Legendary Calypsonian Mighty Sparrow receives major financial boost

Legendary calypsonian, The Mighty Sparrow, recently received a significant financial boost of $2 million from the government of his home country, Trinidad & Tobago.

Trinidad Guide reports that Dr. Lincoln Douglas, the Minister of Culture, had announced that, under the terms of the arrangement, the State would license Sparrow’s  memorabilia for a ten-year period, with an option to renew.

Mr. Douglas conceded that, while the move was meant to preserve and recognize the calypso legacy of Sparrow, it was also designed to provide the singer with financial support.

In an immediate reaction, Sparrow, speaking with Newsday from New York, quipped that Santa Claus had passed his way.

Douglas said the Ministry of Culture will license all of Sparrow’s memorabilia. These include six Calypso Monarch crowns, 52 certificates, 42 compact disks, eight citations, four DVDs, 14 medals, 136 plaques, 76 pictures, 22 proclamations, eight tokens, 94 trophies, and 78 videos.

The Mighty Sparrow, whose real name is Slinger Francisco, was born in Grenada in 1935, but has spent most of his life in Trinidad & Tobago.

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