Raymond Quevedo

Raymond Quevedo (24 March 1892 – 22 February 1962), better known as Atilla the Hun, was a calypsonian from Trinidad. He began singing in 1911 and was at his most prominent in the 1930s and 1940s. He was one of the pioneers in spreading awareness of calypso beyond its birthplace in Trinidad and Tobago. Together with the Roaring Lion (Rafael de Leon) he brought calypso to the United States for the first time in 1934. One of his popular calypsos was "FDR in Trinidad", commemorating U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 1936 trip to Trinidad.

Atilla competed in the first Calypso King contest in 1939, and won the title in both 1946 and 1947.

Known as a defender of the poor, Atilla was able to transition to a political career. When several of his records were censored he composed "The Banning of Records", which was itself banned.

Atilla was the first calypsonian to hold elected public office; he was elected to the Port of Spain City Council in 1946 and was elected to the Legislative Council of Trinidad and Tobago in 1950 representing the St. George County East. (See: Elections in Trinidad and Tobago). He also authored Atilla's Kaiso: A Short History of Trinidad Calypso with John La Rose, published posthumously in 1983.

Birth and Death Data: Born March 24, 1892 (Trinidad), Died February 22, 1962

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1929 - 1941

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, composer

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 76-86 of 86 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 91648 10-in. 2/4/1939 Freddo Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 91649 10-in. 2/4/1939 La reine Maribone Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 91651 10-in. 2/4/1939 Gabilan Bombay Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 91668 10-in. 2/8/1939 Scorpion Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 91670 2/8/1939 [Unknown title(s)] Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] ; The Caresser [Rufus Callender] ; The Lion [Hubert R. Charles] ; Lord Executor vocalist  
Decca 91917 10-in. 2/3/1940 Finland Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 91969 10-in. 2/12/1940 Cambie Lowray Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 91970 10-in. 2/12/1940 The Admiral Graf Spee Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 91971 10-in. 2/12/1940 No wedding bells for me Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 91972 10-in. 2/12/1940 Li li Pierrot Dorrie Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 91973 10-in. 2/12/1940 Send Hitler to St. Helena Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
(Results 76-86 of 86 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Quevedo, Raymond," accessed April 19, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104666.

Quevedo, Raymond. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 19, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104666.

"Quevedo, Raymond." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 19 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104666

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