Lord Kitchener (calypsonian) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lord Kitchener HBM
Kitchener in 1945
Background information
Birth name	Aldwyn Roberts
Also known as	Kitch
Born	(1922-04-18)18 April 1922 Arima, Trinidad and Tobago
Died	11 February 2000(2000-02-11) (aged 77) Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Genres	Calypso soca
Occupation(s)	Calypsonian, songwriter, musician
Years active	1936–1999
Labels	RCA Victor Trinidad Charlie's JW Productions

Aldwyn Roberts (18 April 1922 – 11 February 2000), better known by his stage name Lord Kitchener or simply "Kitch", was an influential musician from Trinidad and Tobago. He was one of the most famous calypsonians of all time. Calypsonians are performers who sing calypso music, a lively Caribbean style known for clever storytelling, catchy rhythms, and social commentary.

Kitchener earned the nickname "the grand master of calypso" because of his talent for composing unforgettable melodies and rhythms. Over his sixty-year career, he helped popularize Caribbean music across the globe, especially in Great Britain and North America. He was also a pioneer who helped shape both modern calypso and soca music.

Who Was Lord Kitchener? Early Life and Childhood

Aldwyn Roberts was born in the town of Arima on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. His father, Stephen Roberts, worked as a blacksmith, shaping metal with fire and hammers. His mother, Albertha, looked after their family home.

Music surrounded Aldwyn from a very early age. His father loved folk songs and taught young Aldwyn how to play the acoustic guitar. Stephen recognized his son's natural ear for rhythm and encouraged him to practice singing.

Life became very difficult for Aldwyn when he was only fourteen years old. Both of his parents passed away, leaving him an orphan. He had to leave Arima Boys Government School to earn his own living. Aldwyn turned to the talent his father had nurtured in him: music. Armed with his guitar, he began performing songs for local audiences, soon realizing he could build a career as a professional musician.

How Did Lord Kitchener Build His Musical Career?

Breakthrough in Trinidad and Tobago

In 1943, during World War II, twenty-one-year-old Aldwyn Roberts moved to Trinidad's bustling capital city, Port of Spain. Port of Spain was the center of the country's entertainment world.

He joined an energetic singing group known as the Roving Brigade. While performing with them, he caught the attention of local concert promoter Johnny Khan. Khan heard him sing a humorous tune titled "Mary I Am Tired and Disgusted" (often called "Green Fig") and immediately invited him to sing at his performance venue, the Victory Calypso Tent.

Around this time, Roberts met a well-known senior performer named Growling Tiger. In calypso culture, singers chose noble stage names to sound proud and bold. Growling Tiger felt Roberts needed an impressive name. He dubbed him "Lord Kitchener," borrowing the title from a well-known British military figure.

Kitchener quickly became known as a musical innovator. Many traditional calypsonians sang simple melodies, but Kitchener loved modern jazz chords and complex horn arrangements. He also wrote lyrics that playfully questioned British colonial rule over Trinidad, giving a voice to ordinary citizens.

Kitchener won his first major carnival contest in 1946 with an energetic party tune titled "Jump In The Line". The song became a massive crowd favorite, played by marching bands in the streets. Decades later, American singer Harry Belafonte recorded a famous cover version of this same song.

The Windrush Journey and Success in Great Britain

In 1947, Lord Kitchener left Trinidad to tour Jamaica alongside fellow calypsonians Lord Beginner and Lord Woodbine. After six months of successful shows, the trio decided to seek new adventures in the United Kingdom.

In May 1948, they boarded the famous passenger ship Empire Windrush. This voyage brought hundreds of Caribbean citizens to Britain to help rebuild the country after World War II. The passengers on this historic voyage became known as the "Windrush generation."

When the ship docked at Tilbury Docks on 22 June 1948, reporters from Pathé News came aboard to interview the new arrivals. They asked Kitchener to sing for their cameras. Without any hesitation or instruments, Kitchener smiled and performed a brand-new song he had just written: "London Is the Place for Me".

