Lancelot Victor Edward Pinard (March 24, 1902 – March 12, 2001) was a calypso singer and actor who used the name Sir Lancelot. Sir Lancelot played a major role in popularizing calypso in North America, and Harry Belafonte acknowledged him as an inspiration and major influence.
Early life
Pinard was born in Cumuto, Trinidad. Pinard attended exclusive parochial schools and his family regularly attended the opera (which gave him an informal musical education). Clark asked him to record some calypso songs, and Pinard agreed.
Musical and acting career
Sir Lancelot became a regular at the Village Vanguard, and by the 1940s "was widely considered the hottest calypsonian in the city." His trademark became the tuxedo he wore in nearly every concert, In the 1940s he returned home for the first time but was largely disowned by his family, which felt that his calypso singing had shamed them.
Sir Lancelot toured with Lionel Belasco in California and Oregon in 1941. He made more than 15 films, His "Shame and Scandal" is performed, as is "The British Grenadiers".
:*The Ghost Ship (1943), his second Val Lewton film, his first role in which he primarily acted rather than sang.
:*Zombies on Broadway (1945)
:*Brute Force (1947)
:*Romance on the High Seas (1948) and sang in commercials.
Sir Lancelot was politically active for much of his life. His stand on war and peace issues was so well known that a cartoon version of him appeared in Columbia Pictures' 1944 animated short film, The Disillusioned Bluebird (in which the calypso-singing character tells a bluebird that the world will not always be at war). According to Pete Seeger, the 1948 Lead Belly song "Equality for Negroes" was inspired by a Sir Lancelot song. Sir Lancelot became a U.S. citizen in 1960.
Sir Lancelot spent six years touring in Europe in the 1950s, which negatively impacted his career in the U.S. His music, too, endured, with Lord Melody covering "Shame and Scandal" in the 1960s. He continued to work as a musician until at least 1973, briefly coming out of retirement in the 1980s to perform at McCabe's Guitar Shop (Los Angeles) with Van Dyke Parks, Ry Cooder and other musicians. He also performed and recorded with Steven Springer, Arizona-based band Sanctuary, and his nephew Brian Pinard, recording his last album under the name "Knights of the Holy Trinity," with his last recording being "Pinardhymns – Religious Calypso."
Sir Lancelot was a Roman Catholic
Filmography
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1942
| Two Yanks in Trinidad
| Trinidad Man
| Film debut, uncredited
|-
| rowspan=3|1943
| Happy Go Lucky
| Calypso Singer
|
|-
| I Walked with a Zombie
| Calypso Singer
|
|-
| The Ghost Ship
| Billy Radd
| Uncredited
|-
| rowspan=2|1944
| The Curse of the Cat People
| Edward
|
|-
| To Have and Have Not
| Horatio – Crewman
| Uncredited
|-
| rowspan=2|1945
| Eve Knew Her Apples
| Calypso Singer on Radio
| Uncredited
|-
| Zombies on Broadway
| Calypso Singer
| Uncredited
|-
| rowspan=2|1947
| Brute Force
| "Calypso" James
|
|-
| Linda, Be Good
| Calypso Singer
|
|-
| 1948
| Romance on the High Seas
| Specialty Singer
|
|-
| rowspan=2|1957
| Lux Video Theatre
| Bartender
| Episode: "To Have and Have Not"
|-
| The Unknown Terror
| Himself
|
|-
| rowspan=2|1958
| Father Knows Best
| Bongo Instructor
| Episode: "Calypso Bud"
|-
| The Buccaneer
| Scipio
| Final film appearance
|-
| 1967
| The Andy Griffith Show
| Man
| Episode: "Howard's New Life"
|-
|}
See also
- List of calypso musicians
References
External links
- Hollywood Deathwatch: Sir Lancelot
- Sir Lancelot (includes CD discography and Los Angeles Times obituary)
- Sir Lancelot at MSN