Lord Pretender

Who was Lord Pretender?

Lord Pretender was the stage name of Aldric Farrell, M.O.M., H.B.M. a calypsonian vocalist born on the island of Tobago widely acknowledged to be a "master" of extempo, a lyrically improvised form of calypso music considered a forerunner of rap. Starting with an impromptu performance at the age of twelve, his career spanned nearly seven decades until cancer of the larynx forced him to retire in the mid-1990s.

In 1957, Lord Pretender won the prestigious 'Calypso King' competition. Honored by the Trinidad and Tobago government for his services to calypso in 1972, Lord Pretender went on to receive the island's Hummingbird Medal in 1994.