,’ would boast that he came to Trinidad on a Carnival Monday with his parents at the age of five. Sparrow, also arriving as a child with his mother, inherited his nickname from his bird-like antics, fluttering around the stage in his earliest performances.
We feature our December 08, 2020 Interview with brother Valentino. Popularly known as the People’s Kaisonian, an epithet with respect to his signature ‘message music’, one can go heavy skanking with brother Val while words of inspiration are ingrained.
In the Interview (excerpted here), brother Val revealed that although his parents had high expectations for him, his earliest job experience ranged from tailor, mechanic, printer, carpentry, and electrician, until finding his calling by experiencing the artistry of Sparrow, Kitchener and other contemporary practitioners of the art.
Brother Valentino was committed from the start to the essence of the art form, a messenger in true journalist fashion, as he does in “Whey Calypso Gone,” with special appreciation to Big Drum Nation’s founder/editor Caldwell Taylor!
Bro Val revealed that while emulating and motivated by Sparrow, it was, however, Spoiler’s (Theophilus Philip 1926 – 1960) articulation, delivery, and style, that made him want to be a calypsonian. But not just an ordinary Kaisonian. Brother Valentino chronicles his mission, from his first tent experiences to the fascinating story of the chance meeting with the love of his life.
On Friday, July 9, we feature two reflections on The Mighty Sparrow.
— Caldwell Taylor, Susan Patrice, Winthrop Holder, Martin Felix