Atilla, the Hun [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: 1934 - 1941

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist

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

Recordings (Results 26-50 of 75 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 62018 10-in. 2/25/1937 Mrs. Simpson Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] ; The Lion [Hubert R. Charles] vocalist  
Decca 62019 10-in. 2/25/1937 Modern times-1,2 Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] ; The Lion [Hubert R. Charles] vocalist  
Decca 62020 10-in. 2/23/1937 Mrs. Simpson Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] ; The Caresser [Rufus Callender] ; The Executor [Philip Garcia] ; The Lion [Hubert R. Charles] vocalist  
Decca 62022 10-in. 2/23/1937 Reign of the Georges Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] ; The Caresser [Rufus Callender] ; The Executor [Philip Garcia] ; The Lion [Hubert R. Charles] vocalist  
Decca 62023 10-in. 2/23/1937 Meet me at the Sangre Grande Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] ; The Caresser [Rufus Callender] ; The Executor [Philip Garcia] ; The Lion [Hubert R. Charles] vocalist  
Decca 62026 10-in. 2/23/1937 War Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] ; The Caresser [Rufus Callender] ; The Executor [Philip Garcia] ; The Lion [Hubert R. Charles] vocalist  
Decca 68898 10-in. 4/2/1941 Woman is not the weaker sex Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 68948 10-in. 4/8/1941 Roosevelt's election Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 68976 10-in. 4/11/1941 Invasion of Britain Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 68981 10-in. 4/11/1941 If I won a sweepstake Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 69006 10-in. 4/16/1941 The Red Cross society Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 69024 10-in. 4/18/1941 Gal come home with me Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 91374 10-in. 2/25/1938 I don't want no bungalow Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 91376 10-in. 2/25/1938 Commission's report Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 91400 10-in. 3/3/1938 Deliso Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 91401 10-in. 3/3/1938 The Mankiville's speech Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 91406 10-in. 3/4/1938 The banning of records Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 91407 10-in. 3/4/1938 West Indian rhythm Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 91408 10-in. 3/4/1938 The governor's resignation Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 91409 10-in. 3/4/1938 The horrors of war Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 91411 10-in. 3/4/1938 Jimmy's ingratitude Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 91412 10-in. 3/4/1938 Not me with matrimony Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 91427 10-in. 3/8/1938 The strike Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 91428 10-in. 3/8/1938 The Normandie Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
Decca 91430 10-in. 3/8/1938 The drunker and the gambler Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo] vocalist  
(Results 26-50 of 75 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Atilla, the Hun [Quevedo, Raymond]," accessed June 8, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/302219.

Atilla, the Hun [Quevedo, Raymond]. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved June 8, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/302219.

"Atilla, the Hun [Quevedo, Raymond]." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 8 June 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/302219

External Sources

Wikipedia: Atilla the Hun

Discogs: Atilla, the Hun [Raymond Quevedo]

Linked Open Data Sources

LCNAR: Quevedo, Raymond, 1892-1962 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n84143217

Wikidata: Atilla the Hun - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q4818464

VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/59127248

MusicBrainz: Atilla the Hun - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/80613ae2-ce1e-44c3-8efc-e5fb57efb360

FAST: http://id.worldcat.org/fast/138432

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