The calypso music of Trinidad and Tobago has a rich historical background dating back to earlier than the 1900s. Enslaved Africans used the calypso genre as an instrument of resistance against colonialism.

The Trinidad and Tobago calypso is a voice for the voiceless; it is a poor man’s newspaper, an editorial in song encompassing society’s current events while documenting the history of Trinidad and Tobago.

When calypso music left Trinidad and Tobago and travelled to America, the West Indians who resided there began to popularise a form of calypso music which differed from the traditional calypso genre. It is through this process of acculturation that allowed the calypso music that migrated to the United States to begin incorporating foreign influences into its repertoire.

Through an interdisciplinary approach, my dissertation argues that between the 1940s-1950s, when the calypso music of Trinidad and Tobago entered a foreign place, its elements fundamentally changed.

The popular calypso craze of the 1950s is notably one of the most impactful periods in Trinidad and Tobago’s calypso history.

The calypso music was so popular that artiste such as Bob Marley, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nat King Cole were singing calypso. Many musical commentators believed it would have replaced other popular genres in the heights of its popularity. Harry Belafonte’s portrayal of calypso music enjoyed commercial success, and his ‘Calypso’ album sold over one million copies in America.

For a period, the calypso music dominated the entertainment industry in America. The calypso recordings produced in America was being imported to Trinidad and Tobago and throughout the Caribbean

Wednesday 21st September, 2022 at 1:00 p.m.

Ms. TEESHA WELLINGTON is a Cultural Specialist having acquired her bachelor’s degree in Carnival Studies and Theatre Arts from the University of the West Indies (UWI) in 2015, and a Master of Arts in Carnival Studies in 2016 at The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT). Ms. Wellington is currently pursuing her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Cultural Studies at UTT, and the topic under investigation is: "The Popular Calypso Craze of 1943s- 1959s".

Ms. Wellington prides herself as a skilled wire bender taught under the tutorship of the late Narcenio ‘Senor’ Gomez. She has taught this art of wire bending at both primary and secondary school levels. Ms. Wellington, a young entrepreneur, is the Founder and Directing Manager of Gola Consultancy and Supplies, a Carnival Consultancy business. She is also a calypso researcher who volunteers her time to help establish a calypsonian database.