Augustus "Lord" Messam was a Jamaican mento singer who performed throughout the 1950s up until the mid 1960s. With his band, Messam released several records that consisted of a mixture of original and traditional material on the Stanley Motta record label, under the name Lord Messam & His Calypsonians.
Career
editLord Messam was a regular performer on the Montego Bay mento scene. Gigs featuring Messam as frontman are known from various flyers and advertisements covering the period 1949 to 1966.[1]
In 1953, thirteen Jamaican bands competed in the "First Annual All-Island Calypso Band Contest". Lord Messam placed second in the competition behind winner Lord Power.[2]
The 1955 "Calypso Pepper Pot" show was judged by Louise Bennett, Mapletoft Poulle and Stanley Motta. Besides Lord Messam & His Calypsonians, the bill featured local artists such as Lord Tanamo, Sir Horace, Lord Lebby, and Count Lasher, as well as some Trinidadian calypsonians. Lord Messam’s entry – "If You're Not White, You're Considered Black" failed to place in this contest — Messam's set was considered "tame" and aimed at tourists — though he did win the prize for best costume.[2]
Messam performed regularly at hotels and collaborated with early recording stars such as Higgs and Wilson.[3] Later in life, Messam became a mentor to some of the next generation of local musicians.[4] Reggae and ska songwriter Clancy Eccles was one such artist who worked under Messam.[5]
Style
editMessam's Calypsonians are characterized by their utilization of tight polyrhythms, with banjo parts that have been described as "pointillist."[2] The opening bars of Messam's version of the traditional number "Linstead Market" have been compared to the sound of a music-box, and the few recordings that Messam left behind have been praised for their "dreamy" and "otherworldly" quality.[1] The melodies are typically backed with a "proto-reggae" rhythm.[1]
Like many mento artists, humor formed an integral part of Messam's music. The self-composed "Poun' Paper" takes a comic look at dating. In this song Messam warns about giving a woman cash too early in the date — the song describes his unsuccessful attempts to retrieve the "poun' paper" when the narrator's expectations are not met. Another Messam composition "Holiday Number", also examines relationships:
- She want a bag that make with silver latch
- She want gold chain and rings to match
- She want corset to bring down her shape
- For all she big and fat, she can't wear no drape
- Excerpt from "Holiday Number" - Lord Messam & His Calypsonians
Lord Messam incorporated many traditional songs into his sets, such as the folk-song "Linstead Market". He made only a few recordings, perhaps as a result of his focus on live performance. A trained dancer, he was known as much for his dancing as for his singing.[1]
Discography
edit78 rpm
edit- "Jamaican Mentos" (medley) b/w "Holiday No." (Lord Messam) by Lord Messam & His Calypsonians (MOT. 2142-3 MRS label)
- (includes: "Mango Walk", "Gi Me Back Me Shilling", "Chichi Bud Oh" and "Hog In A Me Mint Tea")
- "Don't Tek It For A Joke" (Lord Messam) & "Rucumbine" (Jamaican mento medley) b/w "Poun' Paper" (Lord Messam) by Lord Messam & His Calypsonians (MOT. 2144-5 MRS label)
- "The Little Fly" (Rupert Lyons) b/w "Monkey" (George Brown) by Lord Messam and His Calypsonians (SM. 103, 105 Souvenir of Montego Bay label)
Albums
edit- Authentic Jamaican Calypsos Volume 1 (MRS label, Side one):
- "Take Her To Jamaica"
- "Linstead Market"
- "Monkey"
- "The Little Fly"
"Linstead Market" also appears on the MRS album Calypso Date, and on the CD compilations Mento Madness (2004, V2 North America) and Jamaica - Mento 1951-1958 (2010, Fremeaux).
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Michael Garnice (11 March 2012). "Mento Music: Lord Messam". Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ^ a b c geteisem69POPERA (29 November 2011). "Origins of Ska: the Mento". Skarumble.com: Ska Rocksteady Reggae & Jamaican Music. Archived from the original on 27 March 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Biography: Clancy Eccles". Reggae Train. Archived from the original on 29 December 2008. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
- ^ Tannehill Neely, Daniel (2007). Mento, Jamaica's Original Music: Development, Tourism and the Nationalist Frame. p. 164. ISBN 978-0549582649.
- ^ "Trojan: Clancy Eccles". Trojan Records. Retrieved 19 April 2013.