Superblue
Encyclopedia
Austin Lyons better known as Superblue, Super Blue, and Blueboy, is a Trinidad and Tobago
calypsonian
, soca music
ian, ICON and lyricist.
by a Grenadian mother and Trinidadian father, he became famous from his first foray into the calypso tent
world in 1980 with Soca Baptist a song he penned in 1979. Soca Baptist also won him his first Carnival Road March Monarch in 1980, while giving him the biggest win at that time though the magnitude of that win would be dwarfed by his own subsequent landslide victories. He went on to win the annual Carnival Road March title eight times and the Trinidad Soca Monarch (now the International Soca Monarch) title a record 5 times.
Superblue is famous for wearing blue costumes. He developed a reputation for performing daring antics while on stage for the Trinidad Soca Monarch competitions.
Superblue's daughter Fay-Ann Lyons
, whose mother is calypsonian Lady Gypsy, is herself a well-known soca musician (composer and performer), who has already at a young age won three Road March Monarch titles (in 2003, 2008 and 2009) and who performs at both local and foreign carnival
events. Superblue recorded the song, Clear de Road, with Fay-Ann and they performed it together for the International Soca Monarch competition in 2004. They did not place in the top ten however. In fact since his last Soca Monarch win in 2000, Superblue has remained out of the winners' circle musically though he continues to record. His songs are still held to be classic soca compositions and he is hailed as the originator of the "jump and wave" style of soca songs.
The song titled Barbara by Superblue was played as background music in the movie Side Streets
(1998).
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...
calypsonian
Calypsonian
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...
, soca music
Soca music
Soca is a style of music from Trinidad and Tobago. Soca is a musical development of traditional Trinidadian calypso, through loans from the 1960s onwards from predominantly black popular music....
ian, ICON and lyricist.
Person
Born in Point Fortin, TrinidadPoint Fortin
Point Fortin, the smallest Borough in Trinidad and Tobago, is located in southwestern Trinidad, about southwest of San Fernando. After the discovery of petroleum in the area in 1906 the town grew into a major oil-producing centre. The town grew with the oil industry between the 1940s and 1980s,...
by a Grenadian mother and Trinidadian father, he became famous from his first foray into the calypso tent
Calypso tent
Calypso tents are venues in which calypsonians perform during the Carnival season. They usually are cinema halls, community centers, or other indoor buildings which have seating and stage arrangements to host the entertainers, guests and patrons; or outdoor shows which are held in parks or, more...
world in 1980 with Soca Baptist a song he penned in 1979. Soca Baptist also won him his first Carnival Road March Monarch in 1980, while giving him the biggest win at that time though the magnitude of that win would be dwarfed by his own subsequent landslide victories. He went on to win the annual Carnival Road March title eight times and the Trinidad Soca Monarch (now the International Soca Monarch) title a record 5 times.
Superblue is famous for wearing blue costumes. He developed a reputation for performing daring antics while on stage for the Trinidad Soca Monarch competitions.
Superblue's daughter Fay-Ann Lyons
Fay-Ann Lyons
Fay-Ann Lyons-Alvarez is a Trinidadian soca songwriter, recording artist and performer. She is also known by such titles as the Lyon Empress, Mane the Matriach and the Silver Surfer, a nickname which she claimed during her performance at the 2008 International Soca Monarch. She is married to...
, whose mother is calypsonian Lady Gypsy, is herself a well-known soca musician (composer and performer), who has already at a young age won three Road March Monarch titles (in 2003, 2008 and 2009) and who performs at both local and foreign carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
events. Superblue recorded the song, Clear de Road, with Fay-Ann and they performed it together for the International Soca Monarch competition in 2004. They did not place in the top ten however. In fact since his last Soca Monarch win in 2000, Superblue has remained out of the winners' circle musically though he continues to record. His songs are still held to be classic soca compositions and he is hailed as the originator of the "jump and wave" style of soca songs.
The song titled Barbara by Superblue was played as background music in the movie Side Streets
Side Streets
Side Streets is a 1998 Merchant Ivory film directed by Tony Gerber.Ensemble cast included Valeria Golino, Shashi Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Miho Nikaido, Art Malik, Victor Argo, Rosario Dawson, Jennifer Esposito.-Cast:*Valeria Golino - Sylvie Otti...
(1998).
Superblue firsts
- First calypsonian to ever perform at Wembley Convention Centre in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. - First Soca Monarch winner
- His performances of Bachannal Time and Birthday Party appeared on the first worldwide broadcast of Trinidad and Tobago Carnival via CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
. - ONLY Calypsonian to appear on Sesame Street.