Wallace “Rhadyo” Fenton, who crafted a memorable career as a calypsonian and teacher before mental struggles derailed his journey, died Thursday, August 15, 2024. Rhadyo, 67, was found unresponsive in his one-bedroom apartment at the Warden Assisted living facility in Lookout, Montserrat.
“I saw some pictures of him recently and could tell he wasn’t well,” said elder brother Kenneth “Fisher” Fenton, who lives in London. “So I wasn’t shocked to hear that he passed away. But now that it’s happened I can’t accept it.”
Although Rhadyo never won the crown, he left an undeniable imprint on Montserrat calypso, notably with the classic song Swordman, released in 1979. It tells the story of a warrior who was “sent forth” as a protector of justice. The abstract narrative and sublime arrangement – accentuated by jabbing horns – have kept the song in the mainstream for four decades, with calypso experts and regular fans alike constantly debating about the song’s “true” meaning.
News of Rhadyo’s death elicited an outpouring of condolences on social media and stunned calypso enthusiasts, his former students, present and former residents of St. John’s Village and Montserratians at large. Kelvin “Tabu” Duberry, Rhadyo’s cousin and former protégé, received the news while in London working on a reggae album.
“I grew up watching him craft his lyrics,” Tabu said. “He is and will always be my teacher. He came to deliver a message. He came to educate, agitate but never violated.”
UNIQUE JOURNEY
James Wallace Fenton was born September 24, 1956 in London. Shortly before his 2nd birthday he was brought to Montserrat by his mother and grew up in St. John’s Village, just across from the venerable Anglican Church. It was there that his love of calypso blossomed. Two of his brothers – Fisher and John “Black Prince” O’Garro – sang calypso. His neighbors included Tabu, Montserrat’s calypso champion in 1991, and Kenneth “Rabo” Silcott, the 2017 monarch. Just down the street lived Everton “Reality” Weekes, a five-time Montserrat calypso champion.
“Rhadyo and I grew up together,” said Reality, who now lives in the United States. “We went to river, we did everything. If we had only one sweeties [candy] we would break it in half and share. He was the first one who encouraged me to sing calypso and urged me to enter a competition at St. John’s School.”
Reality said he and Rhadyo were also opening batsmen for the St. John’s cricket team. He said even during their teen years Rhadyo’s unique behavior showed that his mind was on a different realm.
“He was a brilliant batsman but he scored very slowly,” Reality said. “I would be on 50 runs and he would have 5. I would say to him, ‘Why aren’t you scoring?’ He would say, ‘I’m trying to hit a six by just using a couple of my fingers.’ Some people might see that as being weird. But he was just different . . . and I understood him.”
‘MOON MAN’
Rhadyo attended St. John’s Primary School. He did not attend the Montserrat Secondary School, however in 1972 he was among the first group of students enrolled at the new Technical College built next to MSS in Plymouth. Rhadyo later attended Sir Arthur Lewis Community College in St. Lucia on a government scholarship. Upon his return he taught at the Junior Secondary schools in Salem and Dagenham, mainly Woodwork and Mathematics.
During an interview in 2012, Rhadyo said his interest in calypso began at around age 12. At 14 he wrote his first song, Moon Man, about the historic lunar landing in 1969.
Rhadyo’s first calypso name was “Thunderboy” – given to him by his brother Fisher. But by the time he entered the Festival calypso competition in 1976, he was known as Rhadyo. His reasoning was unusual to say the least. After undergoing an appendectomy, he decided to change his name because, according to Fisher, Rhadyo said: “You can’t operate on thunder . . . but you can operate a radio.”
There was already a famous calypsonian from Barbados named Lord Radio, so Rhadyo adopted the unique spelling of “Rhadyo” for his new nickname, Fisher said.
MYSTIC MAN
Rhadyo also developed an interest in mysticism and was influenced by the writings of Lobsang Rampa, whose most famous publication, The Third Eye, was published in 1956, the year Rhadyo was born. Rhadyo also practiced yoga and the meditative method of staring at the sun, sometimes as long as an hour at a time.
Upon launching his calypso career, he embarked on a series of songs that included “Man” in the title.
“I took it from the Bible and the Ten Commandments of man but not necessarily following the Christianity part,” Rhadyo explained in 2012. “I arrived at seven but couldn’t go any further.”
In order, the songs were: Camera Man, Preacher Man, Inspired Man, Swordman, Son of Man, Why Man and That Man. Rhadyo didn’t place in the Top 3 in his debut in ’76, and in 1977 he failed to reach the finals. In ’78 he tied for first runner-up as he sang Inspired Man and I’m Back.
