Profiles: Heroes, Role Models and Pioneers of Trinidad and Tobago - by Nasser Khan

75 SUNDAR POPO (1943-2000) H e is considered as the grandfather of chutney and chutney soca, as Drupatee Ramgoonai is thought of as the grandmother of the art forms. He popularised Chutney music, beginning with his 1969 hit Nana and Nani. He received the Humming Bird Medal Silver in 1993 as well as many other awards during his career. NORMAN “KING RADIO” SPAN K ing Radio began singing in the early-1930s. He composed and sang Matilda which was later recorded and made internationally popular by American singer Harry Belafonte. His other very popular calypso is Brown Skin Gal. DRUPATEE RAMGOONAI (1959- ) D rupatee’s voice is a well known one in the chutney and chutney soca artforms. It was in 1988 that she burst onto the local music scene with her hit Mr. Bissessar (Roll up the tassa), which was one of the songs that took Chutney and Chutney Soca to the world. She has travelled to some 23 countries as a calypsonian and chutney soca artiste.