Elon Bagoo, better known by his stage name Cardinal, is finally on Vintage Unplugged—the TV show that celebrates Calypso in its truest form. Learn about the style, messages, and lyrical story-telling of the music written and performed by this local legend.
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02:58 >> Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Vintage Unplugged 2019.
03:01 We have with me Cardinal.
03:03 Welcome to the show.
03:04 Happy New Year.
03:05 >> Thank you very much.
03:06 It's a pleasure to be here.
03:07 All the best to you.
03:08 >> And all that good stuff.
03:09 >> All the best to you, my brother.
03:10 >> Welcome to another episode of Vintage Unplugged.
03:12 Today, I want to talk to you about your whole career in this kaiso business.
03:16 >> Do feel free, man.
03:17 >> Tell me where to start.
03:18 >> Okay.
03:19 I actually started singing about '76, before that I used to compose.
03:23 >> Okay.
03:24 >> I used to compose.
03:25 I don't know if you ever heard of the name of the mighty saga.
03:27 I used to compose for saga.
03:28 >> For saga?
03:29 Where he was from?
03:30 >> He's from Arima.
03:31 >> Okay, okay.
03:32 >> And it wasn't, if I just say, it wasn't economically viable.
03:34 I gave saga for 14 years.
03:36 >> Yeah.
03:37 >> And I got $10.
03:38 Those days I was still going to school.
03:39 >> Yeah, yeah.
03:40 >> And in those days money meant nothing to me.
03:42 When I get a penny or three cents I go to school, you're rich.
03:44 >> Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
03:45 >> And my wife actually bought the first outfit for me.
03:48 She said, "Listen, you're not giving saga any kaiso again.
03:50 You're going and sing."
03:51 >> Right.
03:52 >> And I remember very clearly, Abdul Malik had just killed that girl in Christina Gardens,
03:56 Neil Ann Benson.
03:57 And I wrote a song on that called "Where Michael Gone."
04:00 You know?
04:01 And I entered the prelims in Arima.
04:03 >> Yeah.
04:04 >> I made the finals.
04:05 Saga was defending the Monarch with two of my songs.
04:07 And I was in the competition with two of my songs.
04:09 And I remember winning the Monarch that year in Arima.
04:12 >> So you beat yourself.
04:13 >> I beat myself, you know?
04:14 [ Laughter ]
04:15 >> And from there, it's Norton and Buckley from that time.
04:17 >> Yeah, yeah, yeah.
04:18 >> Norton just forward.
04:19 >> All right, all right.
04:20 I remember when I was younger I went to a spectacular tent and I see you.
04:25 It was very signature moves.
04:28 Every time I come on stage, everybody, "Ai, ai, ai."
04:30 [ Laughter ]
04:33 >> In case one day they came out, "That is the man."
04:35 >> And you know, if I ever show anyone I don't do that, people call for it.
04:39 >> Of course.
04:40 >> I have to do that.
04:41 That is the signature.
04:42 >> That is you.
04:43 That is you.
04:44 Tell me how that come about.
04:45 >> Okay, I was doing -- the Masters -- and let me say this.
04:48 I want to say this publicly.
04:49 The Masters wasn't just a calypso tent.
04:52 >> The Masters, yeah.
04:53 >> It was like a family.
04:54 Now you're singing in another tent, they only do one song.
04:56 And you have to go with that all the time.
04:58 I did two songs that year, "Productivity" and "The Banner of the Year."
05:03 Those years calypso used to be eight weeks.
05:05 Now it's gone to four weeks, sometimes three weeks.
05:07 Eight weeks and the tent used to be sold out every night.
05:09 I remember the first two weeks in it I'm doing "Productivity" and get three or four enco nightly.
05:14 I went to the musicians, not management, I said, "I'm doing our next song tonight."
05:19 I said, "You already said you have the music."
05:21 They said, "All right, that's all.
05:22 I'm doing 'Banner of the Year' tonight."
05:23 The music for "Banner of the Year" was pa, pa, pa, da, pa.
05:27 And all the musicians were going to be pa, just show the hand.
