That’s the expression from Antigua and Barbuda’s calypso icon, Sir Leroy
McClean ‘King Short Shirt’ Emanuel, following the announcement that he is
among fourteen eminent persons to receive honorary degrees from the University
of the West Indies, this year.
Sir Leroy will be presented with an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree during
UWI’s Class of 2023 graduation ceremonies, starting October 7.
“It’s good to be recognized by the university. I have received several awards in the
past such as the knighthood from the government and people of Antigua and
Barbuda, as well as being inducted into the Calypso Hall of Fame but this is ‘the
Big One’,” Sir Leroy told Point Express.
He added that he feels ‘blessed’ that he is still alive at the age of 81 years to be
able to obtain these awards and to see it come to pass. Noting that he will receive
an award similar to the Mighty Sparrow, the acknowledged “Calypso King of the
World,” Sir Leroy observed that he was always ‘up there with Sparrow.’ “This is
nothing strange, as I have always been considered up there with Sparrow and other
greats of the calypso art form,” he said.
In a statement, the University said the annual tradition of conferring honorary
degrees, which coincides this year, with the regional university’s 75 th jubilee
celebrations, will commemorate the outstanding contributions made by these
individuals to their communities and the wider society.
The honorees will join hundreds of students across the Five Islands, Cave Hill, St
Augustine, Mona, and Global (formerly Open Campus) campuses who are
graduating and marking the end of this phase of their studies.
The schedule for the 2023 ceremonies and the list of honorary graduands follow.
Five Islands Campus – October 7
Sir Leroy ‘King Short Shirt’ Emanuel
The biography of Sir Leroy prepared by the University of the West Indies noted
that he was born and raised in the Point area in St. John's, Antigua. Sir Leroy
‘King Short Shirt’ Emanuel, the "Monarch” is described as a colossal of a
calypsonian. He first entered the calypso arena in 1962 and, since then, has
produced hundreds of quality calypsos, several for fellow calypsonians, and is
known mainly for his cutting lyrical content, sweet harmony, and smooth
melodious voice.
King Short Shirt has won the Calypso Competition 15 times in Antigua and
Barbuda and was the first to ‘three-peat’ in the annual competition in 1964, 1965,
and 1966. He took the Caribbean Calypso Competition crown seven times and has
seven Road March Crowns under his belt. Some of his biggest hits include Tourist
Leggo; Lucinda; Nobody Go Run Me; Our Pledge; Lamentation; Star Black; Run
Shorty Run; In Spite Of All, and so many more.
He has been twice invited by the Prime Ministers of fellow CARICOM countries
to their Independence celebrations: Belize in 1981, where he performed A New
Beginning, a song he wrote especially for the occasion; and Saint Lucia in 2023.
Calypso may be his passion, but he has also translated his love of the craft and
performing into businesses. In 1962, he opened Shorty’s Beach Bar and Shorty’s
Glass Bottom Boats, followed eight years later by a record shop, A and B Record.
