St. Helena Community Library – Remedial Reading, Writing and Comprehension
February 13, 2023
Sangre Grande Public Library – Birthday Club
March 7, 2023
Leroy Calliste was born on Coffee Street, San Fernando on September 24, 1941. He attended the San Fernando Boys’ R.C. School as a child but left in Standard 4. As a young man he had a brief foray as a limbo dancer before taking up Calypso in 1959. In preparation for his career in Calypso he bought a dictionary and taught himself how to spell words from it. He was given the nickname Black Stalin by fellow calypsonian Blakie. At the start of his career he performed with the Southern Brigade from 1962 and eventually with Kitchener’s Calypso Revue tent from 1967.
Black Stalin won his first Calypso Monarch title in 1979 with the songs Caribbean Man and Play One. After that he was a repeated winner, taking home the trophy in 1985, 1987, 1991, and 1995. In 1987 he was awarded the Hummingbird Medal (Silver) for his contribution to the culture of Trinidad & Tobago. On October 31, 2008 he became Dr. Leroy Calliste when he was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. In 2021 Lord Street in San Fernando was renamed Dr. Leroy Calliste Street in his honour.
Black Stalin identified with the downtrodden. His songs conveyed a message aimed to boost self-esteem and economic power, especially for the Afro-Trinbago community. He addressed international and regional issues such as the Grenada Revolution in ‘Ism-schism’ and the failed attempt at a West Indian Federation in ‘Caribbean Unity’. He tackled apartheid in South Africa in ‘More Come’.
His social consciousness led him to write songs with an uplifting message, however, with ‘Come With It’ he finally found his foothold with party hits. ‘Ah Feel To Party’ will forever be a popular song and party anthem, which leads us to the timeless aspect of Black Stalin’s music. The versatility of his music transcends epochs. His songs about social consciousness and oppression of the vulnerable could still be applied to today’s world and his longevity in the business gives us a historical record of this country over decades.
Leroy Calliste, Black Stalin passed away on 28 December, 2022.
Black Stalin Discography
1967
Beat My Tune
Culture First
1968
Beat My Tune
1969
The Immortal Message of Martin Luther King
Miss Tourist Replies
1971
What Consciousness
Freedom Day
1972
New Portrait of Trinidad
Congratulations Tobago
1976
Run Something
Disco Music
1977
Man is Man
Love Your Own
1979 – To The Caribbean Man (Album)
Play One
Caribbean Unity
De All Season Man
Kaiso Gone Dread
More Times
Black Man Music
Jah Law
De Same Ole Ting
Time
1980
Money
Break Down Party
De Jam
1981
In Ah Earlier Time
Vampire Year
Wey I Band?
Run de Head
Not That Man
Stay Giving Praises
1982 – ’82 (Album)
Nothing Come Easy
Man is Boo
1984 – You Ask For It (Album), This Is Soca! 84 (Album)
Make Them Alright (part 1)
Better Days
Show Your Works
You Ask For It
Youth Man Gone
Make Them Alright (part 2)
You ask for it
1985
Ism Schism
Wait Dorothy Wait
Martin Luther King
Sing For The Land
1986 – Sing For The Land (Album)
Sing For The Land
No Part Time Lover
Hard Hard Hard
More Come
No Pan
No Woman No
1987 – I-Time (Album)
Burn dem
Mister Pan Maker
Peace In de World
Staying Alive
Caribbean Unity
1988 – Moving Up (Album)
We Can Make It
No Way
We Ready
Think Well
1989 – To De Master (Album)
Turn Back
Supu-Supu
We Go Jam
Free Him Up
More Pan In The Party
Party Mix
1990 – Nah Ease Up
Nah Ease Up
Pan In Mas
Culture Vultures
Leave I Music
1991 – The Bright Side
Move
Revolution Time
Ah Feel To Party
Look On The Bright Side
Party Jam
1991 – Roots, Rock, Soca (Album)
Caribbean Unity
Black Man Music
Wait Dorothy Wait
Burn Dem
Play One
De All Season Man
More Come
We Can Make It
Jah Law
More Times
Kaiso Gone Dread
1992 – Cry of the Caribbean (Album)
Come With It
Cry of the Caribbean
Monday Night Mass
Wey Dem
Monday Night
1993 – Help (Album)
Help
Black Man Killing Black Man
Kaiso Music
Wey De Wock
Black Man Jam
1994 – Rebellion (Album)
One Tune Pan Man
Let De Soca Play
Black Woman Lament
All Night Long
I Shall Be Released
Tell De Truth
More Come
All Saints Road
Nation of Importers
Santi Manitay
Black Woman Ring Bang
1995
Black Man Music
Sundar Popo
1995 – Message To Sundar (Album)
Where De Man
Iron Band Jam
Better Days
Sundar
In Times
Ringbang Time
Nothing Easy
Loose De Juice
Give Thanks
Man Out For Change
1996 – Ringbang Carnival Special ’96 (Album)
Where Limbo Gone
Ah Fit
1996 – The Best of Black Stalin Vol. 1 (Album)
1997 – TNT Showboat
Promising
People Of The Earth
Ah Come Back Again
Praises
1998
Together Forever
1998 – Roots/Crossroutes (Album)
Ode to St. Thomas
Immigration Run
Santo Domingo My Land
Super Jamo
Puerto Rico My Home
How To Make It
I Cry
Together As One
2000 – 2000 New Times (Album)
Wine Boy Wine
Sufferers
Courtney
Trinbago My Love
Smelling It
Save Him
Fly Down
Recognition
2001
Nobody Cares
2002 – Hard Wuk (Album)
Hard Wuk
Leroy Roy
Stand Up
Do Something
Ode to Skiffle Bunch
Who Will
2002 – Soca Switch 8 (Album)
Vampire
2002 – Calypso Heroes
More Come
Mr. Panmaker
2003 – Calypso Music Vol. 3
My Brother, My Friend
2004 – Live at Naparima Bowl (Album)
2004 – The Xtatic Parade
Love Fire
2004 – Just For You (Album)
Dr. Jit
Doh Do It
Push It
Homey
Just The Way You Are
One Slave
Andre The Lion
2005 – Carnival Collaborations Calypso Music Vol. 5
My Brother My Friend
2005 – Essential Caribbean (Album)
More Come
2005 – The Xtatic Experience (Album)
Love Fire (Remix)
2006 – Live! Collector’s Edition (Album)
Page Break
Sources
Dupre Marie Diane. The Man ... the Music : A Pictorial Journey. Marie Diane Dupre 2008.
Ottley Rudolph. Calypsonians from Then to Now. R. Ottley 1995.
“Stalin Marks 71 With Concert.” Trinidad Guardian, 23 September 2012, p. A14.
“The Black Stalin Has Died.” Daily Express. 28 December 2022, https://trinidadexpress.com/newsextra/the-black-stalin-has-died/article_9862748a-86c2-11ed-918f-5fe28f0a1b11.html