Mighty Duke (Kelvin Pope) (1932-2009) of Point Fortin, San Fernando, Trinidad W.I. Started his Calypso career in the 1950s'. He left a lucrative career at Shell (oil company) to write & sing Calypso. If I remember his first LP was released in 1964- Rough & Tumble Calypsoes- thank you Discogs!! He as Alvin Daniell pointed out won the Calypso Monarch four (4) consecutive years 1968- What Is Calypso? & Social Bacchanal, 1969- "Black & Beautiful"- similar to James Brown's "Say It Loud, I'm Black & I'm Proud" (1968)- during the Black Power movement in 1968 with H. Rap Brown, Bobby Seale, Stokley Carmichael...."Visina" (I wish I could say I heard some of his Monarch tunes- if someone has the LPs or 45s if you post them on RU-vid, your audience will be forever grateful). 1970- Black Power in Trinidad- "Brotherhood Of Man" & "See Through" and finally in 1971 "Melvin & Yvonne" I think? (I am off I know- somebody correct me). Also "Mathematical Formula". It's interesting to hear Duke say that in 1972- the year of the polio outbreak which claim 10 lives in Trinidad, the Mighty Sparrow wrote his two (2) selections "Rope" & "Drunk & Disorderly"- the Calypso Monarch & Road March of 1972 & they condemned him- also interesting to hear Duke say he hated those two party tunes. If I remember I read where Sparrow's LP- "Hotter Than Ever" (1972) recorded in Jamaica sold out quickly and he had to print a knock off version of the LP. Remember, in 1970, Sparrow's records hit the market too late, giving Lord Kitchener (1922-2000) the opportunity to win the Road March with the ballad "Margie" (1970) in tribute to his then English wife Marjorie. Of cousrse, fast forward to 1987- Duke & Frankie McIntosh came out with "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow" the LP had some classics "Get Up & Dance" & the Road March "Thunder"- sexy tune. 1988- he had Poison JW Records "Outrageous", "South Africa Must Be Free" "Acid Wash", "Please Explain". 1989- Party For Yuh Life- JW Records "Jamming Time" & "Yahhh". I believe he had "Radical" (1992)- Kitchener referenced the song in "No Wuk For Carnival" (1994). Duke died in 2009, of myeloma- a bone marrow cancer, in which the body doesn't produce enough red blood cells- red blood cells keep you alive, white blood cells fight off infections. He died just like Lord Shorty (1941-2000) & Lord Kitchener (1922-2000) in Mount Hope of myeloma.
