In 1916 he started his career in earnest when he began working with the African Millionaires, a large carnival group consisting of about 25 members. He arrived in New York sometime around 1927, after working on cargo ships and travelling extensively. Not long after his arrival there, he began cutting records with local bands for Decca Records, notably Gerald Clark's Night Owls. He released well over a hundred different 78s between 1928 and 1940, also under the names of Fredrick Wilmoth Hendricks (his given name), Edgar Leon Sinclair (the name on his US passport), and King Houdini. His 1939 composition "He Had It Coming" was a hit for Louis Jordan and Ella Fitzgerald under the new title "Stone Cold Dead in the Market". The song stayed on the top of the R&B charts for five weeks, and reached no. 7 on the pop charts. Gaining a good deal of recognition, Houdini wasted no time in organizing high-profile calypso festivals and concerts around New York, quickly becoming a respected member of the Caribbean communities there.
After moving to New York (as one of the earliest Trinidadian émigrés), he was often the object of derision by the calypsonians still in Trinidad, who claimed that he was stealing their ideas and capitalizing on them in the USA. This can be seen in numerous calypsos of the early to mid-1930s, from Roaring Lion and Attila the Hun in particular, who also recorded in New York at the time. This led to Houdini's 1934 rebuttal, "Declaration of War". Towards the beginning of the 1950s he played regularly at the Caribbean Club on Seventh Avenue, New York, with his only real rival, The Duke of Iron, also a native of Trinidad.
Houdini died on August 6, 1977, in New York City, where he had lived for the majority of his life.
His song "Uncle Joe", although melodically not original, had a huge influence upon the American psyche, influencing Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Lord Mouse and the Kalypso Katz, Hazmat Modine, Bob Brozman, and C. W. Stoneking, to name but a few. He has inspired a newer generation of artists around the world, for example with his recording "Black But Sweet" covered by Mighty Dub Katz ("Son Of Wilmot"), Sabres of Paradise ("Wilmot"), Shantel ("Bucovina") and Eleftheria Arvanitaki ("Den milo ghia mia nychta ego").
Rum and Coca-Cola
Wilmoth Houdini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They make you feel so very glad
Calypso sing and make up rhyme
Guarantee you one real good fine time
Drinkin' rum and Coca-Cola
Go down Point Koomahnah
Both mother and daughter
Oh, beat it man, beat it
If a Yankee come to Trinidad
They got the young girls all goin' mad
Young girls say they treat 'em nice
Make Trinidad like paradise
Drinkin' rum and Coca-Cola
Go down Point Koomahnah
Both mother and daughter
Workin' for the Yankee dollar
Oh, you vex me, you vex me
From Chicachicaree to Mona's Isle
Native girls all dance and smile
Help soldier celebrate his leave
Makes every day like New Year's Eve
Drinkin' rum and Coca-Cola
Go down Point Koomahnah
Both mother and daughter
Workin' for the Yankee dollar
It's a fact, man, it's a fact
In old Trinidad, I also fear
The situation is mighty queer
Like the Yankee girls, the native swoon
When she hear Der Bingle croon
Drinkin' rum and Coca-Cola
Go down Point Koomahnah
Both mother and daughter
Workin' for the Yankee dollar
Out on Manzanella Beach
G.I. romance with native peach
All night long, make tropic love
The next day, sit in hot sun and cool off
Drinkin' rum and Coca-Cola
Go down Point Koomahnah
Both mother and daughter
Workin' for the Yankee dollar
It's a fact, man, it's a fact
Rum and Coca-Cola
Rum and Coca-Cola
Workin' for the Yankee dollar
Wilmoth Houdini's song Rum and Coca-Cola is a Calypso tune, which is a genre of music originating from Trinidad and Tobago in the early 20th century. The song is commenting on the American military presence in Trinidad during World War II. The lyrics are sung from the perspective of a Trinidadian witnessing the influx of American soldiers and the impact they have on the island's culture.
