Sir Lancelot (singer)
Encyclopedia
Lancelot Victor Edward Pinard (March 24, 1902 – March 12, 2001) was a calypso
singer and actor who used the name Sir Lancelot. Sir Lancelot played a major role in popularizing calypso in North America, and Harry Belafonte
has acknowledged him as an inspiration and major influence.
, Trinidad
. His father, Donald Pinard, was a wealthy government official and Anglophile. Pinard attended exclusive parochial school
s and his family regularly attended the opera
(which gave him an informal musical education). He began singing traditional German
lied
er and Italian
aria
s. He studied to be a pharmacist
as a young man, and his family sent him to New York City
to study medicine. After hearing a concert by the famed African American
lyric tenor Roland Hayes
he gave up his medical education to study singing and music, and soon was performing classical
works. He began including calypso in his performances, and eventually became a full-time calypso singer. About this time, he met the Trinidadian band leader Gerald Clark, perhaps the most significant promoter of calypso in New York City. Clark asked him to record some calypso songs, and Pinard agreed. He made his debut as Sir Lancelot in 1940 at New York City's famous Village Vanguard
nightclub
. He was a close friend of the photographer Seema Aissen Weatherwax
, who took some of his first publicity photos.
in the city." His trademark became the tuxedo
he wore in nearly every concert, and his popularity was nationwide for two decades. In the 1940s he returned home for the first time but was largely disowned by his family, which felt that his calypso singing had shamed them. Sir Lancelot wrote the calypso song "Shame & Scandal
" (also known as "Fort Holland") in response.
Sir Lancelot toured with Lionel Belasco
in California
and Oregon
in 1941. After a show in Los Angeles
, he was offered a minor singing role in the picture Two Yanks in Trinidad (Columbia Pictures
, 1942). His appearance was made possible by the Oscar-winning performance of Hattie McDaniel
in Gone with the Wind
just two years earlier. He made more than 15 films, and his significant film appearances include:
In the 1940s, Sir Lancelot made numerous records (signing with Apollo Records
), and sang in commercials. He also composed a score
for the 1948 motion picture, Tarzan and the Mermaids
. He allegedly made millions of dollars selling calypso records, and spent most of it.
Sir Lancelot was politically active for much of his life. After hearing Henry A. Wallace
's "century of the common man" speech on May 8, 1942, Sir Lancelot composed the "Common Man" calypso song. Wallace later wrote him a long letter of thanks. He composed several popular calypso songs with left-wing
lyrics in the 1940s, including "Defenders of Stalingrad" and "Walk in Peace" (1946). His stand on war and peace issues was so well-known that a cartoon version of him appeared in Columbia Pictures' 1944 animated short film, The Disillusioned Bluebird (in which the calypso-singing character tells a bluebird that the world will not always be at war). According to Pete Seeger
, the 1948 Lead Belly song "Equality for Negroes" was inspired by a Sir Lancelot song. Sir Lancelot became a U.S. citizen in 1960.
Sir Lancelot spent six years touring in Europe in the 1950s, which negatively impacted his career in the U.S. Sir Lancelot's last film appearance was in 1958 (with Yul Brynner
in The Buccaneer
), although he made a noted appearance in an episode of the The Andy Griffith Show
in 1967. Through the 1960s and into the early 1970s, he recorded several "Gospel calypso" songs. He was widely popular in Europe into the late 1960s. His popularity in the U.S. at the time was still strong enough that Sherwood Schwartz
used Sir Lancelot's musical style as inspiration for the original theme song to the television program Gilligan's Island
(and even considered having Sir Lancelot sing the theme). His music, too, endured, with Lord Melody
covering "Shame and Scandal" in the 1960s. He continued to work as a musician until at least 1973, briefly coming out of retirement in the 1980s to perform at McCabe's Guitar Shop (Los Angeles) with Van Dyke Parks
, Ry Cooder
and other musicians. He also performed and recorded with Steven Springer
, Arizona
-based band Sanctuary, and his nephew Brian Pinard, recording his last album under the name "Knights of the Holy Trinity," with his last recording being "Pinardhymns - Religious Calypso."
