Edwin Martin
Friday, May 16, 2014
The old man with the cane saunters into the lobby of the Signature Grand Hotel in Davie, Florida. He’s immediately surrounded by fans, promoters, handlers and media. For longtime followers of the Mighty Sparrow, it can be bit jarring to see “Birdie” in the winter of his life. He’s a fraction of the man he used to be but still a complete icon, moving slowly but deliberately, occasionally pausing to take photos or greet admirers.
Sparrow is in town for a Mother’s Day dinner and concert organized by the Trinidad and Tobago Nurses Association. It will be his second concert in as many nights (he headlined another Mother’s Day concert a night earlier at Brooklyn College in New York).
“You should have seen me last night,” he says, his bravado still intact.
Sparrow is escorted to his suite, located conveniently behind the ballroom stage. An excited female fan enters the suite to take a selfie with the calypso legend.
“What songs do you plan to sing tonight,” she asks.
Responded Sparrow: “Got any requests?”
Sparrow is in good spirits and wearing a spiffy brown suit. It’s a long way from his condition just eight months ago, when he was in a diabetic coma and his condition was bleak. There were even rumors that he had died, with fans taking to social media offering condolences and “RIP” messages. But he pulled through and is now in rehab, and he predicts he will make a full recovery “in another few months or maybe a year.”
However, the man who has been performing professionally since 1955 has had to adjust. His on-stage antics have been tempered significantly. He now performs with the aid of a stool because of poor circulation in his legs.
Asked if it’s tough adjusting to performing with limited mobility, Sparrow says no.
“I know I can’t dance like before,” says Sparrow, who recently performed in St. Maarten, Anguilla and St. Thomas. “So it doesn’t bother me. Everybody knows that I was sick and I’m still recuperating. So they don’t expect me to do like I used to do a long time ago, stand up on one foot and gyrate. If I even try that, some fans might say, ‘Man stop that, you crazy.’ ”
He has also added a spiritual touch to his concerts, performing “The Lord’s Prayer” before some shows.
In most genres of music, it can be debated who is the best of all time. But Sparrow is the undisputed calypso king of the world, having excelled in every category that is used as a barometer for greatness: longevity, consistency, substance and influence.
His signature song is probably still his first big hit, from 1956, “Jean and Dinah”. But he says fans still enjoy hearing other classics such as “Lying Excuses” “Drunk and Disorderly” “Congo Man” and “Saltfish”.
So the Birdie has lost some altitude but is still soaring nonetheless, and he doesn’t plan to land anytime soon. Asked if he has any regrets, musically or otherwise, he says no.
“No regrets,” he says. “I have been honored in many countries. People have given me the recognition and I say thanks to them. I’m still able to perform at my age, 78, I can’t complain. ”
Listen to the full interview below:
