BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – FROM participating in the very first Junior Calypso Competition in St. Kitts and Nevis in 1973 to twice winning the National Carnival Calypso Monarch Competition, Walston Shield has now left a legacy of music for his generation. But where is he now?
Sitting in the office of SKNVibes Entertainment, dressed in his colourful blue and yellow beach shirt, complimented with a blue SKN cap, Mr. Shield, in our exclusive interview, said that coming from a musical background encouraged him to make music his first love at a very tender age.
“I came from a musical background. My father was a guitarist and he actually had a workshop that was an entertainment centre, and from time to time musicians would come with their instrument and play there.”
The Sandy Point native told this publication that his brother, Ken Shield, who has a band in New York, also had a drive for music as he, just like his father, became a bass guitar player.
“I was more a music Prefect in the Sandy Point High School along with another famous artiste, Ben Jacks,” the Sandy Pointer said.
His first shot at Calypso
Starshield explained that the first year of the National Carnival Junior Calypso Competition, members of the Carnival Committee went scouting around the Federation in search of their first young Calypso star.
“The calypsonians in Sandy Point at that time were too afraid to compete in the Carnival Village in the city, and they wanted someone to give them moral support. Ben Jacks was already a teacher and I was still a student, so he didn’t feel that he was ready for the Calypso genre and so was I,” Starshield said.
In 1973 Starshield decided to write a song, which he called ‘Historical Importance’, after it was learnt that the competition required every performing artistes to compile a song based on that historical year.
He told SKNVibes Entertainment that 1973 was indeed a historical year for the Federation of St. Christopher and Nevis because “the Prince of Wales, at the time, came and opened up the Prince of Wales Bastian. We were the Bandarama Champions that year and we were Netball Champions of the Caribbean”.
His Calypso Career
In 1973 Starshield placed Second Runner-up in the first National Carnival Junior Calypso Competition, but bettered that performance in the following year with ‘Black Principal’.
Nineteen seventy-five saw Starshield entering the National Carnival Senior Calypso Competition at age 17, but although making it to the Finals on his first try, he finished Fourth Runner-up.
The following year also saw the young calypsonian making it yet again to the Finals of the competition but again finishing in the same position. However, in 1977, at age 19, he was crowned the National Carnival Senior Calypso Monarch with a song called ‘Justice on the Old Hog’.
The ball game changed in 1978 after he placed First Runner-up to the veteran Ellie Matt.
The Road March Title was also added to his winning collection in 1981 with his song ‘Hooray Mass’, but he did not win the Calypso Monarch title that year.
After participating for a number of years, Starshield redeemed himself and captured the senior category in 1987 with ‘Story of the Hidden Light and Fire’ and ‘Fire, Brimstone and Thunder’.
Starshield continued to compete until 2006 when he paused to focus on his family and managing his one-man band.
This is just Part One of our exclusive interview with the Calypso legend. In Part Two we will find out what Walston Shield has been up to since 2006 and how he came up with the stage name Starsheild.
Editor-in-Chief's Note: SKNVibes solicits suggestions from the public in identifying other individuals who have made significant contributions to the Calypso art form in St. Kitts and Nevis. Feel free to email us at newsroom@sknvibes.com or call us at (869) 466-9242 or (869) 662-3901 and pass on the relevant information.
