Disco Daddy with the medicine

He performed at the Mason Hall harvest in Tobago as well which he said he thoroughly enjoyed as he felt the love from his supporters.

“Home is wonderful. Being back here is not a rest period, it’s like a joyful period coming home one more time again,” he said.

Lord Nelson, 85-years-old, is considered a legend in calypso and soca with timeless hits such as King Liar, Meh Lover, Disco Daddy and Family to name a few.

Nelson, who left for the US as a teen, discovered his talent when he was drafted at the age of 18 in the US Army and later deployed to fight in the war in Korea. He began singing and mimicking The Mighty Sparrow whose music was gaining popularity. Nelson described Sparrow, a multiple calypso monarch, as one of the greatest calypsonians and a really good friend.

“During my time, while serving in the war, there were a couple of us that were West Indians and Caribbean so we got we little group and we singing we little calypso and me, I was mimicking Sparrow, (Lord) Melody and Kitchener; but I was mimicking Sparrow because he was the hardest and I ended up being that great by singing for my fellow soldiers,” he said, as he fondly reflected on his days in the army.

Nelson had no idea what Sparrow looked like but would soon find out in what some would call an “awkward situation.” He added, “One time I came out of the service and I was in a little steelband called The Magnets. Then after that, I got in a real orchestra kind of band singing calypso music but I was so good with Sparrow that if he made a mistake on a recording, I would make the same mistake, but I had never seen the young man and there were no albums in those days. Somehow I was on stage singing Sparrow song and there was a group of people coming up in front with a young man and they were saying, ‘let him sing it’s Sparrow’, I think is me (they referring to) and I saw the man coming up and I didn’t know.

They were playing his music and saying ‘sing Sparrow sing’ and I am waving too and they said, ‘give him the mike’ and I gave him the mike. When I heard him sing he sounded like me, then is when I knew that it is ‘The’ Sparrow,” said Nelson, as he recalled his first encounter with Dr Slinger Francisco.

Nelson said although Sparrow was his muse, Kelvin Pope, “The Mighty Duke” , helped him tremendously with understanding how to write and sing calypso.

Discussing his role in the invention of soca music, he said although Ras Shorty I is widely acclaimed as the creator of the art form, he said his input was valuable too.

“When people talk about soca there is a whole lot of me in that and I keep telling the story over and over, my music is not like regular calypso.

Shorty I was singing, Endless Vibration, and I was singing, Disco Daddy, and we got together and we talked about how we will try and make our music go further around the world, then I went back to New York and the next time when I came back I hear them say he invented something called soca,” he said. Nelson explained their plan was to combine soul and calypso music.

He said not being given credit for his contribution does not bother him but he reminded everyone that he still has the “medicine” and no one alive can sing soca how it was really intended to be done.

“I got the medicine, I got the background, Ras Shorty I had it too but nobody else can figure it out. I got the secret; they tried with something else called groovy soca,” he pointed out.

The Tobago icon said he does not plan to reveal the secret unless it is absolutely necessary.

The Plymouth native also spoke about being labelled a foreigner in his own country.

“Nobody knew about me, I am not a calypsonian, I am an entertainer that mimicked calypso and became what I am. I am famous around the world and my people don’t even get it, and I see people wearing jackets that don’t even fit them, they are given all types of credit and they don’t even know what it is all about.

“Trinidad treats me a whole lot better than Tobago and that really annoys me. When I hear about some of the top awards, I wonder how come I never got any and they sing ‘All ah we is one family’ and I wonder if they know who sang it; I wonder if they realise it’s me,” he said.

Nelson, touching on the state of soca, hailed the genius of Machel Montano but said he is not impressed by some of the music being produced.

He said Trinidad and Tobago has a lot to offer and artistes should try to develop what they have here instead of copying other cultures.

“You could imagine, they got four of five girls on the stage and singing the same thing ‘raise your hands and count to four’ and some smoke and thing going on, and who could wine more,” he lamented.

Nelson said he entered the soca competition this year to show the youngsters how it is done.

“I did not go up there to actually win something because I already won it. I can’t compete with them. I was just there to show them that without people like me, they couldn’t even have that.” Despite the lack of creativity by some, Nelson said he is proud of Montano.

“With all that Machel is into and is doing I always feel proud and most people know there is a little bit of ‘Nelo’ in Machel Montano,” he laughed.