André Toussaint / Andre Toussaint

Andre Toussaint stands as one of the prime movers in calypso's history. Although he wasn't performing at the outset of the music, he quickly became one of the premier players of the genre. Living in Nassau, Toussaint developed the lounge style of calypso (often in front of a small orchestra), a more mellow version of the usually more frantic music, often still based in goombay and junkanoo forms. His prime period of time was during the jetset calypso era, when he made the bulk of his recordings and gained a following among calypso listeners. As tourism took over the islands, his calypso fell out of favor to a degree, pushing him to the fringes of the music culture. Despite this, he continued performing his set style, to acclaim from smaller crowds. He died in 1981, renowned among calypso performers and listeners as one of the founding fathers of modern Bahamanian music.