05:29 Pa, pa, da, pa.
05:30 And that's how the dance came about.
05:32 I did "Banner of the Year" and I got nine enco's with "Banner of the Year."
05:39 Thanks to Shadow.
05:40 Shadow wasn't me telling you something about Shadow.
05:42 Shadow was like a father to myself and Amber in the tent.
05:45 He used to go to Shadow's home for his birthday.
05:48 His wife was going to go and we'd line.
05:49 Shadow would sing her voice, I'd sing her voice.
05:52 I was the only guy Shadow was.
05:53 And people might not know this, Shadow was a very shy guy.
05:55 Very, very shy.
05:56 Very, very shy guy.
05:58 You were fortunate enough last year to have him on the show.
06:00 When they wanted to know about Shadow, I asked a man myself.
06:02 I asked him about Shadow.
06:04 So you ever help people with writing?
06:07 No, no, no.
06:08 I do all my writing.
06:09 But in terms of mentoring you along the way?
06:11 Well, we would go on.
06:13 You know, Shadow used to tell me, "I used to look at Chocdos."
06:15 I love Chocdos' philosophy.
06:17 You know?
06:18 I look at Shadow for the rhythm.
06:20 Actually, the guy who used to write for Shadow used to write for me.
06:23 Fesmelo Thomas from Grandy.
06:25 And Chocdos, I used to look at Chocdos,
06:28 Power, of course, Kitchena, because they're like from Arima.
06:31 And these guys, you know?
06:33 Okay.
06:34 And so you come to Tong and you went straight to Master's there?
06:37 Country boy in Tong.
06:39 They used to call me, I remind people, "country people," you know?
06:41 Well, I was talking to him.
06:43 I was talking to him.
06:44 I took him to the container the other day.
06:45 He come from Grandy?
06:46 Yeah, yeah, yeah.
06:47 And, you know, he come from Pudda.
06:48 Pudda down in Arima.
06:49 So he more country than you.
06:51 I came into Pudda.
06:52 Let me say I never had any sort of difficulties with Calypso.
06:56 You just fall in?
06:57 Anytime I fall in, everybody just...
06:58 Accepts you.
06:59 You know, I was never booled.
07:01 I'm singing Calypso like 40-something years now.
07:03 I was never booled.
07:04 Never.
07:05 Whenever I sing, people always call for more.
07:07 They always call for more.
07:09 You have a very unique style of writing as well.
07:12 So you always tell these interesting stories
07:14 and you capture these moments,
07:15 but you're also throwing a little humor sometimes.
07:18 My Calypso is what you call a total package.
07:21 For this year, I'm doing something called "Shit."
07:24 S-H-W-T.
07:25 Total package.
07:27 I feel like I'm frightened to hear what it is.
07:29 Total, total.
07:30 It's about a Grenadian songwriter gave me a song.
07:32 Right?
07:34 Right?
07:35 He say, "The people go like eat."
07:37 The name of the song is "Shit."
07:39 "You go make money for so, this now the chorus go."
07:42 [Hums]
07:44 You know?
07:45 That is basically.
07:47 It's a total package.
07:49 You know, right, my man?
07:50 Right, my man? He sings "No Tailor."
07:52 "No Tailor," boy.
07:53 Watch that.
07:54 I was in such shock.
07:55 I see a Kamodan stationer towel.
07:57 I want to know.
07:59 But this man, this man not.
08:01 Not at all.
08:02 Why he come out with a tailor?
08:04 Are you telling the story yet?
08:05 You're selling your story.
08:06 You're selling your song.
08:07 Of course, you're selling your song.
08:08 I'm no tailor.
08:09 I'm a towel, yeah.
08:10 I'm a towel, yeah.
08:11 [Laughs]
08:12 I think today I want to make a poppy salad.
08:14 [Laughs]
08:15 But we'll deal with it when we come back from our break.
08:17 Ladies and gentlemen, we're Vintage Unplugged 2019.
08:20 We're here with Caranel, Kyle Peters and Ruckus.
08:23 Coming back just now.
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