1999 In Memoriam ...
Dennis Franklyn Williams (The Merchant)
Dennis Franklyn Williams, adopted the calypso sobriquet 'Merchant', after the Shakespearean play "The Merchant of Venice"; he became a genuine vendor of songs. His parents died while he was young and he grew up in the orphanage where he learned to play the guitar, although he never acquired the art of reading and writing music.
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His calypso career began quietly in 1975 at Kitch's Revue where he sang "Dreams of Unity". My first memory of him was the following year, singing CARNIVAL with a stick as pointer, spelling out the words in song. Most people remember his mid-year releases of 1977, at a time when he faced possible incarceration, at the real launch of his career. Thanks to the timely intervention of William Munroe, the tunes "Umbaya" and "Let No Man Judge", saw him performing at the Kingdom of the Wizards tent.1978 was one of the shining moments in his career when he reached the finals of the National Calypso Competition with the popular "Norman Is That You?" and the instructive "Teach The Children". He also made the finals in 1985 singing "Pan In Danger" and "Caribbean Connection" but it was "Rock It " which he also sang that year that earned him his greatest international acclaim.
Merchant was a gifted, prolific composer selected by the Almighty to receive messages in song. Today we celebrate the monumental contribution that he has made to our culture and the rich legacy of music and lyrics he has left behind with us.
Alvin Daniell
