Biography
Rupert Westmore Grant, who performed under the name Lord Invader, achieved his greatest renown through composing the calypso classic "Rum and Coca-Cola." He built a following as a calypso artist both in Trinidad, where he was born, and in New York, with his recording career stretching from the late 1930s into the early 1960s. His debut session took place in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, for RCA Bluebird in 1937 on a track about boxer Joe Louis. Through the early 1940s he maintained an active schedule of recordings for both RCA and Decca while regularly finishing near the top in Trinidadian calypso competitions, and around the same time he began performing and cutting sides in New York City.
In September 1943, while in Trinidad, American comedian Morey Amsterdam heard Lord Invader perform "Rum and Coca-Cola" and carried the song back to the United States, where the Andrews Sisters scored a major hit with their version. Lord Invader filed a plagiarism suit that was ultimately resolved in his favor in 1947, although payment from the defendants did not arrive until seven years later.
"Rum and Coca-Cola" represented only one entry in a much broader catalog of material the singer performed and recorded. In common with other calypso vocalists of the era, Lord Invader demonstrated particular skill at writing socially and politically pointed songs while also delivering conventional romantic narratives and adaptations of traditional folk material. From the mid-1940s through the early 1960s he recorded sporadically for Moe Asch of Folkways Records, during which time he continued to perform and record in New York, London, and Europe. Smithsonian Folkways eventually issued a 2000 compilation containing twenty-six of the tracks he made for Asch, some featuring his Calypso Group and others employing larger, jazz-tinged ensembles.
In September 1943, while in Trinidad, American comedian Morey Amsterdam heard Lord Invader perform "Rum and Coca-Cola" and carried the song back to the United States, where the Andrews Sisters scored a major hit with their version. Lord Invader filed a plagiarism suit that was ultimately resolved in his favor in 1947, although payment from the defendants did not arrive until seven years later.
"Rum and Coca-Cola" represented only one entry in a much broader catalog of material the singer performed and recorded. In common with other calypso vocalists of the era, Lord Invader demonstrated particular skill at writing socially and politically pointed songs while also delivering conventional romantic narratives and adaptations of traditional folk material. From the mid-1940s through the early 1960s he recorded sporadically for Moe Asch of Folkways Records, during which time he continued to perform and record in New York, London, and Europe. Smithsonian Folkways eventually issued a 2000 compilation containing twenty-six of the tracks he made for Asch, some featuring his Calypso Group and others employing larger, jazz-tinged ensembles.
Albums
