Sings Calypsos

Aldwyn Roberts, better known by the stage name Lord Kitchener, was born in Trinidad and Tobago in 1922. He moved to Port of Spain in 1943 where he joined the Roving Brigade. He was spotted singing “Mary I Am Tired And Disgusted” with the group by Johnny Khan, who invited him to perform in his Victory Tent, where he met fellow calypsonian Growling Tiger, who decided Roberts should from that point be known as Lord Kitchener. He became known as an innovator, introducing musical and lyrical changes, including frequent criticism of the British government’s control of the island. After the war he toured Jamaica for six months with Lord Beginner and Lord Woodbine before they took passage on the Empire Windrush to England in 1948. Within two years he was a regular performer on BBC radio, and was much in demand for live performances. He found further success in the UK in the 1950’s, building a large following in the expatriate communities of the West Indian islands while also remaining popular in Trinidad and Tobago.

In 1962, he returned to Trinidad, where he and the Mighty Sparrow proceeded to dominate the calypso competitions of the 1960’s and 1970’s. For 30 years he ran his own calypso tent, “Calypso Revue”, within which he nurtured the talent of many calypsonians. In 1993 a campaign was launched for Kitchener to receive the island’s highest civilian honour, the Trinity Cross. The government declined but offered him a lesser honour, which he turned down. He died in February 2000 at the Mount Hope Hospital in Port of Spain, where he is honoured with a statue.

For sale is an original US pressing of his album “Lord Kitchener Sings Calypsos (With And Without Social Significance)” from 1971, in great shape!