Sonny Blacks

“Sonny Blacks, Trinidad born Impresario has always been involved in the arts and culture of Trinidad, especially, Carnival, Calypso and Steel Pan. I have been involved in Carnival from an early age, playing 'Fancy Sailor' Mas for five years and then played History mas with Harold Saldenah portraying the philosopher Diogenes in ' Glory of Greece'.

I have also been a promoter of Calypso and Steel Pan music and was the first person to put the Mighty Sparrow on stage, the song Jean & Dinah was first performed on one of my early shows.

My involvement with the Steel Pan began in my early school days in the city of Port of Spain with the Trinidad All Stars Steel Band (Formerly Hell Yard) and then I moved on with the Dixieland Steel Orchestra, came to London in May 1961 with Dixieland after having won the prestigious Island Music Festival, as Manager of Dixieland we have travelled all over Europe as Steel Pan pioneers and was also the first Steel Band to have performed Africa.

I am presently the senior Promoter of Calypso shows in the United Kingdom and Europe having staged the 'Kings of Calypso' that featured the Mighty Sparrow, David Rudder, Black Stalin, Mighty Chalkdust, Duke, Calypso Rose and several others

I am also the Producer/Director of the Caribbean Carnival Extravaganza, the only staged Carnival production in the World, with costumes designed by Wayne Berkeley, that had featured Calypso Rose, the Trinidad Steel Band, Calypso Orchestra, costumed Dancers, and have performed at the Barbican, Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Arundel and Portsmouth Festivals and other prestigious venues in the UK and Europe.

I also convened the first constituted Carnival Committee the Carnival Development Committee, in October 1968, this was the first group that organised the earliest Carnivals in Notting Hill Gate.”

Sonny Blacks