I WAS a growing boy mesmerized by the art of Calypso with its many interesting characters, pulsating and addictive rhythms as well as the provocative, humorous and thought provoking lyrics when I first heard of the Mighty Prince. Little did I know at the time that this Calypso fanatic would become my close associate, EXTEMPO partner and very close friend. Like the offerings “If” by the late Jeff Pelay Elva and “Where Do We Go from Here” by the late Carro, “Doh Smoke Dope” from the Mighty Prince brought excitement, much needed education and infectious music to many. The 1974 Road March hit is undoubtedly one of Prince’s greatest contributions and despite its now seemingly controversial message the reality is that it must be considered within its time context. It was an important message then and dealt with the serious issue of drug abuse.
I grew up watching Prince and his antics on stage with his customized dance moves, powerful hypnotic voice and conspicuous attire no matter what the occasion. His “Best Dressed Calypsonian” title came under threat when South Calypso Tent’s “Lord Believe Me” came on the scene but truth be told Prince was well attired everywhere he went, on and off the stage. “Believe Me” had to settle for the most electrifying. My first real face to face encounter with the Mighty Prince came through EXTEMPO when Papa Vader (Ignatius Tisin) invited me to be part of a small group of EXTEMPO artistes performing at the then Caribbees Hotel (now Bel Jou). It was through these sometimes lengthy and thought provoking encounters that I discovered the true talent and cordial disposition of the Mighty Prince. His wit, satire, composure and natural comedic tendencies easily won the hearts of audiences everywhere we performed. No matter how embarrassing the attack he never got angry and saw it as part of the performance. A product of his poetic license was the word “Marrykong” the meaning of which I still don’t know and never bothered to research. The bottom line was that it brought the house down every time he used it. However, the greatest moment in his EXTEMPO career was our 1998 inaugural final at the National Cultural Centre when he was apparently lost for words against me, Ezi Hall
“Hall Hall Hall Hall, Hall Hall Hall Hall Hall
Why the hell you making me bawl”
The eruption that followed was no less than 7.9 on the humour scale. To this day I am still greeted by many with the first line of Prince’s response…. Hall Hall Hall Hall.
At national events, government functions, exhibitions, hotels, restaurants, bars, charitable events, private homes and even funerals we extempoed our way into the hearts and souls of people and the Mighty Prince is nothing short of a Kaiso Legend. There are few who can claim the title of complete calypsonian, meaning that they write and produce music, sing and perform on stage both Calypso and Extempo. The Mighty Prince is one of the few and it is not surprising that he has passed the same year that we lost his long-time friend, producer, musician, singer, arranger Scabby. They were two true professionals in entertainment. Both gone during my 20th Anniversary… did they plan this?
Prince was also an ardent karaoke follower whose sparrow renditions made you realize that this was a real Kaiso Master. My last performance with the Mighty Prince was in Rodney Bay with Papa Vader and Gene Lawrence on guitar. Earlier this year I got the news that Prince would pass within a few days and had been administered Last Rites. That was months ago… even before Scabby got ill. That man was a fighter for those who don’t know his story.
Two guys and a guitarist, two hours of entertainment… Scabby, Prince and Ezi Hall. We did this so many times in so many different places and always with the same result – entertainment mayhem. I owe a lot to the mighty Prince for a lot of what I’ve done in Extempo and so I implore all true lovers of the arts and patriotic St Lucians to join me in honouring the life and memory of Kaiso and EXTEMPO Legend, The Mighty Prince.
His funeral will be held on Wednesday October, 16 2019 at the Maranatha SDA church at 2 p.m.
My love for calypso grew because of Prince. We grew up on Lance Road and this guy could compose a calypso on the spot on any given topic. He had an older brother that was just as good, but Price was our age so were closer to him.
I once sang to him a calypso that he had compose way back in the 60s and he was shocked that I remembered it.
I use to follow him around during the carnival seasons back then, just to learn the calypsos coming out of Trinidad. He knew them all.
Plus he had this great sense of humor, that when ever anyone interfered with him he, would get back at them with his jokes.
RIP. my brother.
Thank you, Pete, for saying such beautiful things about my brother, my heart was filled with joy knowing that he touched many lives, although we lived far away from each other, my memories of him remain intact, he was truly a wonderful brother, you may be wondering what takes me so long to write you, I had no clue there was an article about until today. Thank you once more and may God bless you!