Posted by Pan Times on November 16, 2013 at 4:09pm
Aubrey Bolo Christopher inside "Studio" where famous early Calypso and Steelband recordings were made.
When Aubrey “Bolo” Christopher, of Christopher Brothers Cycle and Radio Services, 7 Nelson Street, Port of Spain, Trinidad, met with Ross Russell, President and sole owner of Dial Records of New York, to record calypsos, steelband music, and other Carnival and religious music in late February and early March 1953, they ushered in a new era in the commercialization of Trinidad’s Carnival music.
Aubrey Christopher ran the Christopher Brothers Cycle and Radio Services with his brother. Born in Trinidad in 1911, he grew up on Nelson Street where his father, a Trinidadian of Chinese descent, owned a “Chinese Shop,” a grocery and notions store at 70 Nelson Street. His father also owned a yard on Nelson where tents were set up for Carnival calypso competitions. Aubrey’s mother was a Venezuelan creole.
Read full article "The 1953 Dial Records of Carnival Music in Trinidad" by Dr. Donald Hill http://ning.it/1gSIAiQRead more…
I knew Bolo quite well and would spend hours speaking to him at his studio.He still had two of his wooden wheel
frames from his cycling days. His daughter Kay won the Queen of the Bands on two occasions playing with
Edmond Hart.According to him, being versed in electronics, he built a very early equalizer which gave him some edge over other recording studios.Many times I asked to take a look upstairs, where he kept his stack of records, but never got to see anything. As many would know he sold out to Eddy Grant. Sadly we Trinis do not treasure what we have.
Comments
I knew Bolo quite well and would spend hours speaking to him at his studio.He still had two of his wooden wheel
frames from his cycling days. His daughter Kay won the Queen of the Bands on two occasions playing with
Edmond Hart.According to him, being versed in electronics, he built a very early equalizer which gave him some edge over other recording studios.Many times I asked to take a look upstairs, where he kept his stack of records, but never got to see anything. As many would know he sold out to Eddy Grant. Sadly we Trinis do not treasure what we have.
Teddy Pinheiro