Stedson Red Plastic Bag Wiltshire believes he is the voice of the average Barbadian.

 

Nation News: 8/9/2009.

by MELISSA ROLLOCK

 

THE CALYPSO TENT is his Parliament,
his thousands of loyal fans, his constituents.

For 27 years, reigning calypso monarch Stedson Red Plastic Bag Wiltshire has been the voice of the average Barbadian, bringing the issues that affect them on a daily basis - many of them controversial -
to the forefront.

His uncanny ability to verbalise in song what they are feeling has made him one
of the most beloved and revered calypsonians to date.

And it is what has resulted
in his taking home nine trophies and what by now has to be a fleet
of cars after winning various Pic-O-De-Crop calypso competitions over the years - his latest win being two Fridays ago during

the LIME/Banks Pic-O-De-Crop Finals
at Kensington Oval.

His contributions Home Drums and the infectious Something Happening stole the show. The latter also afforded him third place in the Tune Of The Crop
(Road March) competition.

Despite winning so many times, the Bag, who sat down with the SUNDAY SUN last week, said it never gets old. But, winning
for him, doesn't happen on the night of the Finals; it occurs long before that.

"For me, it happens before a result at the National Stadium. The way I see my role as a calypsonian is when I can compose
a song that the people can relate to and echo the sentiments that they would want to echo if they had the opportunity to go on stage
to speak out about certain things and say what they want to say . . . .

"Once I can produce that song or songs going to the calypso tent, which really is my Parliament . . . . to do these songs and see people respond and relate to what I am saying, for me, that is a victory in itself. Winning the calypso monarch competition is just icing on the cake," said the 48-year-old Stedson, a member of De Big Show tent.

Some of what fuels him year after year are the mountains of support and love
he receives from his fans. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that back in 1982, at the age of 21, and as a first-timer
to the national competition, Stedson toppled giants to take the crown.

"I believe that created quite a bit of interest in who this young fellow was coming from a little fishing village called Bayfield
[in St Philip] and coming to The City and weighing in against the likes of the Mighty Gabbys and the Romeos and so on. People saw that as something worthy of note," he said.

He first started singing calypso back in 1979 in a local competition in Bayfield staged by the Bayfield Youth Group of which he was a member.

They did not have enough contestants,
so Stedson volunteered, and surprise, surprise, he won. He entered again in 1980 and 1981 and floored the competition. After people saw how well he did, they encouraged him to enter the national competition, and the rest is history.

His life was never the same again.