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The Mighty Sparrow receives the Carlos Lezama Lifetime Achievement Award.Nelson A. King<\/p>\nDr. Suzanne Straker Greenidge-Hewitt, the daughter of the late, Vincentian-born Granville Leonard Straker, considered the \u201cGodfather of Soca Music,\u201d says the passing of the legendary Calypso King of the World, the Mighty Sparrow, on Sunday, Sept. 27, exactly one month after her father\u2019s death, has brought another important part of Straker\u2019s musical legacy back to the surface for her family.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Mighty Sparrow was not simply an artist whose music my father admired; Straker\u2019s Records was part of Sparrow\u2019s recorded history,\u201d Dr. Straker Greenidge-Hewitt, a physician and director of Granville Straker Legacy Project, told Caribbean Life on Monday, Sept. 28.<\/p>\n
She said that, in 1970, the Brooklyn-based Straker\u2019s Records released \u201cThe Best of The Mighty Sparrow \u2014 Live at The Blue Coronet in Brooklyn,\u201d followed by additional Sparrow 45s on the Straker\u2019s label in the early 1970s.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Mighty Sparrow receives the Carlos Lezama Lifetime Achievement Award.Nelson A. King<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was also a personal relationship,\u201d Dr. Straker Greenidge-Hewitt said. \u201cSparrow was a friend of our family, and I remember my father affectionately referring to him as \u2018Birdie.’\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe timing of their passing feels especially poignant to us \u2014 daddy on Aug. 27 and Sparrow exactly one month later on Sept. 27,\u201d she added. \u201cAs I continue going through my father\u2019s catalog, recordings, photographs and memorabilia, I keep discovering just how extensive his contribution to Caribbean music really was.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThese records are more than vinyl to our family; they are pieces of Caribbean music history and evidence of the relationships, friendships and cultural work that helped carry this music from the islands to Brooklyn and throughout the Diaspora,\u201d Dr. Straker Greenidge-Hewitt continued. \u201cFor me, the more I uncover, the more amazed I become at what my father accomplished. Sparrow was only one chapter of that story.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can only imagine daddy and \u2018Birdie\u2019 together again, making music in heaven,\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n
The Straker family said that, over about three decades, Straker\u2019s record label released an estimated 600 to 700 albums, more than 1,000 12-inch records and several thousand singles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The family said the roster included generations of celebrated artists such the Mighty Sparrow, Calypso Rose, The Mighty Shadow, Black Stalin, Chalkdust, Lord Nelson, Lord Melody, the Mighty Duke, Explainer, Winston Soso, Singing Francine, and Machel Montano.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a brief illness, the Mighty Sparrow died \u201cpeacefully\u201d in Queens on Sunday at 91, his family said in a statement.\n<\/p>\n
The family said that Sparrow \u2014 the\u00a0 Grenadian-born and Trinidad and Tobago iconic calypso ambassador, whose real name was Slinger Francisco \u2014 was surrounded by loved ones at his passing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On Sept. 20, popular Brooklyn pastor Louis Straker, Jr., lead pastor of Reflections Church on Utica Avenue in Brooklyn, eulogized his cousin, Granville Straker, who died at 86.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The life of Vincentian-born Granville Leonard Straker, pioneering founder of Straker\u2019s Records and champion of calypso and Soca music, was celebrated at St. Teresa of Avila Church Hall, 563 Sterling Pl., Brooklyn.<\/p>\n
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Granville Straker and his wife of 24 years, Beverly Straker.Nelson A. King<\/p>\n
\u201cIt truly is an honor to stand before you today as we celebrate the life of our dearly beloved and Caribbean music icon and legend Granville Leonard Straker,\u201d said Pastor Straker, who also presided over the two-hour-plus-long service, dubbing his eulogy \u201cStraker\u2019s Record.\u201d \u201cOften times, it\u2019s hard to see, particularly when coming from humble beginnings, the greatness that will eventually flow out of you as God often won\u2019t reveal it until the appropriate time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we had the opportunity to ask Granville here today, \u2018When you were a little boy, did you know you would one day called \u2018The Godfather of Soca Music?\u2019 Did you know that you would one day become the founder and Chief Executive Officer of a Caribbean music empire that worked with, and catapulted the legendary careers of Chalkdust, The Mighty Shadow, The Black Stalin, Calypso Rose, Winston Soso, Poser, Scorcher, Singing Francine, Duke, King Wellington, and Lord Shorty?\u201d asked the son of former St. Vincent and the Grenadines Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Sir Louis Straker, who was also among mourners.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know your work would impact both the Calypso King of the World \u2014 The Mighty Sparrow, and the Soca King of the World \u2014 The one and only, Machel Montano?\u201d Pastor Straker added. \u201cDid you know that your work would highlight the \u2018Bass Man\u2019 and give life to the \u201cWoman on the Bass? Did you know you would work with the Quincy Jones of Soca music, Frankie McIntosh, and produce hundreds of records, exposing the world to the rich sounds of our Caribbean music?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure the answer would have been a resounding \u2018No\u2019, as sometimes the greatness inside of us is hidden while we are being developed in obscure places,\u201d Pastor Straker continued.<\/p>\n