In 1979 he released Swordman, which became his signature song. Swordman was featured on the album Festival Hits, Volume I, which was recorded at Air Studios and released in 1980. It was the first calypso compilation album in Montserrat history and sold well locally and in the diaspora, giving crucial exposure to Swordman. Ironically, Rhadyo said Swordman is not the favorite of his songs. “I like Son of Man,” he said in 2012. “I like the arrangement.”
Fisher added: “People say he was way ahead of his time. I would have to be on a certain celestial plane to understand where he was coming from sometimes. My favorite song by him was not Swordman, it was Inspired Man. I could relate to that one.”
Rhadyo at John A. Osborne Airport before a trip to Antigua for an eye exam in 2022.
SETBACKS AND COMEBACK
As a teacher, Rhadyo was popular with his students due to his unique and unorthodox methods. He would educate them about proper diet and which foods to avoid. In between classes he would venture into the assembly hall and play the piano.
“He was a very generous guy,” said Dave Kirwan, who attended Salem Junior Secondary from 1982 to 1985. “He would buy us lunch if we didn’t have any money. He was a very cool teacher. The same way he wrote his calypsoes was the way he dictated the notes in class.”
Dr. Carol Tuitt was a fellow teacher with Rhadyo at the Junior Secondary School in Dagenham. “I remember we had a calypso competition one year and he worked with some of the kids to help them prepare,” she said.
Sadly, around this time in the early 1980s, Rhadyo’s erratic behavior began to surface.
“Sometimes he would come to class and not say anything to us,” Kirwan said. “Then the next week he would be fine. Then he would be gone for a couple weeks and when he came back he was fine. Then it got worse.”
By 1985, Rhadyo had devolved into a mental abyss. He returned to the calypso finals in 1986 with the catchy Sugar Dooshie but never reached the finals again. In the subsequent years he became detached, unkempt and spiraled into sporadic vagrancy. He also became a patient of the mental health unit.
“I cried when they gave him an injection that messed up his whole life,” said Tabu, a gifted artist and former cricketer who followed Rhadyo’s lead and became a calypsonian and teacher.
Rhadyo, center, with longtime friends Kenneth “Rabo” Silcott, left, and Jerry Jarvis in 2016.
During Festival 2002, a “Top 40 show” was organized to showcase artists whose compositions were selected by the public as one of the 40 top hits released since Festival began in 1962. Dr. Tuitt, Rhadyo’s former colleague and longtime friend, convinced him to participate. Fans went into a frenzy when he made an appearance and performed Swordman at Festival City in Little Bay (video below). It was his first time on stage in more than a decade. Spectators ran to the front of the stage and gave him money. A few went onstage and danced along as he sang. Others simply wept.
“He was unique and gifted,” said Cecil “Cepeke” Lake, a three-time Montserrat calypso monarch who competed against Rhadyo in the 1986 calypso finals. “He was a strange guy of a different cosmo.”
Tabu said he doesn’t plan to mourn Rhadyo’s passing because he considers his mentor immortal. “He can never die,” Tabu declared. “He can never leave my spirit.”
During the final years of his life, Rhadyo lived for a time in Davy Hill, then was relocated to the Warden Assisted facility in Lookout. He battled eyesight problems but was still lucid and sociable with fellow residents, although reclusive at times. When his good friend Rabo got the call that Rhadyo was non-responsive he rushed to the facility.
“When I saw him lying on the floor he looked like he was sleeping. In fact I told the doctor to check if he was still breathing because I thought I saw his chest moving. But I think that was just hope on my part. Rhadyo was a calm, reliable and peaceful soul. He lived peacefully . . . and he died peacefully.”
Rhadyo at his apartment in Lookout Village.
WATCH RHADYO’S EMOTIONAL COMEBACK PERFORMANCE IN 2002
Rhadyo sings “Swordman” during his comeback performance December 23, 2002.
Rhadyo's discography
Some of Rhadyo's songs during his calypso career.| Camera Man (1976) | Teachers (1976) |
| Preacher Man (1977) | Sharpen Me Pencil (1977) |
| Inspired Man (1978) | I'm Back (1978) |
| Swordman (1979) | The Mind (1979) |
| Fifilo (1979) | Son of Man (1980) |
| Monopoly (1980) | Come on Down (1981) |
| Yow Yow (1981) | Chee Wee (1981) |
| Sugar Dooshie (1986) | Sweet Sweet Music (1988) |
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