Lord Pretender

Biography

Lord Pretender, (born Aldric Farrell, September 8, 1917, Tobago island, Trinidad and Tobago — January 22, 2002, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago) was a Trinidadian calypso singer. He was a master of “extempo” calypso, during a 72 year long career , in which the performer spontaneously devises songs filled with intricate lyrics and rhymes, usually in response to suggested subjects shouted from the audience. Some musicologists considered extempo a forerunner of modern rap music. Pretender bega...

Lord Pretender, (born Aldric Farrell, September 8, 1917, Tobago island, Trinidad and Tobago — January 22, 2002, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago) was a Trinidadian calypso singer.

He was a master of “extempo” calypso, during a 72 year long career , in which the performer spontaneously devises songs filled with intricate lyrics and rhymes, usually in response to suggested subjects shouted from the audience. Some musicologists considered extempo a forerunner of modern rap music. Pretender began performing his own songs at age 12, came in third in the first national Calypso Monarch competition in 1939, and won that prestigious competition in 1957.
Lord Pretender was the last of the great calypso musicians of the 1930's.

In a career spanning 72 years, Lord Pretender, also known as Preddie, starred alongside the greats of his era like Roaring Lion, Beginner, Attila the Hun and Executor. Among his hits were ''Never Ever Worry'' and ''God Made Us All.''

Lord Pretender, whose real name was Aldric Farrell, placed third in the first calypso king competition, held in 1939. He won the crown in 1957 with his version of ''Que Será, Será.''

Pulsating calypso was born in Trinidad in the 19th century as carnival music that included social criticism.

Lord Pretender was considered the master of the calypso genre of extempore, composing on the spot in oratorical war. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.