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 1-25 of 86 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BVE-57096 10-in. 11/15/1929 Matrimonio Wilmoth Houdini ; Lionel Belasco Orchestra Instrumental quartet, with male vocal solo composer  
Victor BVE-57098 10-in. 11/15/1929 Warning to mothers Wilmoth Houdini ; Lionel Belasco Orchestra Instrumental quartet, with male vocal solo composer  
Decca 39415 10-in. 3/15/1935 Good will flyers Raymond Quevedo vocalist  
Decca 39417 10-in. 3/15/1935 History of calypso Raymond Quevedo vocalist  
Decca 39421 10-in. 3/18/1935 Pomme majais Raymond Quevedo vocalist  
Decca 39425 10-in. 3/18/1935 Duke and Duchess of Kent Raymond Quevedo vocalist  
Decca 39428 10-in. 3/20/1935 Vagaries of women Raymond Quevedo vocalist  
Decca 39430 10-in. 3/20/1935 Sweet Elaine Raymond Quevedo vocalist  
Decca 39451 10-in. 3/22/1935 'ere now and long ago Egbert Moore ; Raymond Quevedo vocalist  
Decca 39453 10-in. 3/22/1935 Women will rule the world Raymond Quevedo vocalist  
Decca 39455 10-in. 3/22/1935 Women are good and women are bad Raymond Quevedo vocalist  
Decca 61956 10-in. 2/16/1937 Abdication Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 61960 10-in. 2/16/1937 Zingue talala Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 61962 10-in. 2/16/1937 Intercolonial tournament Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 61966 10-in. 2/16/1937 Roosevelt in Trinidad Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 61968 10-in. 2/16/1937 Food scandal Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] ; The Caresser [Rufus Callender] ; The Executor [Philip Garcia] ; The Lion [Hubert R. Charles] vocalist  
Decca 61969 10-in. 2/16/1937 Hold up blackbird, hold up Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] ; The Caresser [Rufus Callender] ; The Executor [Philip Garcia] ; The Lion [Hubert R. Charles] vocalist  
Decca 61972 10-in. 2/18/1937 West Indian federation Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 61974 10-in. 2/18/1937 Friends Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 61976 10-in. 2/19/1937 Treasury scandal Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 61984 10-in. 2/19/1937 Man man Biscope Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 61985 10-in. 2/19/1937 Street vendors Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] ; The Caresser [Rufus Callender] ; The Executor [Philip Garcia] vocalist  
Decca 61987 10-in. 2/19/1937 Josefita Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] ; The Caresser [Rufus Callender] ; The Executor [Philip Garcia] vocalist  
Decca 61988 10-in. 2/23/1937 Believes in the land of glory Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 61990 10-in. 2/25/1937 His Majesty King George VI coronation Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
(Results 1-25 of 86 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Quevedo, Raymond," accessed March 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104666.

Quevedo, Raymond. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104666.

"Quevedo, Raymond." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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