King Radio

Norman Span, known as King Radio, was a top Trinidadian calypsonian active in the 1930s and 1940s.

He was a waterfront worker in Port of Spain when he started performing in public in 1929. Six years later he started his short-lived recording career. He was the composer of many calypsos which later became standards, such as "Mathilda", "Man Smart, Woman Smarter", and "Brown Skin Gal".

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1936 - 1945

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, composer

Notes: His compositions are credited under his real name, Norman Span. Performs under the pseudonym, Radio. Listed on Bluebird label as King Radio.

See Also: Span, Norman

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

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 53 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BS-04602 10-in. 2/4/1937 Rats diplomacy Bert McLean's Jazz Hounds ; King Radio Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble vocalist, composer  
Victor BS-04603 10-in. 2/4/1937 The tricks of some married women Bert McLean's Jazz Hounds ; King Radio Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal solo composer, vocalist  
Victor BS-04604 10-in. 2/4/1937 Don't touch me down dey Bert McLean's Jazz Hounds ; King Radio Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble vocalist, composer  
Victor BS-04605 10-in. 2/4/1937 Woman, you can't fool my man Bert McLean's Jazz Hounds ; King Radio Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble vocalist, composer  
Victor BS-04618 10-in. 2/6/1937 Two loving pets King Radio ; Lady Trinidad Female-male vocal duet, with instrumental ensemble vocalist, composer  
Victor BS-04619 10-in. 2/6/1937 Children love your mother Bert McLean's Jazz Hounds ; King Radio Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble vocalist, composer  
Victor BS-04642 10-in. 2/7/1937 Nettie, Nettie, I can't stand the digging Bert McLean's Jazz Hounds ; King Radio Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble vocalist, composer  
Victor BS-04644 10-in. 2/7/1937 The woman vampires Bert McLean's Jazz Hounds ; King Radio Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble vocalist, composer  
Victor BS-04645 10-in. 2/7/1937 My little pet Bert McLean's Jazz Hounds ; King Radio Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble vocalist, composer  
Victor BS-04646 10-in. 2/7/1937 Abdication Bert McLean's Jazz Hounds ; King Radio Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble vocalist, composer  
Victor BS-017876 10-in. late 1937 This is the life Bert McLean's Jazz Hounds ; King Radio Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble vocalist  
Victor BS-017878 10-in. late 1937 Cecilia Bert McLean's Jazz Hounds ; King Radio Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble vocalist  
Victor BS-018064 10-in. 1/17/1938 Joe Louis King Radio Dubbed recording : Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble vocalist, composer  
Decca 60996 10-in. 4/7/1936 Hell yard and George St. King Radio ; The Lion [Hubert R. Charles] ; The Tiger [Neville Marcano] vocalist  
Decca 61005 10-in. 4/8/1936 Send your children to the orp .. King Radio ; The Lion [Hubert R. Charles] ; The Tiger [Neville Marcano] vocalist  
Decca 61012 10-in. 4/8/1936 [Unknown title(s)] King Radio ; The Lion [Hubert R. Charles] ; The Tiger [Neville Marcano] vocalist  
Decca 61015 10-in. 4/9/1936 Man smart, woman smarter King Radio vocalist  
Decca 61018 10-in. 4/9/1936 Gold diggers King Radio vocalist  
Decca 61020 10-in. 4/9/1936 Unfortunate bridgegroom King Radio vocalist  
Decca 61021 10-in. 4/9/1936 Warning the children towards Mother King Radio vocalist  
Decca 61028 10-in. 4/11/1936 Milly King Radio ; The Lion [Hubert R. Charles] vocalist  
Decca 61030 10-in. 4/11/1936 War King Radio ; The Lion [Hubert R. Charles] ; The Tiger [Neville Marcano] vocalist  
Decca 61031 10-in. 4/11/1936 we ain't 'fraid nobody King Radio ; The Lion [Hubert R. Charles] vocalist  
Decca 61032 10-in. 4/11/1936 Don't break it I say King Radio ; The Lion [Hubert R. Charles] ; The Tiger [Neville Marcano] vocalist  
Decca 61033 10-in. 4/11/1936 Millington King Radio ; The Lion [Hubert R. Charles] ; The Tiger [Neville Marcano] vocalist  
(Results 1-25 of 53 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "King Radio," accessed May 24, 2022, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108537.

King Radio. (2022). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108537.

"King Radio." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2022. Web. 24 May 2022.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108537

External Sources

Wikipedia: King Radio

Discogs:

Allmusic:

Linked Open Data Sources

LCNAR: Radio (Calypso singer) - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no00082522

Wikidata: King Radio - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q6411973

VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/78781250

MusicBrainz: King Radio - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/2e432d96-f70b-4de7-9b5e-94b8852fc038

Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license

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