The newsreel was shown in movie theaters across the British Isles. The song expressed warm optimism about arriving in London:

"London is the place for me
London, this lovely city
You can go to France or America,
India, Asia or Australia
But you must come back to London city."

This performance made Kitchener instantly famous in Britain. Within two years, he was performing on BBC radio programs and headlining live concerts in London theaters.

Becoming the Voice of Caribbean Migrants in the 1950s

During the 1950s, thousands of people moved from Caribbean islands like Trinidad, Jamaica, and Barbados to work in Britain. For these newcomers, Lord Kitchener's music felt like a warm piece of home in a cold, unfamiliar country.

He wrote songs about the everyday experiences of Caribbean people in Britain, from the rainy weather to hunting for traditional Caribbean food in London shops. His humorous song "Food from the West Indies" described missing home-cooked meals like roti, plantains, and spicy stews.

In June 1950, Kitchener wrote one of the most famous sports songs in history, called "Victory Calypso" (often remembered for the chant "Cricket, Lovely Cricket"). The song celebrated a historic match at Lord's cricket ground where the West Indies cricket team defeated the English team for the very first time on English soil.

When the match ended, jubilant West Indian fans danced across the field behind Kitchener, who led them in song with his acoustic guitar. The victory gave Caribbean people tremendous pride, and Kitchener's song captured the excitement forever.

Kitchener was an enterprising musician. He opened his own successful nightclub in the northern English city of Manchester, and he held regular shows at The Sunset club in London. He also toured the United States, sharing calypso music with American audiences.

Return to Trinidad and the Golden Age of Calypso

In 1962, Trinidad and Tobago gained full independence from Great Britain. That same year, Lord Kitchener decided to return home permanently to live and make music.

Upon returning, Kitchener entered the most successful artistic period of his life. During the 1960s and 1970s, he engaged in a friendly musical rivalry with another legendary calypsonian, the Mighty Sparrow. Fans passionately debated who was the better lyricist and musician, packing concert halls to hear both men perform.

Kitchener dominated the annual Trinidad and Tobago Carnival competitions. Between 1963 and 1976, he won the official Carnival Road March title ten times. The Road March award goes to the song played most frequently by marching bands and music trucks during Carnival parades. In total, Kitchener won eleven Road March crowns during his career, a record that stood unmatched for decades.

In 1975, Kitchener also captured the prestigious Calypso Monarch title (then called Calypso King) with his song "Tribute to Spree Simon", honoring the pioneer who helped invent the modern steelpan drum.

Supporting Other Artists: The Calypso Revue

Lord Kitchener wanted to make sure Caribbean musical traditions survived for future generations. To do this, he founded his own performance venue, named the Calypso Revue tent.

In Trinidadian culture, calypso "tents" are seasonal theaters where musicians perform their newest songs before carnival judges and live crowds. For more than thirty years, Kitchener managed the Revue, coaching young singers and teaching them stagecraft.

Under Kitchener's guidance, several future stars launched their careers, including:

• Calypso Rose, who became the first woman to win the national Calypso Monarch title.
• David Rudder, known for blending pop, jazz, and calypso into global hits.
• Black Stalin, famous for his powerful, poetic songs about Caribbean unity.
• Denyse Plummer, an energetic singer who won numerous national championships.

Kitchener had a strict ear for musical excellence. He personally rehearsed his backup bands to make sure every horn line and drum beat sounded crisp and clean.

Creating Music for the Steelpan Drum

Kitchener shared a deep bond with the steelpan, the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago. Steelpans (or steel drums) are percussion instruments carefully hammered out of industrial oil barrels to play melodic musical notes.

Every year during Carnival, large steel orchestras with up to one hundred players compete in a massive contest called the National Panorama. Steelbands loved Kitchener's compositions because his melodies were intricate, full of clever chord changes and soaring phrases that sounded spectacular when played on steelpans.

Orchestras playing Kitchener's songs won the Panorama championship many times. Steelband arrangers considered him the premier composer for their instrument.

