Sokah2Soca

Just Fab Deltones - Calypso Music featuring Ellsworth James on lead vocals. 

Calypso Music by the Just Fab Deltones is a very interesting song indeed. It was done during a period of Trinidad's history when the music was in flux. Just about every known musician/artist was experimenting with fusions of Calypso, American funk, Indian rhythms, and anything that would 'improve the music' to compete against the tidal wave of Reggae/Dancehall and funk music that the radio jocks were pushing on the radio. Just for the record (full disclosure), let it be known that Calypso Music is just another vibe of Zapow's very popular song titled, This is Reggae Music. 

We must also keep in mind that during this period when Ash Wednesday dawned it was sacrilegious to play Calypso music on the radio! However, every other genre of music was played while Calypso music went to bed until the next year. The main people attempting change were Lord Shorty, King Wellington, Shadow, and other well-known arrangers. However, it should be noted that in the end the name "Sokah" misquoted as Soca in the press took hold, and with that Lord Shorty with Endless Vibrations cemented his place in the "Soca Music History books". He originally experimented with a mixture of Indian music and Calypso rhythms and eventually added a funky style to his music. He removed the Indian instruments but retained the accent of the instruments on the drum-set. That is the Soca beat that lives on to this day!

When the song (Calypso Music by JFD) was released it was described as "Killer funky calypso from Trinidad". Later on after the death of Lord Shorty just about everyone laid claim to the music genre. Eddie Grant said he created it, King Wellington suggested that his 'Russo Funk' was the beginning of Soca and even Ellsworth James succinctly suggested that it was a chance encounter of JFD (in the studio) that Lord Shorty heard and loved and soon after that Lord Shorty came out with his Soca beat! The story keeps turning indeed.

Here is a short commentary on the song by Socapro; he is a DJ/radio presenter originally from Trinidad but now based in the UK:

Regarding the above track which is by a defunct Trini group called JFD featuring Elsworth James on lead vocals, it is a remake of the famous 1972 Zap Pow reggae release called "This Is Reggae Music" posted just above it (removed from this post).

This trendy Calypso version was recorded in Trinidad in 1973 with music and chorus by JFD and arrangement by Perez and has been cited by Elsworth James as one of the tracks that inspired the Lord Shorty on his path to introducing Soca. 

In reply to that, I do believe that it could be argued that the above track "Calypso Music" could have been inspirational to Shorty in developing his 1974 "Endless Vibrations" Soca vibe and consequently Soca music as a genre. But let’s not forget the fact that Shorty also recorded the tracks "Soul Calypso Music" and "I Who Have Nothing" in 1972 a year before that JFD track “Calypso Music” featuring Elsworth James came out and both Shorty tracks also had a similar Soca vibe to the JFD track and could also be viewed as inspirational experimental tracks for Shorty on this path to introducing Soca. 

Production Notes:
Title: Calypso Music
Label: JFD
Performed by: Just Fab Deltones with Ellsworth James (vocals)
Produced by:
Island Funk 45 Just Fab Deltones - Calypso Music HEAR! Island Funk 45 Just Fab Deltones - Calypso Music HEAR!
Elsworth James & Just Fab Deltones

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Calypso Music - Just Fab Deltones feat. Ellsworth James

OK, here is the original original track by Zappow; I remember this song was very popular on the radio stations back home when it was released... enjoy the vibe!