The first verse sets the scene of Trinidad being a lively and happy place with Calypso music always playing. The chorus mentions "Drinkin' rum and Coca-Cola, go down Point Koomahnah," which is a popular spot in Trinidad that was known for its nightlife and entertainment. The second verse comments on how the American soldiers treat the young girls of Trinidad nicely, which can make the island feel like a paradise. The chorus repeats with the addition of "you vex me, you vex me" expressing frustration with the Yankee presence.
The third verse mentions the celebration of a soldier's leave and how native girls dance and smile. The chorus emphasizes that the women are "workin' for the Yankee dollar," implying that they are being taken advantage of by the American soldiers. The fourth verse brings up the popularity of Bing Crosby's music on the island, and how it too makes the native women swoon. The final verse describes a G.I.'s romance on Manzanella Beach with a native woman, and how the next day they sit in the hot sun to cool off.
Overall, the lyrics are a social commentary on the impact of American soldiers on Trinidadian culture, particularly regarding the exploitation of women for the benefit of the military.
Line by Line Meaning
If you ever go down Trinidad
Traveling to Trinidad because it is a great place to make you happy.
They make you feel so very glad
Trinidadian hospitality is incomparable.
Calypso sing and make up rhyme
Calypso music is played and songs are sung.
Guarantee you one real good fine time
There's a guarantee that you will have a good time.
Drinkin' rum and Coca-Cola
Drinking some Caribbean cocktails.
Go down Point Koomahnah
Visit the nightclub at Point Cumana.
Both mother and daughter
Yankee men are hiring local women and their daughters.
Workin' for the Yankee dollar
The women are working for Yankee cash.
Oh, beat it man, beat it
Please leave me alone.
If a Yankee come to Trinidad
When Yankee men visit Trinidad.
They got the young girls all goin' mad
The young girls lose their minds over the Yankees.
Young girls say they treat 'em nice
The girls say that Yankees treat them well.
Make Trinidad like paradise
The girls feel like they are living in paradise.
From Chicachicaree to Mona's Isle
From one side of the island to another.
Native girls all dance and smile
Local girls are dancing and happy.
Help soldier celebrate his leave
Assisting a soldier's furlough by joining him in celebrating.
Makes every day like New Year's Eve
Every day is exciting for them.
In old Trinidad, I also fear
There is something to worry about in the old Trinidad society.
The situation is mighty queer
The situation is strange and unusual.
Like the Yankee girls, the native swoon
Local boys are drawn to Yankee girls.
When she hear Der Bingle croon
Local girls are loving to hear Bing Crosby sing.
Out on Manzanella Beach
On Manzanella beach.
G.I. romance with native peach
A G.I. soldier is romantically involved with a local girl.
All night long, make tropic love
They spent all night having a tropical intense love.
The next day, sit in hot sun and cool off
The next day they sit in the sun and relax.
Rum and Coca-Cola
The song is about these popular cocktails.
Workin' for the Yankee dollar
The local girls are earning the US dollar money.
It's a fact, man, it's a fact
It is really happening, and that is the sad part.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jeri Sullivan, Morey Amsterdam, Paul Baron
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@letiekllib
Ahhhh EEEE ! I am honored!! Wilmoth is my personal musical hero! I am glad to see that the Andrew Sisters estate was made to acknowledge that this song was never theirs. (though they spent their lives touring and acting as though it was theirs) Live on Trinidad! billkeitel
@shaun_rambaran
It's not Wilmoth Houdini's either. Original by Lord Invader, and was about women prostituting themselves to the US sailors who were here during WWII. Look it up sometime: The lyrics are vastly different.
Wilmoth Houdini did have some really nice original Calypsos too, but unfortunately he also was a bit of an assh*le and had stolen the music of other Calypsonians during an opportunity to record in NY (maybe thinking noone back home would have found out).
@letiekllib
The highest flowering of black culture in the Americas. billkeitel
@maralimperi7117
Liekö se alkuperäinen...?