He said Granville Straker came to America in 1959, continued working as a mechanic, and it \u201cwould only be a matter of time before what was formulating on the inside would eventually lead to a Caribbean music enterprise on the outside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that beloved is sometimes how God works in producing His plan and purpose for our lives,\u201d Pastor Straker said. \u201cThus, today, the world remembers Granville Straker for the records he made. But I want you to know that heaven remembers him for the record that he kept.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Pastor Louis Straker, Jr. gives a eulogy.Nelson A. King<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile the world counts gold and platinum record sales, the God of the universe counts faithful servants. While the world measures popularity and fame, it is God who measures stewardship,\u201d he added. \u201cI need you to understand, The Master didn\u2019t give Granville Straker music so he could become famous. He gave Granville Straker influence so Caribbean music could become known to the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHis record shows that cousin Granville helped make Caribbean music known to the world by building a bridge. He connected St. Vincent, Brooklyn, Trinidad, America, the Caribbean, the Diaspora, artists, audiences, studios, record stores, concert halls, you name it!\u201d Pastor Straker continued. \u201cHe was constantly building bridges. And my bible reminds me in Isaiah 58:12 that God loves bridge builders.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Sept. 19, Caribbean leaders paid tribute to the Mighty Sparrow.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, our nation mourns the loss of an icon whose legacy will forever live in the hearts of all citizens of Trinidad and Tobago,\u201d said Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in a statement. \u201cSparrow was a true patriot and revered ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough his music, his wit, and his unmatched contribution to culture, he carried the spirit and stories of our people across the world,\u201d she added. \u201cFor decades, Sparrow has been part of the soundtrack of Trinidad and Tobago. His music made us laugh, made us think, and made us proud of who we are.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn behalf of the Government and people of Trinidad and Tobago, I extend my deepest condolences to his family and loved ones,\u201d Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar continued.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley said that, \u201cfor 70 years, the Mighty Sparrow has been woven into our Caribbean civilization.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\u201cListen to his recordings and you hear our history,\u201d she said. \u201cCalypso gave the ordinary West Indian a voice. Sparrow carried it to the world with incomparable genius.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBorn in Grenada and raised in Trinidad, he belonged to all of us,\u201d Mottley added. \u201cJust months after losing our beloved Sir Garry, whose greatness Sparrow celebrated in song, we must now say goodbye to him too \u2013 two extraordinary sons who made this Caribbean stand taller.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTo his family and the people of Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados stands with you in sorrow and gratitude,\u201d she continued. \u201cLet our children hear him. Let them know that this brilliance came from among us.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven now, his words still echo: \u2018Sparrow take over now,\u2019\u201d Mottley said. \u201cYou did, Birdie. You took your place in the heart of a civilization, and there you will remain. Rest in peace, Mighty Sparrow. Your voice will live on forever.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Godwin Friday said that \u201cthe Caribbean has lost an unmistakable voice.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cFor generations, the music of the Mighty Sparrow formed part of the soundtrack of Caribbean life,\u201d he said. \u201cHis calypso made us laugh, think, question and, at times, confront ourselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSlinger Francisco\u2019s contribution to calypso and to the cultural identity of our region is immeasurable,\u201d Dr. Friday added. \u201cHis music will remain with us, and, so too, will the influence he has had on generations of Caribbean entertainers.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn behalf of the Government and people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, I extend sincere condolences to his family and loved ones, and to the people of Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago, who mourn one of the Caribbean\u2019s most treasured cultural icons,\u201d the Vincentian prime minister said.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dr. Suzanne Straker Greenidge-Hewitt, the daughter of the late, Vincentian-born Granville Leonard Straker, considered the \u201cGodfather of Soca…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":363337,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,100,99,9,24,63],"class_list":["post-363336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=363336"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363336\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/363337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=363336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=363336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=363336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}