"Syl," February 2003

CECIL   DOPSON

DATE OF BIRTH: April 1920
PLACE OF BIRTH: San Fernando, Trinidad
EDUCATION: ...
CAREER:                                       Dopson came to Port-of-Spain from San Fernando at the age of 16. He began playing First Class football with Sporting Club and, later, Notre Dame. He eventually played with Shamrock, until 1959, when the team won every major First Class trophy. He represented Trinidad while playing for Shamrock and toured England with the team in 1953. Just as Dopson was popular in the sporting circuit he was also popular in music, especially calypso music. Even while he was into football, he was into music. He began with Pat Castagne's jazz band named Crazy Cats, playing clarinet. Dopson subsequently formed his own band, Kaiso All Stars, during the 1960s. The band remained active until the early 2000s. Kaiso All Stars recorded two albums during the 1970s, Kaiso 1 and Kaiso 2, comprising mainly vintage calypsoes. For many years, it was the resident band for extempo calypso competitions. He was an expert cuatrista and clarinetist and was outstanding as a musician of calypso and parang. He was one of the key musicians who provided music for the 1963 local TTT television show, The Lime, which was hosted by Mervyn Telfer. He played the first time parang music was aired on any electronic media in this country. An accomplished soccer player on defense (fullback), Dopson represented Trinidad & Tobago in the late-1940s against other Caribbean countries and, in 1953, was selected to the first Trinidad & Tobago soccer team to tour the United Kingdom. After his return, he devoted himself to the growth of his music band which functioned through the early-2000s.
DIED: Dopson was diagnosed with pneumonia in December 2012 and later passed away peacefully at the St. Clair Medical Centre, Port of Spain, Trinidad, on February 25, 2013.
Compiled by Ronald C. Emrit