Dominica calypsonian drowns New Year’s Day

Roseau, Dominica CMC – The calypso community here is mourning the death of four-time calypso monarch, Melvin Constant, “Solo” who died on Sunday by drowning.

Police said that the 75-year-old, who resided in the United States, had been on vacation, when he got into distress, while swimming in an area known as Tibay in Portsmouth, north of here.

The authorities said that efforts had been made to resuscitate the singer, who was in the company of his family at the time of the incident. He was subsequently transported to the Reginald Fitzgerald Armour Hospital in Portsmouth where he was officially pronounced dead.

Solo was well known here for his calypsos including “Mass in the Cemetery”. He first won the monarch title in 1973 with his tunes “Black Man Leads the Way” and “I Pleasing Me Fans” and regained the title in 1975, 1976 and 1977, after failing to repeat in 1974.

Following a brief interruption in 1974 he went on to hold the grip on the calypso monarch title for three straight years in 1975, 1976 and 1977.

Although he was based in the US,  he continued to be active in the music industry performing in competitions abroad.

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