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, several of which later became standards through popular recordings by Harry Belafonte such as "Matilda", "Man Smart, Woman Smarter", and "Brown Skin Girl".

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1936 - 1945

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, composer

Notes: His compositions are credited under his real name, Norman Span.

See Also: Span, Norman

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

Recordings (Results 51-53 of 53 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 91937 10-in. 2/9/1940 Story of Mr. Paul King Radio vocalist  
Decca 91975 10-in. 2/12/1940 The guardian contest King Radio vocalist  
Decca 91976 10-in. 2/12/1940 The war King Radio vocalist  
(Results 51-53 of 53 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "King Radio," accessed April 18, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108537.

King Radio. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108537.

"King Radio." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 18 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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

Feedback

Send the Editors a message about this record.