ENGWho is Walter Gavitt Ferguson?
Calypso legend Walter Ferguson, ca. 1990
Who is Walter Gavitt Ferguson?
Walter Gavitt Ferguson (born May 7th 1919) hailing from Costa Rica is a humble soul and a living legend, a Calypsonian of mythical proportions. Rooted like an old tree on the caribbean shore, he has never left his home town to look for fame, instead fame did come to look for him. Throughout eight decades, rumours of his musical gifts have attracted people from near and far, contesting Calypsonians, fans, tourists, musicologists, musicians, pilgrims and the President of the Republic. They once even moved a recording studio to his house as he refused to go to the city.
What's so special about his tapes?
Many years before he recorded his classic albums "Babylon" and "Dr. Bombodee", Ferguson used to sell hundreds of self-recorded audio cassettes to strangers, travelers and music lovers from all around the globe. He never kept a copy for himself and with age started to forget many old compositions that might be preserved on some of these unique tapes. Our international "Tape Hunt" is dedicated to locate any surviving tapes and rescue the forgotten songs and his musical legacy.