Mighty Duke battling serious illness

[davyjenny1]

He was the best dressed calypsonian during his time.A pic of The Mighty Duke
and Duane O'Connor together onstage www.calypsovibrations.com
O'Connor gain popularity when he sang a tribute to the Mighty Duke at the
Dimanche Gras 2007. very sad indeed RIP

[palos]

Davy....daz u?

[davyjenny1]

Davy....daz u?

  Yep

[weary1969]

More tributes for Duke pour in
Published: January 15th, 2009
As tributes continue to pour in regarding the passing of Kelvin Pope aka Mighty Duke, the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (Doma) said the memory of the calypso icon would forever live on. A release yesterday said Pope fitted the perfect description of a “beautiful person.”

It stated, “Duke won respect by being respectful and his legacy will not only be his catalogue of great calypso hits but his sterling qualities as an outstanding gentleman.” It added that Pope always had “a moment to say hello” and attracted attention due to his charisma. “Duke was a good friend to downtown Port-of-Spain, gracing our sidewalks with his handsome presence and his handsome, vivacious smile,” the release added.
And the United National Congress (UNC) also offered its condolences regarding Pope’s death.

A release yesterday described Pope as “an allround writer and performer.”
It stated, “The Mighty Duke rose to the pinnacle of his field through versatility. “His achievements are larger than the distinction of four consecutive Monarchs and the Road March.”

The Copyright Organisation of T&T (Cott) says the country and the indigenous musical fraternity has lost an icon with the passing of Duke. A release yesterday stated that Cott’s president Lutalo Masimba said, “His departure is a great loss to the music of the world not only calypso. He was one of the finest composers of the modern era. He was a strong supporter of the Network Riddum Band.”

[TriniCana]

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161425710

http://guardian.co.tt/news/general/2009/01/15/kaiso-greats-sing-praises-champion

Express say he Trini.  Guardian say Vincy.  Which one?  Not that it really matters. 

Born in the 1930s in Point Fortin, South Trinidad

http://www.trinisoca.com/duke/140109.html

[Deeks]

IU thought he born in St. Vincent.

[weary1969]

Duke to be honoured in PoS, Pt Fortin
Michelle Loubon | 11:04 pm
Published: January 16th, 2009
 
Kelvin Pope
Michelle Loubon | 11:04 pm
Veteran calypsonian Hollis Liverpool (Chalkdust) said yesterday his late comrade Kelvin Pope’s beloved classic How Many More Must Die will be sung at his send-off at Coronation Park, Pt Fortin, on January 22nd.
Pope died at the Ellerslie Park Private Hospital (formerly Stanley’s) at 1.05 pm on January 13. For some time, he had been battling bone marrow cancer.

Liverpool said the double celebration on Pope’s life would take place at City Hall, Knox Street, Port-of-Spain, on January 19 and 20 and in Pope’s hometown of Point Fortin on January 22. Duke, 77, was born in St Vincent and came to Trinidad at a tender age and lived at Andel Road in Point Fortin, before moving to Cap-de-Ville Main Road. Liverpool said: “How Many More Must Die is one of the songs Duke was most famous for. It brought home the message of the evil of apartheid in South Africa under PW Botha’s regime.

“It will definitely be sung in his honour. We will be singing a lot of songs from his repertoire. I know Teach The Children, too. It was another one of his favourites. But I haven’t selected them all yet.”
Liverpool said he was still in the process of finalising the programme for Thursday. “There will be a lot of calypso and calypsonians. I know (calypsonians) Luta and Gypsy will be there for sure. We want to give the grand man of calypso a fine send-off.”

Celebration at City Hall, Port-of-Spain
Liverpool said Duke’s legions of fans in the North and East will also get an opportunity to pay tribute to him in Port-of-Spain. He said: “We are inviting the public to come and pay tribute to him in song, dance or lyrical verse. We want to accommodate people who cannot make it all the way to South. People will want to pay their respects to this great icon.” Pope, a four-time Calypso Monarch, left a legacy like his 1987 Road March hit Thunder, Work It For Me, Black Is Beautiful and Visina.

