The Duke of Iron

The Duke of Iron (born Cecil Anderson, 22 November 1906 – 17 November 1968) was a calypsonian, nightclub and concert entertainer, and recording artist from the 1930s through the 1960s. Born in Trinidad and working mainly in the United States, he was renowned for his bawdy humor, crisp diction, and confident vocal mannerisms. His clarity in pronouncing English lyrics helped him achieve tremendous popularity with American audiences.

Biography

Anderson was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, and in 1923 moved with his family to New York, where in 1927 he married Clarice McDowall, a native of Saint Vincent. In the 1930s he was a featured vocalist with the Caribbean-styled big band Felix & His Krazy Kats. He performed at a conference of folklorists in Canada during the 1930s, for which he was billed as "An Authentic Interpreter of the Kaiso.".

Anderson became a headliner on the New York club scene, which included a ten-month stint at the Village Vanguard in the 1940s. He also participated in the 1946 Calypso at Midnight! concerts produced by Alan Lomax at New York's Town Hall auditorium. In the latter part of the decade he often performed at the Caribbean Club on Seventh Avenue, New York, along with Wilmoth Houdini (billed as "King Houdini").

In 1948, he performed in the film short Wild Indian, under the name The Duke of Iron and Band. He returned to Trinidad, but made a successful return to New York in the mid-1950s during the boom in calypso music led by Harry Belafonte.

Jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, who recorded a number of Caribbean-styled instrumentals, composed and recorded a piece entitled "Duke of Iron" in his memory.

Recording career

The Duke of Iron recorded singles and albums for a variety of labels, including Decca; Virgin Isle–Supertone; Varsity; Paragon; Stinson and Folkways (owned by Moses Asch); Monogram; Prestige/International; and RCA Victor. He made many recordings in the 1940s for the Monogram label, including "Marry a Woman Uglier Than You", which inspired Jimmy Soul's 1961 chart hit "If You Wanna Be Happy", and the ribald "The Big Bamboo". by the time "Iron Duke" was recorded, calypsonians were developing the art of singing in English.