Lord invader biography

Lord Invader

Calypso in New York

Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40454

Rupert Grant, from San Fernando in Trinidad, was given his nom-de-calypso by his tailor - "I tell you, Rupert, you should call yourself Lord Invader so when you go up to the city you be invadin� the capital."  In February 1937, Invader made his first recordings, having successfully penetrated the highly competitive calypso scene in Port-of-Spain at the age of 22.  In 1941, he was one five calypsonians who travelled to New York to record for Decca, and promote Trinidadian music, but his next invasion of the Big Apple came in less happy circumstances; as is well known, Morey Amsterdam plagiarised Invader�s Rum and Coca-Cola, which became a massive hit for the Andrews Sisters, and early in 1945, Rupert Grant headed north to pursue legal remedies.  The case kept him in New York for several years (and other singers followed him, either to appear as witnesses, or to take advantage of performing o