Crazy

Edwin Ayoung (born 1944), better known as Crazy, is a Trinidadian calypsonian. He has been active since the mid-1970s and is one of the most successful artists from Trinidad and Tobago.

Career Ayoung was born in 1944 at Maraval Road, Port of Spain, Trinidad, one of eleven children to a Chinese Trinidadian father and an Afro-Venezuelan mother. As a youth he showed promise as a cricketer, but chose a career in music. His debut album, Crazy's Super Album, was released in 1979 and sold over 35,000 copies in his home country.

He pioneered the crossover genre chutney soca with his 1989 Road March entry, "Nani Wine", a big hit in North America and the West Indies in 1989.

After a relative lack of success in the early 1990s, which included an album recorded with Byron Lee, his fortunes improved in 1997 with the release of the album Still Crazy After 25 Years, the same year finishing third in the Soca Chutney Monarch competition and reaching the final of International Soca Monarch.

In 2012 he pioneered another new style, "Trini-style reggae", releasing a Trini-reggae cover of "Hotel California".

In 2013 Crazy was named in a list of the top 50 calypsonians of the 20th century by the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians' Organisation (TUCO).

In 2015 he headlined the Pan New England Steelband Festival in Blue Hill, Maine.

Lyrical content Crazy's lyrics are often humorous, but have also incorporated political themes. While many of his lyrics have been risqué, in 2011, he appealed to parang soca artists to keep lyrics 'holy' in the runup to Christmas. He wrote "Stop the Crime" in response to the murder of state prosecutor Dana Seetahal and general level of crime in Trinidad.

Discography

Albums Crazy's Super Album (1979), Crazy Madness Is Gladness (1980), Crazy My Method of Madness (1980), Crazy Mad Man Jam (1982), CCM New Direction (1983), Kalico Fire (1985), Crazy Here I Am (1986), Crazy Chief Crazy (1987), Crazy Crazy Crazy (1981), Kai Soca Nani Wine (1989), Trinity Soca Beti (1990), Benab Jump Leh We Jump (1991), Dynamic Crazymania (1992), JWP Let's Go Crazy (1993), JWP Craziah Than Ever (1994), JWP Crazy For You (1995), JWP Wildness (1996), JWP Still Crazy After 25 Years (1997), JWP Ah Crazy Again (Back to Basics) (1999), JWP Dangerously Crazy (2001), JWP Masquerade (2002), JWP Best of Crazy (2002), JWP Crazy On De Loose (2003), JWP Trnidad Crazy (2004), Hometown Music Sweet Madness (2005), Hometown Music De Maddest (2006) Cold Sweat (2007) Unstoppable (2008) Crazylicious (2009) Evergreen (2010) The Recipe (2012)

EPs Crazy 2011 (2011) Crazy's Crazy Singles 2012 (2012) Crazy 2013 (2013)

Singles "Chinaman" (1974), Strakers "Religious Procession"/"The Electrician" (1975), Crazy "Satan's Coming" (1976), MAM/Charlie's "Band Leaders Ain't Care" (1977), MAM/Bellini "A Great Achievement" (1977), MAM/Bellini "Dustbin Cover"/"Listen Joffre Serrette" (1978), Ice "Parang Soca"/"Guadeloupe Chick" (1979) "Crazy’s Contribution To The International Year Of The Child" (1979), Crazy "Muchacha" (1979) "Don't Try That" (1980) "Sweet Daisy" (1983), Kalico "Ain’t Boung For You" (1984) "Drive It" (1988) "Christmas Parang Parti" (1990), Charlie's "De Party Now Start" (1992) "Parang Soca" (1992), Cahrlie's "Dis Is How" (1994), JWP "D'Ride" (1998) "Qualified Cashier" (2003), Hometown Music

Digital singles/tracks "Phone Card" (2008) "When Steel Talks" (2009) "Rub It Up" (2010) "Patrick Manning Must Go" (2010) "More Percy" (2010) Crazy 2012 (2012) "I For Kamla" (2013) "Big Band" (2013) "De Bull" (2013)