PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — On Thursday, July 9th the calypso king of the world, Slinger Francisco, known to the world as “The Mighty Sparrow”, celebrates his 91st birthday.
Slinger Francisco who was born in Grenada on July 9th 1935, was raised in Trinidad, and now resides in the USA, is best known for his calypso career which spans over 60 years.
The Mighty Sparrow has performed in St. Martin on many occasions. His last performance here was in 2014 in a concert held under the tent at Port De Plaisance.
Although Sparrow is no longer an active performing artist, his music continues to satisfy the appetite of calypso lovers around the world. Despite being best known in the field of calypso, The Mighty Sparrow has graced his fans with numerous gospel albums and ballads. The most popular being “Only a fool breaks his own heart” which he recorded with Byron Lee and the Dragonaires in the 1960’s.
The Mighty Sparrow is undoubtedly the most popular and well-known calypsonian worldwide. In his early years of performing he revolutionized the calypso artform. During his career as a performing artist, he has graced the stages with his performances throughout the Caribbean, South America, the USA, Canada, Europe, Africa and Japan.
Taking The Mighty Sparrow’s love for the people of St. Martin into consideration, a special tribute will be paid in his honor on Thursday, July 9th on SOS Radio 95.9 FM from 12.00 noon to 5.00 pm, hosted by Fernando Clark.
The tribute, which includes a live interview with The Mighty Sparrow, and some of his greatest hits in all genres, gospel, ballads and calypso, will delight the airwaves for 5 hours.
We wish the Mighty Sparrow many more years of good life.
