Brother Valentino, ‘The People’s Calypsonian,’ dies at 85
Key Points(5)
- Brother Valentino, the veteran calypsonian whose music championed Black identity, equality and the struggles of ordinary people, died on Tuesday, Oct.
- Born Emrold Anthony Phillip in Cherry Hill, Grenada, on July 7, 1941, Valentino moved to Trinidad and Tobago as a child and went on to become one of calypso’s most prominent voices of social and political commentary.
- Known for his uncompromising style and willingness to challenge authority, Valentino built a career around songs that confronted racial inequality, poverty and political injustice while celebrating Black consciousness and the dignity of working people.
- According to the Ministry of Culture and Community Development, Valentino’s interest in calypso began in childhood, when his parents listened to the music and collected records by performers including Lord Kitchener and Lord Cristo.
- After his father’s death interrupted his education, Phillip tried several trades before pursuing music.
Brother Valentino, the veteran calypsonian whose music championed Black identity, equality and the struggles of ordinary people, died on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at age 85.
Born Emrold Anthony Phillip in Cherry Hill, Grenada, on July 7, 1941, Valentino moved to Trinidad and Tobago as a child and went on to become one of calypso’s most prominent voices of social and political commentary.
Known for his uncompromising style and willingness to challenge authority, Valentino built a career around songs that confronted racial inequality, poverty and political injustice while celebrating Black consciousness and the dignity of working people.
According to the Ministry of Culture and Community Development, Valentino’s interest in calypso began in childhood, when his parents listened to the music and collected records by performers including Lord Kitchener and Lord Cristo.
After his father’s death interrupted his education, Phillip tried several trades before pursuing music. He later recalled that listening to calypso on the radio while working in a tailor shop helped transform his interest into a calling.
Inspired by Mighty Sparrow, he began performing in the early 1960s. At an audition for Lord Kitchener’s Caravan tent, he arrived without a stage name. Kitchener gave him the name Valentino, which would become synonymous with socially conscious calypso.
The 1970 Black Power movement in Trinidad and Tobago further shaped his artistic direction. His 1971 song “No Revolution” brought him wider recognition as a voice for Black consciousness, while subsequent works established his reputation as a fearless commentator on Caribbean society.
Among his best-known songs were “Life Is a Stage” (1972), “Barking Dogs” (1974), “Dis Place Nice” (1975) and “Stay Up Zimbabwe” (1979), an anti-apartheid anthem that carried his message beyond Trinidad and Tobago. Other notable recordings included “Birds That Fly High” (1982), “Time and Space” (1986), “Calypso in Trouble” (1992), “Time to Love Again” (1996), “The Radio” (2001) and “Where Kaiso Went” (2004).
Valentino’s artistry extended beyond recorded music. In 1975, his solo production “Poet and Prophet” sold out eight shows. He toured and performed in the United States and appeared alongside fellow calypsonian Black Stalin in “Blood Brothers.”
He also became a founding member of Kaiso House, contributing to the preservation of the calypso tent tradition and the genre’s role as a platform for public debate.
His achievements included the 2005 Veterans Calypso Monarch title for “Where Kaiso Went,” a Sunshine Award, recognition for 50 years as a perfor