Embracing Soca Music in the Late 1970s

Music changed rapidly during the 1970s. Younger musicians began combining traditional calypso rhythms with Indian percussion, funk, and soul music to create a fast, danceable style called soca.

Instead of rejecting this new sound, Lord Kitchener eagerly embraced it. He understood that music had to evolve to reach new generations. In 1977, he recorded an upbeat soca song titled "Sugar Bum Bum".

The track featured a bouncy bassline and bright brass horns. It became an enormous commercial hit during the 1978 Carnival season and proved that Kitchener could produce modern chart-topping dance music just as easily as traditional calypso. He continued recording vibrant soca albums throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

What Was Lord Kitchener's Personal Life Like?

In 1952, while performing in the United Kingdom, Kitchener met Elsie Lines. The couple married in 1953 and made their home in Manchester, where Kitchener operated his music club. Together, they adopted a son named Tyrone Roberts before moving to Trinidad. Kitchener and Elsie later divorced in 1968.

Kitchener subsequently started a family with Valerie Green. They had four children: Christian, Kernel, Quweina, and Kirnister Roberts. Kitchener also had a relationship with Betsy Pollard.

Musical talent remained strong in the Roberts family. His son Kernal Roberts grew up to become a successful musician, producer, and drummer. Kernal served as the musical director for major soca groups like Xtatik and composed multiple songs that won national Soca Monarch and Road March titles, continuing his father's musical legacy.

Later Years, Honors, and Legacy

Final Recordings and Honors

Lord Kitchener remained active in the music industry well into his seventies. In 1993, community groups launched a public campaign requesting that Kitchener receive the Trinity Cross, which was the highest civilian honor in Trinidad and Tobago, to recognize his half-century of cultural contributions. The government offered him a lesser award instead, but Kitchener politely declined it, feeling his lifelong work merited the country's top honor.

In 1999, despite experiencing health problems, Kitchener entered the studio one last time to record his final album, titled Vintage Kitch. The record celebrated his favorite musical styles with energetic arrangements.

Passing and Tributes

Lord Kitchener passed away on 11 February 2000 at the Mount Hope Hospital in Port of Spain, at seventy-seven years old. Thousands of fans, musicians, and leaders gathered to celebrate his life during a national funeral. He was laid to rest in Santa Rosa Cemetery in his beloved hometown of Arima.

Kitchener's contributions are commemorated in public spaces across Trinidad:

• A tall bronze statue of Kitchener dancing in his signature stylish suit and fedora hat stands in Port of Spain.
• A memorial portrait bust of Kitchener is displayed along Hollis Avenue in Arima, close to the Arima Velodrome.
• His music continues to be studied in schools and universities as essential examples of Caribbean poetry, history, and orchestral calypso.

Major Competition Wins

Selected Discography

• Birth of Ghana (1957)
• Calypso Kitch (1960)
• Lord Kitchener (1964)
• Mr. Kitch (1965)
• King of Calypso (1965)
• Kitch 67 (1966)
• King of the Road (1969)
• Sock It to Me Kitch (1970)
• Curfew Time (1971)
• Hot Pants (1972)
• We Walk 100 Miles with Kitch (1973)
• Tourist in Trinidad with Kitch (1974)
• Carnival Fever (1975)
• Home for Carnival (1976)
• Hot and Sweet (1976)
• Melody Of The 21st Century (1977)
• Spirit of Carnival (1978)
• Shooting with Kitch (1980)
• Kitch Goes Soca - Soca Jean (1980)
• Authenticity (1981)
• 200 Years Of Mass (1982)
• Simply Wonderful (1983)
• The Master At Work (1984)
• The Grand Master (1986)
• 100% Kitch (1987)
• A Musical Excursion (1989)
• The Honey In Kitch (1991)
• Longevity (1993)
• Still Escalating (1994)
• Ah Have It Cork (1995)
• Incredible Kitch (1996)
• Symphony On The Street (1997)
• Classic Kitch (1999)

See Also

• Calypso music
• Soca music
• HMT Empire Windrush
• Steelpan
• Trinidad and Tobago Carnival