Raymond Quevedo

Raymond Quevedo (24 March 1892 – 22 February 1962), better known as Atilla the Hun, was a calypsonian from Trinidad. He began singing in 1911 and was at his most prominent in the 1930s and 1940s. He was one of the pioneers in spreading awareness of calypso beyond its birthplace in Trinidad and Tobago. Together with the Roaring Lion (Rafael de Leon) he brought calypso to the United States for the first time in 1934. One of his popular calypsos was "FDR in Trinidad", commemorating U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 1936 trip to Trinidad. Atilla competed in the first Calypso King contest in 1939, and won the title in both 1946 and 1947. Known as a defender of the poor, Atilla was able to transition to a political career. When several of his records were censored he composed "The Banning of Records", which was itself banned. Atilla was the first calypsonian to hold elected public office; he was elected to the Port of Spain City Council in 1946 and was elected to the Legislative Council of Trinidad and Tobago in 1950 representing the St. George County East. (See: Elections in Trinidad and Tobago). He also authored Atilla's Kaiso: A Short History of Trinidad Calypso with John La Rose, published posthumously in 1983.

Birth and Death Data: Born March 24, 1892 (Trinidad), Died February 22, 1962

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1929 - 1941

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, composer

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 86 records)

Company	Matrix No.	Size	First Recording Date	Title	Primary Performer	Description	Role
Victor	BVE-57096	10-in.	11/15/1929	Matrimonio	Wilmoth Houdini ; Lionel Belasco Orchestra	Instrumental quartet, with male vocal solo	composer
Victor	BVE-57098	10-in.	11/15/1929	Warning to mothers	Wilmoth Houdini ; Lionel Belasco Orchestra	Instrumental quartet, with male vocal solo	composer
Decca	39415	10-in.	3/15/1935	Good will flyers	Raymond Quevedo		vocalist
Decca	39417	10-in.	3/15/1935	History of calypso	Raymond Quevedo		vocalist
Decca	39421	10-in.	3/18/1935	Pomme majais	Raymond Quevedo		vocalist
Decca	39425	10-in.	3/18/1935	Duke and Duchess of Kent	Raymond Quevedo		vocalist
Decca	39428	10-in.	3/20/1935	Vagaries of women	Raymond Quevedo		vocalist
Decca	39430	10-in.	3/20/1935	Sweet Elaine	Raymond Quevedo		vocalist
Decca	39451	10-in.	3/22/1935	'ere now and long ago	Egbert Moore ; Raymond Quevedo		vocalist
Decca	39453	10-in.	3/22/1935	Women will rule the world	Raymond Quevedo		vocalist
Decca	39455	10-in.	3/22/1935	Women are good and women are bad	Raymond Quevedo		vocalist
Decca	61956	10-in.	2/16/1937	Abdication	Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo]		vocalist
Decca	61960	10-in.	2/16/1937	Zingue talala	Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo]		vocalist
Decca	61962	10-in.	2/16/1937	Intercolonial tournament	Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo]		vocalist
Decca	61966	10-in.	2/16/1937	Roosevelt in Trinidad	Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo]		vocalist
Decca	61968	10-in.	2/16/1937	Food scandal	Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] ; The Caresser [Rufus Callender] ; The Executor [Philip Garcia] ; The Lion [Hubert R. Charles]		vocalist
Decca	61969	10-in.	2/16/1937	Hold up blackbird, hold up	Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] ; The Caresser [Rufus Callender] ; The Executor [Philip Garcia] ; The Lion [Hubert R. Charles]		vocalist
Decca	61972	10-in.	2/18/1937	West Indian federation	Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo]		vocalist
Decca	61974	10-in.	2/18/1937	Friends	Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo]		vocalist
Decca	61976	10-in.	2/19/1937	Treasury scandal	Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo]		vocalist
Decca	61984	10-in.	2/19/1937	Man man Biscope	Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo]		vocalist
Decca	61985	10-in.	2/19/1937	Street vendors	Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] ; The Caresser [Rufus Callender] ; The Executor [Philip Garcia]		vocalist
Decca	61987	10-in.	2/19/1937	Josefita	Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] ; The Caresser [Rufus Callender] ; The Executor [Philip Garcia]		vocalist
Decca	61988	10-in.	2/23/1937	Believes in the land of glory	Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo]		vocalist
Decca	61990	10-in.	2/25/1937	His Majesty King George VI coronation	Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo]		vocalist

(Results 1-25 of 86 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Quevedo, Raymond," accessed November 24, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/104666.

Quevedo, Raymond. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 24, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/104666.

"Quevedo, Raymond." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 24 November 2024.