Relator pays tribute

Meanwhile, his colleagues like Relator continued paying tribute to Pope yesterday. Strumming on his guitar, Relator sang Black Is Beautiful at a media luncheon hosted by T&TEC at the Grand Ballroom, Hilton Trinidad, St Ann’s, yesterday

[capodetutticapi]

look like de duke and de teacher was good friends.

[Tallman]

Duke was good not great
T&T Newsday

THE EDITOR: “The King is dead; long live the King!” These are kind and compassionate words; nothing more.

The Mighty Duke was a good calypsonian, but not a great one. While it is true that he won the Calypso crown four times consecutively, it must be recognised that the period of the late 1960s was weak and unimpressive. Apart from Kitchener, everyone struggled to impress. Sparrow was good in 1969 but was otherwise a shadow of his former self and was ridiculed in song by the Merrymen of Barbados. Musical accompaniment was generally scrappy and Arthur de Coteau appeared to be the only credible option. Wit and originality were generally lacking and the public was anxious for Calypso to get off the canvas. This breath of fresh air did not come until 1974 (although Sparrow had a good year in 1972) with the ascendancy of the Mighty Shadow.

The 1970s and 1980s saw a general improvement in lyrics, music, styles, range and accompaniment. Chalkdust, Shadow, Valentino, Rose, Lord Shorty, Stalin, Scrunter, Blueboy, David Rudder, Maestro contributed to the new energy.

And this is what made the Lord Kitchener great; the old man adapted and dominated. Duke on the other hand was a cast-filler; whether he was there or not didn’t affect the Box-office. Pelham Goddard, Ed Watson, Frankie McIntosh and Leston Paul re-vitalised the musical accompaniment, and the fans were happy once more. It is rumoured that he was more successful as a composer, but I would not (and cannot) make anything of this until the air is cleared publicly. I don’t engage in gossip.

Finally, I wish to implore the good Prof Rohlehr (who I must be careful not to antagonise since he always has mighty fine wine) to use the word “great” sparingly. Very sparingly.

ERROL MICHAEL “Philo” PHILLIPS
via e-mail

[Tallman]

Mighty Duke's last 'chip'
Nikita Braxton (T&T Express)

ESCORTED through San Fernando by moko jumbies bearing the banner "Farewell Duke", the body of Kelvin "The Mighty Duke" Pope was driven from Coffee Street to Harris Promenade, San Fernando, yesterday morning.

The tribute was a collaboration between Belgrove's Funeral Home, Wack 90.1 Radio Station and Kaisokah Moko Jumbies headed by Junior Bisnath.

The motorcade came from Trincity, but the San Fernando procession started in front the music station on Coffee Street to the sounds of Duke's music. Kenny Phillips, chief executive officer at 90.1, said the station intended to keep the calypsonian's memory alive. A poster of the late singer was also displayed, and Bisnath brought an artefact showing the four consecutive years Pope won the National Monarch title from 1968 to 1971.

Curious onlookers stopped their shopping and came out of stores, while others stood at the entrances of bars and barber shops as the hearse made its way through San Fernando to City Hall.

Jennifer "Trini Albany" Armstrong, who lives in New York, USA, but is in Trinidad for the Carnival season, described herself as a "Wack supporter" who had to be part of the procession. She waved flags along with the small group that chipped behind the hearse.

Seventy-year-old Cynthia Ross, who walked with grocery bags in hand from Lord Street, described the Mighty Duke as her favourite calypsonian as she sang along to his music from an accompanying car.

The body was welcomed to City Hall while the Mighty Duke's popular song "How Many More Must Die?" was played. The crowd also sang along to "Love Vibrations". After ten minutes, the hearse made its way to Point Fortin, where Duke's body was on view until 6 p.m.

The Mighty Duke will be buried today at the Point Fortin Cemetery, following a funeral service at Coronation Park, Point Fortin.

[Socaman]

Funeral showing on.....  http://www.ctntworld.com/livestream/index.html

[TriniCana]

ERROL MICHAEL “Philo” PHILLIPS kiss my red arse eh

[Tallman]

ERROL MICHAEL “Philo” PHILLIPS kiss my red arse eh

Look at what you encouraging