Lord Flea
| Lord Flea | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Norman Byfield Thomas |
| Born | 1931/32 or 1933/34 Kingston, Jamaica |
| Died | 18 May 1959 (age 25–27) Miami, Florida, US |
| Genres | Mento, calypso |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1949–1959 |
| Labels | Calypsodisc, Times, Capitol |
Lord Flea was the stage name of Norman Byfield Thomas (1931/32 or 1933/34 – 18 May 1959), a Jamaican mento musician credited with "helping start the calypso craze in U.S." With his band The Calypsonians, Flea toured America throughout the late 1950s, and released an album on the Capitol label. The band also performed in two calypso-related films.
Thomas was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and began his career in entertainment at local dancehalls such as the "Adastra Gardens" and "Success". In 1949, he earned himself a year-long engagement after he had performed in the talent competitions held at the Sugar Hill Club.
Flea recorded and released records with the assistance of local business men, Alec Durie and Ken Khouri. Early singles featuring Flea's vocal performances were attributed to "The Blue Mountain Caroleers" or "The Jamaican Calypsonians".
Bill Saxon, owner of 'Club Calypso' on Biscayne Boulevard in Miami, traveled to Jamaica in order to search out an 'authentic sound' for his Florida venue. Saxon offered a residency lasting from two to six months, with the proviso that those artists that wished to apply for the gig, must have previously recorded some music. Lord Flea & his Calypsonians soon received a contract and began to perform for six months in America.
The music produced by Lord Flea and other artists from the Caribbean islands was marketed as 'calypso' but Flea's style was actually known as 'mento'. In a 1957 interview for the UK Calypso Star magazine, Lord Flea explained: "In Jamaica, we call our music 'mento' until very recently. Today, 'calypso' is beginning to be used for all kinds of West Indian music. This is because it's become so commercialized there. Some people like to think of West Indians as carefree natives who work and sing and play and laugh their lives away. But this isn't so. Most of the people there are hard working folks, and many of them are smart business men. If the tourists want "calypso", that's what we sell them."
Members of the Calypsonians assumed colorful stage-names. Besides Lord Flea himself, the band adopted such memorable pseudonyms as Count Slick, Count Spoon, and Prince Charles. The Calypsonians' bassist was called Fish Ray — an early exponent of the "walking bass" technique.
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