PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad — Sixty-three-year-old veteran calypsonian Winston Scarborough, the ‘Original Defosto Himself’ died on Friday night or early Saturday morning at his home in Trinidad.
This year was the 40th year since Scarborough entered began playing calypso and started on a hard-fought-track to stardom. On Tuesday, DeFosto performed during funeral services for Shadow.
He honed his skills as a trombone player at the St. Mary’s Children’ Home in Tacarigua, Trinidad and Tobago. His mother and father left him there at the age of six months and he remained there until age 17.
Known by his friends as “De” Scarborough was hospitalized last year in Trinidad and Tobago at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex when his blood pressure was more than 200. He was later released from the hospital.
Scarborough was considered by many to be one of the all-time steel band “panorama tunes’ composers. Many of his songs paid tribute to well-known calypsonians from Trinidad and Tobago and the nearby islands.
The Original DeFosto Himself had many hits over the years, including “Boogsie Sharpe,” A Raging Storm,” “Smooth Sailing,” and “In She Rainorama.” An Amazon search revealed he had 32 hit albums including, “From Beyond,” “From Beyond-Now and then, ”The Fearless Warrior,” “His Excellency, ”Young and Restless,” ‘He Stikes Again (A Tribute to Laura,” “The Unfinished Symphony,” “Educated Donkey,” and “The Tottweiler,” just to name a few.
Police have not yet determined the cause of his death. He is survived by his son Gabriel who was at the home at the time of his father’s death.
