T&T's TOP
CALYPSO COMPOSER TURNS LATEST MEDICAL SETBACK INTO
A STROKE OF GOOD
FORTUNE
By Kim Johnson
Sunday Express
March 12, 2000
Page 11
He's
written most of Sparrow's calypsoes of the 1970s and 1980s, including,
"Rope", "Capitalism Gone Mad", "Phillip My Dear",
"Saltfish", "Marajhin", "Survival" (which won
Sparrow's last crown), and about another 50 or 60. Devine has also written for Baron ("Feeling It",
"Jammer" and many other hits).
Indeed, the list, longer than his memory, includes Poser, Blakie,
Natasha Wilson, Explainer, Sugar Aloes
At
one time, song writing came so easily to Winsford "Joker'
Device that it was difficult, boring.
"After
a time I got fed up and it wasn't a challenge no longer," he says.
Devine
leans forward for emphasis. His left
hand is flicking open and closed, as if he's snapping awkwardly to a beat.
"Before,
it had become a job," he says, trying to explain the conundrum. 'To pick up the guitar was a problem because
it was so easy. When I pick up that
guitar, strum prum prum - things come.
Now I have to lay down and study it."
That
is the irony of someone so talented that he could churn out calypsoes at
will. It's earned him a Hummingbird
Silver medal, for having written over 500 calypsoes in a 30-year career, Devine
is probably the most prolific calypso writer ever.
"Those
days I write a lot of superficial things - "Paul (Yuh Mudder Come)",
"Take a Man" - superficial," he says of two of Crazy's more
popular calypsoes. A stroke some years
ago stopped his guitar playing, so he taught himself keyboards. Now a second stroke has halted that too, and
song writing has become difficult once again.
"Now
I plan a song, I lie in bed. Me and
Crazy discuss what we want to sing. Me
and Trini too. Like long time with
Sparrow."
He's
written most of Sparrow's calypsoes of the 1970s and 1980s, including,
"Rope", "Capitalism Gone Mad", "Phillip My Dear",
"Saltfish", "Marajhin', "Survival" (which won
Sparrow's last crown), and about another 50 or 60.
Devine
has also written for baron ("Feeling It", "Jammer", and
many other hits). Indeed, the list,
longer than his memory, includes Poser, Blakie, Natasha Wilson, Explainer,
Sugar Aloes, Charlene Boodram, Karen Ashe, Atlantik, Rukshun, Cockroach, crazy,
Marcia Miranda, Twiggy, Trini. It was
Devine who launched Junior Monarch Machel Montano.
"He
mother and father come to me to write a song to defend the junior crown. The evening after they leave I see him on TV
- a little boy. I say he too young to
soca," recalls Devine. "When
the parents return I say we not going to defend the crown, we going to
record. I send them by Leston
Paul. I say we going to use children in
the background vocals."
It
was also Devine who penned what many consider is one of the greatest calypsoes:
"Progress".
And
there are also the calypsonians in the US, Barbados, Grenada, St Martin, St
Vincent. He's written songs that
carried lesser calypsonians to the finals, such as Francine and, his close
friend, Mighty Trini.
Those
days Devine was so much in demand (and he rarely said no) that he'd scamper
into the bush around his Patna Village house when calypsonians came visiting.
Born
on August 15, 1943, Devine was the first of Eurice Des Vignes and Clifford
Cooper's five sons. An error on his
birth certificate gave Eurice's name as Devine, which he only discovered years
later when he took his mother's name.
The family lived in Morne Diablo, Penal. He still speaks today with thick rustic brogue.
Around
ten years old Winsford became entranced by the small village steelband. He'd sneak out to hear them at night. Next day when the yard was empty he'd play
the songs he'd heard. (Years later he'd
write a Steelband Festival test piece, "Fire and Steel".)
One
day the boy was caught by one of the panmen, who was also a saxophonist with a
small family combo. Impressed with the
boy's talent he began to teach him music.
Around
that time Devine also fell in love with the calypsoes he'd hear in the
community centre.
"They
really left an impression on me,' he recalls.
"There was a group named the Mitchells that had Fred Mitchell -
Composer - and Boyie Mitchell and another guy named Magic who dressed half as a
woman, half a man. The man half was
always trying to get fresh with the woman half."
The
youth sang their calypsoes at home, and if he usually didn't know all the
lyrics, he'd make up the rest, to the great admiration of his younger brothers.
After
school Devine entered San Fernando Technical College. He couldn't afford to continue after his first year, so he
returned home scuffling for a ten days or whatever else. Then in 1968 he migrated to Port of Spain,
to Nelson Street, where he played tenor in Blue Diamonds. (Later he would arrange for them.)
Devine
began writing calypsoes. He'd write the
tune using his tenor pan, play it over and over until the melody was fixed in
his mind where he would then try to find the words. This way he compiled a tape with around 15 tunes. For every one he drummed on a box to
accompany his own singing.
Liming
in Nelson Street he also met Mervyn "Bolong" Ross, a badjohn and
small time criminal who was also a sort of patron of artists - Clive Bradley
used to hang around with him. Merchant
too, and Explainer. And Bolong
introduced Devine to the manager of the Original Young Brigade tent, Syl
Taylor, who bought the whole tape for $365.
Taylor
gave one song to Shorty and three to Blakie.
Two years later, in 1971, Sparrow sang another one - "Queen of the
Band" which Ray Hollman arranged for Starlift to win Panorama.
By
1973 Devine was writing for Sparrow only, making about $15,000 per album. And in 1973 the Birdie won the crown with
"Miss Mary" and "We Pass that Stage", edging out shadow's
"Bassman" and "I Come Out to Play". Devine continued to write for Sparrow for
another 17 years, but not exclusively.
After
he won the Crown, Sparrow rejected Devine's new material and demanded new
songs. Bolong took the rejects to
Francine who bought five of them for $1,000 apiece. Sparrow got to the finals with Devine's "Ah Diggin Horrors"
and "Wine Back". And to make
things worse, Francine came second (after Kitch) with Devine's "St Peter's
Day" and "It's a Shame".
"A
night Bolong say, 'We going to get all your rights'," recalls Devine. Clive Bradley had told them about copyright,
had recommended they check attorney Theodore Guerra who sent them to Karl
Hudson-Phillips who, in turn sent them to the Performing Rights Society.
"Bolong
had three fellas in a car - Arnim Smith was there - and we gone by the tent
first. He tell Blakie: 'I want you to
sign here that al these is Devine calypsos.'
It was a little piece of paper with a list. He sign or you wouldn't want to know."
Next
they went to Sparrow, who claimed he couldn't remember what Devine had
written. Bolong allowed him to refresh
his memory, and the following day he too signed.
After
that Devine began writing songs willy nilly for whoever wanted, lowering his
fees for some, extending credit for others.
During the late 1980s he averaged about 40 calypsoes per season. He'd just strum two or three chords on the
guitar and everything appeared like magic - melody and at least one verse and
chorus.
Since
his second stroke two months ago, however, he can't play any instrument,
although he's working on the keyboards.
And the song writing is once again a labour.
"These
days the enjoyment come back because it hard to do now. I cyar play guitar, I cyar sing, so it
enjoyable."