01 - The Limbo (Frankie Anderson)
02 - Chinese Children (The Mighty Panther)
03 - The Bedbug Song (Brownie)
04 - Let Me Go Melba (Brownie) 05 - Ask Me Why I Run (Maureen DuValier)
06 - The Little Fly (Lord Composer)
07 - The Saxophone Song (Brownie) 08 - Yes Yes Yes (Maureen DuValier)
09 - The Big Bamboo (Pershing De Graf) 10 - Muriels Treasure (Maureen DuValier)
11 - Calypso Cave Man (Brownie) 12 - Don't Touch Me Tomato (Maureen DuValier)
A CALYPSO MAMA SINGS with
LAD RICHARDS CALYPSO ORCHESTRA
Release date: Unknown
Label: Art
Ask Me Why I Run
Come Down From America
Court House Scandal
De Peas 'n' De Rice
Don't Tough Me Tomatoes
Gin And Coconut Water
Mary Had No Little Lamb
Muriels Treasure
Run Joe
Yes Yes Yes
Andre' Toussaint - Little Nassau/Bahama Mama
Blind Blake & His Royal Victorians - Peas and Rice Calypso Mama - Yes, Yes, Yes
Delbon Johnson - It's Always Springtime In Nassau
Frankie Anderson - The Limbo Song
George Symonette - Don't Touch Me Tomato
King Sparrow - No More Rocking and Rolling
Leslie Scott & Irene Williams - Crazy like mad
Lord Beginner - Fed-A-Ray
Lord Composer - Linstead Market
Lord Shorty - Kim
Mighty Panther - Barbados Carnival
The Jolly Boys - Take Me Back to Jamaica
The Percentie Brothers - Goombay Drum
The Percentie Brothers - J.P. Morgan
Maureen, because of her firm background singing with her Godfather Bert Cambridge and friend Freddie Munnings, developed a very pleasant and melodious singing style. At a time when only her and Eloise Lewis and few others ruled the stage as women in the Bahamas, she was most certainly among our brightest stars. Her songs stem from traditional gospel, blues, calypso, and popular broadway hits of the day. Having a contralto voice gave her a distinct sound unique to only her in the Bahamas at the time. Her lyrical style is clear, fun, and very entertaining. Maureen, even on records, sounds as if she's having the time of her life doing what she was destined to do.
The first song highlighted in this review has been done by artist Blind Blake, but Maureen has done a great job in her version of "Yes, Yes, Yes". This is a blues piece with a break at the end of each verse that highlights the title of the song. This type of setting-up of the hook line of the song is very common in blues music.
Click play to hear "Yes, Yes, Yes" -
The tradition of story telling was quite common in the folk music of the Bahamas. Here Maureen sings about a story that is not only funny, but could be very well true. The saxophone plays with the agility of many of the jazz and blues players of that era. The melodic interpretation however places it right here on an island.
Click play to hear "Court House Scandal" -
This next song alternates between the relative minor and its major key tonality. Rhythmically, it's a very interesting calypso with an implied feel of junkanoo. The call and response in the chorus of the song stems from an old African tradition that can be found in the way we worship, play junkanoo, and sing.