Sir Lancelot was a Roman Catholic
who married and had three daughters. He spent his last years in Australia with his nephew, Brian Pinard.
Sir Lancelot died of natural causes in Anaheim
, California.
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
singer and actor who used the name Sir Lancelot. Sir Lancelot played a major role in popularizing calypso in North America, and Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte
Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
has acknowledged him as an inspiration and major influence.
Early life
Pinard was born in CumutoCumuto
Cumuto is a town and district in Trinidad. Cumuto is west of Sangre Grande and south of Arima. Between 1940 and 1956 much of Cumuto was part of the American army base known either as Fort Read or Wallerfield; the area was leased to the United States as part of the Destroyers for Bases...
, Trinidad
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
. His father, Donald Pinard, was a wealthy government official and Anglophile. Pinard attended exclusive parochial school
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
s and his family regularly attended the opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
(which gave him an informal musical education). He began singing traditional German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
lied
Lied
is a German word literally meaning "song", usually used to describe romantic songs setting German poems of reasonably high literary aspirations, especially during the nineteenth century, beginning with Carl Loewe, Heinrich Marschner, and Franz Schubert and culminating with Hugo Wolf...
er and Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
aria
Aria
An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
s. He studied to be a pharmacist
Pharmacist
Pharmacists are allied health professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use...
as a young man, and his family sent him to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to study medicine. After hearing a concert by the famed African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
lyric tenor Roland Hayes
Roland Hayes
Roland Hayes was a lyric tenor and is considered the first African American male concert artist to receive wide international acclaim as well as at home...
he gave up his medical education to study singing and music, and soon was performing classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
works. He began including calypso in his performances, and eventually became a full-time calypso singer. About this time, he met the Trinidadian band leader Gerald Clark, perhaps the most significant promoter of calypso in New York City. Clark asked him to record some calypso songs, and Pinard agreed. He made his debut as Sir Lancelot in 1940 at New York City's famous Village Vanguard
Village Vanguard
The Village Vanguard is a jazz club located at in Greenwich Village, New York City. The club was opened on February 22, 1935, by Max Gordon. At first, it also featured other forms of music such as folk music and beat poetry, but it switched to an all-jazz format in 1957.-History:Over 100 jazz...
nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
. He was a close friend of the photographer Seema Aissen Weatherwax
Seema Aissen Weatherwax
Seema Aissen Weatherwax was a Ukrainian-born American photographer.She was born in Ukraine, then under the Russian Czar, to Avram and Reva Aissen. She was the second of three girls. The family emigrated to England in 1912, then Boston in 1922, where the young Seema Aissen found her first job...
, who took some of his first publicity photos.
Musical and acting career
Sir Lancelot became a regular at Village Vanguard, and by the 1940s "was widely considered the hottest calypsonianCalypsonian
A calypsonian , originally known as the chantwell is a musician, from the Anglophone Caribbean, who sings songs called calypso. Calypsos are musical renditions having their origins in the West African griot tradition...
in the city." His trademark became the tuxedo
Tuxedo
A tuxedo is a type of semi-formal dress for men.Tuxedo may also refer to:-Places:Canada* Tuxedo, Winnipeg, Manitoba, a city neighborhood** Tuxedo , a provincial electoral district in Manitoba...
he wore in nearly every concert, and his popularity was nationwide for two decades. In the 1940s he returned home for the first time but was largely disowned by his family, which felt that his calypso singing had shamed them. Sir Lancelot wrote the calypso song "Shame & Scandal
Shame & Scandal
"Shame & Scandal" is a song originally performed by calypso singer Sir Lancelot. The song is a reggae classic, and was written for the movie "I Walked with a Zombie" in 1943. The song was originally titled "Fort Holland Calypso Song". Trinidadian calypsonian Lord Melody used the song as the basis...
" (also known as "Fort Holland") in response.
