|
|
Winsford 'Joker' Devine Turns Latest Medical Setback Into A Stroke Of Good Fortune
By Kim Johnson
March 12, 2000
He's written most of Sparrow's calypsoes of the 1970s and 1980s, including, "Rope", "Capitalism Gone Mad", "Phillip My Dear", "Saltfish", "Marajhin", "Survival" (which won Sparrow's last crown), and about another 50 or 60. Devine has also written for Baron ("Feeling It", "Jammer" and many other hits). Indeed, the list, longer than his memory, includes Poser, Blakie, Natasha Wilson, Explainer, Sugar Aloes
At one time, song writing came so easily to Winsford 'Joker' Devine that it was difficult, boring.
"After a time I got fed up and it wasn't a challenge no longer," he says.
Devine leans forward for emphasis. His left hand is flicking open and closed, as if he's snapping awkwardly to a beat.
"Before, it had become a job," he says, trying to explain the conundrum. 'To pick up the guitar was a problem because it was so easy. When I pick up that guitar, strum prum prum - things come. Now I have to lay down and study it."
That is the irony of someone so talented that he could churn out calypsoes at will. It's earned him a Hummingbird Silver medal, for having written over 500 calypsoes in a 30-year career, Devine is probably the most prolific calypso writer ever.
"Those days I write a lot of superficial things - "Paul (Yuh Mudder Come)", "Take a Man" - superficial," he says of two of Crazy's more popular calypsoes. A stroke some years ago stopped his guitar playing, so he taught himself keyboards. Now a second stroke has halted that too, and song writing has become difficult once again.
"Now I plan a song, I lie in bed. Me and Crazy discuss what we want to sing. Me and Trini too. Like long time with Sparrow."
He's written most of Sparrow's calypsoes of the 1970s and 1980s, including, "Rope", "Capitalism Gone Mad", "Phillip My Dear", "Saltfish", "Marajhin', "Survival" (which won Sparrow's last crown), and about another 50 or 60.
Devine has also written for baron ("Feeling It", "Jammer", and many other hits). Indeed, the list, longer than his memory, includes Poser, Blakie, Natasha Wilson, Explainer, Sugar Aloes, Charlene Boodram, Karen Ashe, Atlantik, Rukshun, Cockroach, crazy, Marcia Miranda, Twiggy, Trini. It was Devine who launched Junior Monarch Machel Montano.
"He mother and father come to me to write a song to defend the junior crown. The evening after they leave I see him on TV - a little boy. I say he too young to soca," recalls Devine. "When the parents return I say we not going to defend the crown, we going to record. I send them by Leston Paul. I say we going to use children in the background vocals."
It was also Devine who penned what many consider is one of the greatest calypsoes: "Progress".
And there are also the calypsonians in the US, Barbados, Grenada, St Martin, St Vincent. He's written songs that carried lesser calypsonians to the finals, such as Francine and, his close friend, Mighty Trini.
Those days Devine was so much in demand (and he rarely said no) that he'd scamper into the bush around his Patna Village house when calypsonians came visiting.
Born on August 15, 1943, Devine was the first of Eurice Des Vignes and Clifford Cooper's five sons. An error on his birth certificate gave Eurice's name as Devine, which he only discovered years later when he took his mother's name. The family lived in Morne Diablo, Penal. He still speaks today with thick rustic brogue.
Around ten years old Winsford became entranced by the small village steelband. He'd sneak out to hear them at night. Next day when the yard was empty he'd play the songs he'd heard. (Years later he'd write a Steelband Festival test piece, "Fire and Steel".)
One day the boy was caught by one of the panmen, who was also a saxophonist with a small family combo. Impressed with the boy's talent he began to teach him music.
Around that time Devine also fell in love with the calypsoes he'd hear in the community centre.
"They really left an impression on me,' he recalls. "There was a group named the Mitchells that had Fred Mitchell - Composer - and Boyie Mitchell and another guy named Magic who dressed half as a woman, half a man. The man half was always trying to get fresh with the woman half."
The youth sang their calypsoes at home, and if he usually didn't know all the lyrics, he'd make up the rest, to the great admiration of his younger brothers.
After school Devine entered San Fernando Technical College. He couldn't afford to continue after his first year, so he returned home scuffling for a ten days or whatever else. Then in 1968 he migrated to Port of Spain, to Nelson Street, where he played tenor in Blue Diamonds. (Later he would arrange for them.)
Devine began writing calypsoes. He'd write the tune using his tenor pan, play it over and over until the melody was fixed in his mind where he would then try to find the words. This way he compiled a tape with around 15 tunes. For every one he drummed on a box to accompany his own singing.
Liming in Nelson Street he also met Mervyn "Bolong" Ross, a badjohn and small time criminal who was also a sort of patron of artists - Clive Bradley used to hang around with him. Merchant too, and Explainer. And Bolong introduced Devine to the manager of the Original Young Brigade tent, Syl Taylor, who bought the whole tape for $365.
Taylor gave one song to Shorty and three to Blakie. Two years later, in 1971, Sparrow sang another one - "Queen of the Band" which Ray Hollman arranged for Starlift to win Panorama.
By 1973 Devine was writing for Sparrow only, making about $15,000 per album. And in 1973 the Birdie won the crown with "Miss Mary" and "We Pass that Stage", edging out shadow's "Bassman" and "I Come Out to Play". Devine continued to write for Sparrow for another 17 years, but not exclusively.
After he won the Crown, Sparrow rejected Devine's new material and demanded new songs. Bolong took the rejects to Francine who bought five of them for $1,000 apiece. Sparrow got to the finals with Devine's "Ah Diggin Horrors" and "Wine Back". And to make things worse, Francine came second (after Kitch) with Devine's "St Peter's Day" and "It's a Shame".
"A night Bolong say, 'We going to get all your rights'," recalls Devine. Clive Bradley had told them about copyright, had recommended they check attorney Theodore Guerra who sent them to Karl Hudson-Phillips who, in turn sent them to the Performing Rights Society.
"Bolong had three fellas in a car - Arnim Smith was there - and we gone by the tent first. He tell Blakie: 'I want you to sign here that al these is Devine calypsos.' It was a little piece of paper with a list. He sign or you wouldn't want to know."
Next they went to Sparrow, who claimed he couldn't remember what Devine had written. Bolong allowed him to refresh his memory, and the following day he too signed.
After that Devine began writing songs willy nilly for whoever wanted, lowering his fees for some, extending credit for others. During the late 1980s he averaged about 40 calypsoes per season. He'd just strum two or three chords on the guitar and everything appeared like magic - melody and at least one verse and chorus.
Since his second stroke two months ago, however, he can't play any instrument, although he's working on the keyboards. And the song writing is once again a labour.
"These days the enjoyment come back because it hard to do now. I cyar play guitar, I cyar sing, so it enjoyable."
|
|
