Calypso legend Lord Blakie laid to rest

CALYPSO ICON Carlton Joseph, better known as Lord Blakie, was laid to rest yesterday in a moving funeral service held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral at Hart Street, Port-of-Spain. The church was packed with mourners which included other Calypso legends  Fitzgerald “Terror” Henry, Winston “The Shadow” Bailey and Leroy “Black Stalin” Calliste.

Carlton “Lord Blakie” Joseph died on January 7, 2005. Junior Minister of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs Eddie Hart paid tribute to Lord Blakie. Mourners stood outside the church and on Hart Street listening to the tributes being paid to the late Calypso legend. Lord Blakie’s daughter Stacy Codrington said her father was a voracious entertainer who always tried to please his audience whenever he performed. “His fans would miss his infectious laughter and distinctive voice,” she tearfully said. In a stirring tribute to his deceased friend, George “Umbala” Joseph  described Lord Blakie as being “a King.”

“Why? Because he called people a King. To him, everybody was a King and he treated them with respect,” revealed Joseph. Joseph also said Lord Blakie was a sincere, honest individual with a tremendous sense of gratitude. The Reverend Dr Knolly Clarke, in paying tribute to Lord Blakie, described him as being “a great man.” He revealed that Lord Blakie was an important person in the nationalist movement of the 1960s and one of the prophetic voices of this country. “His laugh was not just infectious but it was meant to get the listener’s attention to the message he was trying to send,” remarked Reverend Dr Clarke. Further tributes were paid to Lord Blakie by Rapso entertainer Karega Mandela and president of the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO), Michael “Protector” Legerton.