Sir Lancelot toured with Lionel Belasco
Lionel Belasco
Lionel Belasco was a prominent pianist, composer and bandleader, best known for his calypso recordings. According to various sources, he was born either in Barbados or in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; he grew up in Trinidad, the son of an Afro-Caribbean mother and a Sephardic Jewish father...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
in 1941. After a show in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, he was offered a minor singing role in the picture Two Yanks in Trinidad (Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
, 1942). His appearance was made possible by the Oscar-winning performance of Hattie McDaniel
Hattie McDaniel
Hattie McDaniel was the first African-American actress to win an Academy Award. She won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind ....
in Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind (film)
Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard...
just two years earlier. He made more than 15 films, and his significant film appearances include:
- I Walked with a ZombieI Walked with a ZombieI Walked with a Zombie is a 1943 horror film directed by Jacques Tourneur. It was the second horror film from producer Val Lewton for RKO Pictures; the first was the very successful Cat People, also directed by Tourneur...
(1943), as a calypso singer. His "Shame and Scandal" is performed, as is "The British GrenadiersThe British GrenadiersThe British Grenadiers is a marching song for the grenadier units of the British and Commonwealth militaries, the tune of which dates from the 17th century. It is the Regimental Quick March of the Grenadier Guards, Corps of Royal Engineers, the Honourable Artillery Company and the Royal Regiment of...
". It is alleged to be the first time calypso music was heard in an American motion picture. - Happy Go Lucky (1943), where he sang Roaring LionRoaring LionRoaring Lion was a calypsonian...
's 1933 calypso hit, "Ugly Woman." - The Ghost ShipThe Ghost ShipThe Ghost Ship is a black-and-white horror and crime film starring Richard Dix, Russell Wade, and Skelton Knaggs. The film is about a young merchant marine officer who begins to suspect that his ship's captain is mentally unbalanced and endangering the lives of the ship's crew...
, his first role in which he primarily acted rather than sang. - The Curse of the Cat PeopleThe Curse of the Cat PeopleThe Curse of the Cat People is a 1944 film directed by Gunther von Fritsch and Robert Wise, and produced by Val Lewton. This film, which was then-film editor Robert Wise's first directing credit, is the sequel to Cat People and has many of the same characters...
(1944) - To Have and Have NotTo Have and Have Not (film)To Have and Have Not is a 1944 romance-war-adventure film. The movie was directed by Howard Hawks and stars Humphrey Bogart, Walter Brennan, and Lauren Bacall in her first film...
(1944) - Zombies on BroadwayZombies on BroadwayZombies on Broadway is an American Comedy-horror film released in 1945.-Plot summary:The duo of Jerry Miles and Mike Strager are employed as Broadway press agents. Miles and Strager's latest idea is to hire a genuine zombie for the opening of a new nightclub...
(1945) - Brute Force (1947)
- Romance on the High SeasRomance on the High SeasRomance on the High Seas is a 1948 Technicolor musical romantic comedy film starring Jack Carson, Janis Paige, Don DeFore, and Doris Day in her film debut....
(1948)
In the 1940s, Sir Lancelot made numerous records (signing with Apollo Records
Apollo Records (1944)
The third and best known Apollo Records to exist was an independent record label in business from 1944 until 1962 in the United States. It was formed in New York City in 1944 by Bess Berman and her husband Isaac "Ike" Berman together with Hy Siegel and Sam Schneider...
), and sang in commercials. He also composed a score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
for the 1948 motion picture, Tarzan and the Mermaids
Tarzan and the Mermaids
Tarzan and the Mermaids is a 1948 action film based on the Tarzan character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Directed by Robert Florey, it was the last of the Tarzan movies to star Johnny Weissmuller in the title role.-Plot summary:...
. He allegedly made millions of dollars selling calypso records, and spent most of it.
