Jamaican singer Derrick Harriot and calypsonian Brother Valentino die
Harriot, who founded the Jiving Juniors, died aged 87, while Grenada-born Valentino, known as the people's calypsonian, died aged 85.
KINGSTON, Jamaica. The Caribbean music world is mourning two veteran performers: Jamaican singer Derrick Harriot and the Grenada-born Trinidad and Tobago calypsonian Brother Valentino.
Derrick 'the Chariot' Harriot
Harriot died in Jamaica at the age of 87. Born on 6 February, a birthday he shared with Bob Marley, he attended Excelsior High School, where his uncle, Wesley A. Powell, was headmaster. Powell also founded the Excelsior Community College.
According to accounts from Irietimes.com, the young Harriot was regularly rebuked for missing classes, with one recurring excuse being that he wanted "to check out stage shows and recording sessions."
He went on to form the singing group the Jiving Juniors and recorded a string of chart-topping hits. Among the best known is the falsetto ballad "What Can I Do?". His driving force on stage earned him the nickname "the Chariot".
He was remembered for his cool disposition, ambition and humble spirit.
Brother Valentino
Brother Valentino, born Emrold Anthony Phillip in Cherry Hill, Grenada, in 1941, died on 21 October aged 85. He moved to Trinidad and Tobago as a child, and his death follows that of another Grenada-born calypso great, Slinger Francisco, the Mighty Sparrow.
He was given the name Valentino by Lord Kitchener and later adopted the title Brother Valentino during the Black Power era of the 1970s. Fellow calypsonian Black Stalin called him "the people's calypsonian", a title earned through his tradition of political commentary.
His catalogue includes "Trinidad is Nice, Trinidad is Paradise", "Dis Place Nice", "Stay Up Zimbabwe", "No Revolution" and "Life is a Stage". His work was defined by a commitment to dignity and justice for the poor, and he regularly performed at pre-Labor Day gatherings in New York.
A home-going service was held at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Port of Spain.
