Francisco Slinger Biography

Best known as the Mighty Sparrow, Francisco Slinger is an 11-time winner of the Calypso Monarchy and an eight-time winner of Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnaval Road March Competition. His hits include “Clara Honeybunch,” “No Doctor No,” “Goaty,” and “Jean and Dinah.” An outspoken critic of the Caribbean’s music industry, he wrote the scorching indictment “Carnaval Boycott” in 1957, after receiving only 40 dollars when his song “Jean and Dinah” won the Calypso Monarchy the previous year. Although he boycotted the competition for three years, he returned in 1961 as strong as before his hiatus. Born to a poor, working class family in the small fishing village of Grand Roi, Slinger moved with his family to Trinidad before his first birthday. Learning to sing as a youngster in the boys’ choir at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, he eventually became the head choirboy. He formed a steel band at the age of 14, taking his first steps towards a lengthy career as one of calypso’s greatest voices.