Neville Marcano

Known as the "Growling Tiger of Calypso," Marcano was noted for his skill at both political/current events-inspired songs and tunes with more conventional folk/romantic themes. A teenage flyweight champion boxer, he became a calypso singer by profession after placing high in local calypso competitions in the mid-1930s. Marcano recorded nearly 50 tracks for Decca, favoring minor-keyed melodies and a delivery influenced by the French patois he had spoken as a child; his first calypso composition was about a labor dispute, though he would write about all kinds of subjects throughout his career. He enjoyed some degree of international recognition after being recorded by folklorist Alan Lomax in the early 1960s, and appeared at the Newport Folk Festival; he also recorded an album for Rounder in the late 1970s. Much of his early work can be found on several anthologies, most of which are on the Rounder label.