Javascript Menu by Deluxe-Menu.com

SKNBuzz Radio - Strictly Local Music Toon Center
My Account | Contact Us  

Our Partner For Official online store of the Phoenix Suns Jerseys

 Home  >  Headlines  >  ENTERTAINMENT
Posted: Wednesday 21 May, 2014 at 8:42 PM

Entertainer…SKN’s first National Calypso Monarch

Levi ’Entertainer’ Weekes
By: Entertainment Reporter, SKNVibes.com

    BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IN 1971, during the first staging of the National Carnival Senior Calypso Monarch Competition, a young man with the stage name ‘Entertainer’ became not only the first Kaiso king of the Federation, but also the first to retain his title in the following year. 

     

    SKNVibes Entertainment, in search of this history-maker, took some time to find him as we were notified that he no longer lives in St. Kitts and Nevis, but we caught up with the Kaiso legend last weekend in Cayon at a house that he owns. 

    Levi Weekes, who has been singing Calypsos under the moniker ‘Entertainer’ and is now living in the United States of America, explained to this publication that he returned home just a couple of days ago to attend the funeral of a family member. 

    On the front patio of his house in Cayon, the former king revealed that his Calypso career began as a youngster growing up in Cayon listening to a number of inspiring calypsonians from across the region.

    “It all started when I was 15 years-old around the 60s. I got selected by the St. Kitts Scouts Association to represent the Federation in Trinidad and Tobago; and while there, I became fascinated with how the artistes performed.”

    While in the twin-island Republic, Entertainer said he had the opportunity to hear famous calypsonians such as Lord Ryno, King Fighter and the Mighty Sparrow. 

    “From seeing all of them, I just decided from that point that this is something I wanted to do. So I looked at this as a way to express myself, “Entertainer said.

    He explained that Calypso music back in the olden days was used for more than entertainment purposes, adding that it was also used as a platform to speak about issues that affected the population, especially in the political arena.

    “It was a way to give your opinion on certain issues and not be victimised in any way possible. Everybody would want to see something changed about their country and you cannot go directly to a minister or any official to air your views. Calypso gives you the opportunity to do so in an entertaining way,” Entertainer said.

    The calypsonian also said that because he was young and going to church, his mother had an issue with his new found interest to enter the Calypso arena, but after a few years she eventually relented and offered her support.

    “I used go to the Church of God in Cayon and I can vividly remember when I made my first Calypso and sang it to some guys when one of the guys from the church saw me. To make a long story short, it was a stigma that was attached to Calypso with our parents,” Entertainer said.

    Entertainer added that parents were so serious with the musical genre that songs of such nature could not be sung or aired on Sundays, which he deemed colloquially as ‘Quelbeh’. He also stated that in those days the older folks did not want their children to be identified with people who sang Calypsos.

    “I believe that that barrier was broken after our first National Carnival Calypso Competition. It displayed the way how Calypso was represented after then, and people realised that, ‘Hey, you don’t have to be all the bad things people align to those who sing Calypsos. Anybody can do it!” Entertainer explained.

    On his return to St. Kitts from Trinidad, Entertainer said he had decided to pen his first song, which was inspired by his trip to and experience gained in the twin-island Republic. 

    The former champion noted that he performed at a number of Calypso tents and concerts throughout the Federation.

    “I sang in front of crowds, did some impromptu performances, which you call extempore, and me and some others did this among ourselves, “Entertainer said. 
      
    Entertainer said that the first time he heard his good friend and former competitor ‘Sweeny’ performed he made a firm decision to write his own Calypso and enter the National Senior Calypso Competition.

    “There was a friend of mine by the name of ‘Snipe’; he died a few years back. And one year he performed and I again thought to myself that I can do that. So I was talking to some of the guys and I told them I am going to go and win the crown as a joke,” Entertainer said. 

    What was intended as a joke soon became a nationwide anticipation as word got around that Entertainer would be featured in the first ever National Carnival Senior Calypso Competition. 

    “I had no plans of singing that year because I joked about it a lot. But after the word got around and everybody wanted me to sing, I decided to show my appreciation to the fans on the night of the competition.” 

    While an employee of the St. Kitts Electricity Department and well-known for his humourous style of singing, Entertainer composed two songs - ‘Outspoken’ and ‘Judged Calypso’ – to enter the competition.

    “I was the switchboard operator then, and one night as I was at work the thought came to me and I wrote it down. By the next morning, I made a few changes here and there and I went onstage and the judges loved it,” Entertainer said. 

    He won the competition.

    No, this interview does not end here! Look out for Part Two in which Entertainer talks about meeting and performing with his childhood inspiration and what he has been up to over the last decade. 

    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. 




     
Copyright © 2024 SKNVibes, Inc. All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy   Terms of Service