Sir Lancelot was politically active for much of his life. After hearing Henry A. Wallace
Henry A. Wallace
Henry Agard Wallace was the 33rd Vice President of the United States , the Secretary of Agriculture , and the Secretary of Commerce . In the 1948 presidential election, Wallace was the nominee of the Progressive Party.-Early life:Henry A...
's "century of the common man" speech on May 8, 1942, Sir Lancelot composed the "Common Man" calypso song. Wallace later wrote him a long letter of thanks. He composed several popular calypso songs with left-wing
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
lyrics in the 1940s, including "Defenders of Stalingrad" and "Walk in Peace" (1946). His stand on war and peace issues was so well-known that a cartoon version of him appeared in Columbia Pictures' 1944 animated short film, The Disillusioned Bluebird (in which the calypso-singing character tells a bluebird that the world will not always be at war). According to Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
, the 1948 Lead Belly song "Equality for Negroes" was inspired by a Sir Lancelot song. Sir Lancelot became a U.S. citizen in 1960.
Sir Lancelot spent six years touring in Europe in the 1950s, which negatively impacted his career in the U.S. Sir Lancelot's last film appearance was in 1958 (with Yul Brynner
Yul Brynner
Yul Brynner was a Russian-born actor of stage and film. He was best known for his portrayal of Mongkut, king of Siam, in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor for the film version; he also played the role more than 4,500 times on...
in The Buccaneer
The Buccaneer (1958 film)
The Buccaneer is a 1958 War film, made by Paramount Pictures like the 1938 version and shot in Technicolor and VistaVision. It takes place during the War of 1812, and tells a heavily fictionalized version of how the pirate Jean Lafitte helped in the Battle of New Orleans and how he had to choose...
), although he made a noted appearance in an episode of the The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
in 1967. Through the 1960s and into the early 1970s, he recorded several "Gospel calypso" songs. He was widely popular in Europe into the late 1960s. His popularity in the U.S. at the time was still strong enough that Sherwood Schwartz
Sherwood Schwartz
Sherwood Charles Schwartz was an American television producer. He worked on radio shows in the 1940s, and created the television series Gilligan's Island on CBS and The Brady Bunch on ABC...
used Sir Lancelot's musical style as inspiration for the original theme song to the television program Gilligan's Island
Gilligan's Island
Gilligan's Island is an American television series created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz and originally produced by United Artists Television. The situation comedy series featured Bob Denver; Alan Hale, Jr.; Jim Backus; Natalie Schafer; Tina Louise; Russell Johnson; and Dawn Wells. It aired for...
(and even considered having Sir Lancelot sing the theme). His music, too, endured, with Lord Melody
Lord Melody
Lord Melody was a popular calypsonian, best known for singles such as the self-deprecating "Boo Boo Man", "Shame & Scandal", "Jonah and the Bake", "Juanita" and "Rastaman Be Careful"...
covering "Shame and Scandal" in the 1960s. He continued to work as a musician until at least 1973, briefly coming out of retirement in the 1980s to perform at McCabe's Guitar Shop (Los Angeles) with Van Dyke Parks
Van Dyke Parks
Van Dyke Parks is an American composer, arranger, producer, musician, singer, author and actor. Parks is perhaps best known for his contributions as a lyricist on the Beach Boys album Smile....
, Ry Cooder
Ry Cooder
Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and, more recently, his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing...
and other musicians. He also performed and recorded with Steven Springer
Steven Springer
Steven Springer is an American guitarist and songwriter known for his innovative smooth soft touch guitar style...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
-based band Sanctuary, and his nephew Brian Pinard, recording his last album under the name "Knights of the Holy Trinity," with his last recording being "Pinardhymns - Religious Calypso."
Sir Lancelot was a Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
who married and had three daughters. He spent his last years in Australia with his nephew, Brian Pinard.
Sir Lancelot died of natural causes in Anaheim
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
, California.
External links
- Hollywood Deathwatch: Sir Lancelot
- Lancelot Pinard (Sir Lancelot)
- Sir Lancelot (includes CD discography and Los Angeles Times obituary)
- Sir Lancelot at MSN