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King Beau Beau: St. Maarten's long-reigning Calypso Monarch

Leroy Lucien Brooks, known as King Beau Beau, is a Hofstra-educated calypsonian who has won the St. Maarten Calypso Monarch title at least 12 times, most recently in 2022.

By SXM Daily ·

King Beau Beau, whose real name is Leroy Lucien Brooks, is a St. Maarten calypsonian who has won the Calypso Monarch title at least 12 times between 1980 and 2022.

Illustrative: Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, with the Parliament building

Illustrative photo: Richie Diesterheft, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Early life and education

In an interview with Caribbean Vybes, Brooks said he was born at home in Downstreet, Philipsburg, the first of his siblings to be born on St. Maarten; the older ones were born on Curaçao. He studied at Hofstra University in New York, according to SHTA and the interview; he told Caribbean Vybes he studied music merchandising there from 1980 to 1984.

Calypso Monarch

Brooks has won the St. Maarten Calypso Monarch title at least 12 times, the contest at the heart of Sint Maarten Carnival. By 2015 The Daily Herald credited him with 11 titles, and in 2022 he won the Senior Calypso crown again with "Tribute to St. Maarten", scoring 899 points, StMaartenNews reported. In his interview he lists his monarch wins as 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2000, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2022, and says he was also Road March King in 1980 and 1981, Antillean Calypso Monarch from 1980 to 1982, Leeward Islands Calypso Monarch in 2000 and King of Kings in 2009.

Recordings and stage

He has released more than a dozen albums. In the interview he says he has performed across the Caribbean, the United States, Canada and Europe, including at the Apollo Theater and, with his Beaubettes, at the Los Angeles opening of the film Speed 2.

Recognition

TelCell featured him as a multiple Road March and Calypso King on its 2017 "I Am Carnival" posters, The Daily Herald reported. The St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) named him the cultural icon of its 2023 Events Calendar, describing him as the reigning Senior Calypso Monarch.

Sources

  • https://caribbeanvybes.com/king-beau-beau-more-than-music/
  • https://shta.com/king-beau-beau-highlighted-in-2023-shta-events-calendar/
  • https://sxmelections.com/news/9860/fish-da-megaboss-is-new-calypso-monarch
  • https://stmaartennews.com/carnival/calypso-is-back-beau-beau-crowned-calypso-king-2022/
  • https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/shakiya-beau-beau-amongst-telcell-faces-of-carnival-2017

Source: https://shta.com/king-beau-beau-highlighted-in-2023-shta-events-calendar/

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