“Poverty is hell and the angels are in paradise driving in their limousine where everything is nice and clean. A poor man living in a teeny weenie hut, children hungry with nothing in the pot. Gone by the neighbour to beg for some rice, the neighbour under pressure, boy, things ain’t nice…poverty is hell.”
Those were the famous lyrics of legendary calypsonian Winston “Mighty Shadow” Bailey as he sought to address the hardships of poverty faced throughout the world. Like many musicians, he used his talents to address and raise awareness of the social ills in society employing a ready wit and humour.
On Tuesday, a cloud of sadness covered Trinidad and Tobago when it was announced that the Mighty Shadow has moved beyond the light at the age of 77. According to his relatives, Bailey died at the hospital following a stroke over the weekend.
He was due to receive an honorary doctorate from the St Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) on Thursday. He was among five people, including former West Indian international cricketer Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who were to receive honorary degrees from the University. Both Bailey and Chanderpaul were to be conferred with an Honorary Doctor of Letters and an Honorary Doctor of Laws respectively at UWI’s 2018 graduation ceremony, but only one was able to show up.
Bailey, a former Calypso Monarch and Road March winner, celebrated his 77th birthday on October 4. He was born in Belmont, a suburb of Port of Spain, and grew up in Les Coteaux, Tobago with his grandparents. He won the Road March in 1974 with “Bassman” and 2001 with the tune “Stranger”, making him the competition’s oldest winner. He won the Calypso Monarch in 2000 with “What’s Wrong With Me” and “Scratch Meh Back”.
He chose the stage name “Shadow” (he didn’t use “Mighty” himself) after coming across some workmen digging a road while he was walking. One of the workmen was in a hole below the road surface and the others were calling him “Shadow”. Bailey said: “I felt like they was calling me.” In his early years, he performed wearing all black, with a large hat covering part of his face.
Bailey is also known for his unique dance of jumping to the tempo of his music “skip-rope style” with both feet in the air at the same time. His extremely unique style and dance were exemplified particularly during one of his songs, “Dingolay”.
He was the second calypsonian to win both the International Soca Monarch and the Trinidad Road March competitions simultaneously, a feat he accomplished in 2001 with “Stranger”. He rivalled fellow calypsonians “The Mighty Sparrow” and “Lord Kitchener” after winning the Road March in 1974.
Bailey is the subject of Christopher Laird’s 2017 film “King from Hell”, featuring concert performances and an interview.
In 2003, Bailey received the Hummingbird Medal (Silver) for his contributions to music in Trinidad and Tobago. His list of albums includes: 1974 – “De Bassman”; 1979 – “Love Lite”; 1979 – “If I Coulda I Woulda I Shoulda”; 1980 – “Shadow”; 1984 – “Sweet Sweet Dreams”, with his latest being “Fully Loaded” in 2003.
Since his death, the Trinidadian music fraternity has been pouring in tributes. (Times Sunday Magazine)
