McIntosh pays tribute to calypsonian Temple of ‘Hold the Cock and Pullet’ fame

Pre-eminent Caribbean soca-calypso arranger Frankie McIntosh on Monday paid tribute to Vincentian calypsonian Fitzroy “Temple” Edwards  of “Hold the Cock and Pullet” fame, who succumbed to cancer on Nov. 24. He was 73.

“Temple was part of a New York-based group of Vincentian calypsonians, which emerged in the mid-1980s,” the Brooklyn-based, Vincentian-born McIntosh told Caribbean Life exclusively, disclosing that Walter Porter, Darwin David, Annice Caruth, and Dan Simon – all deceased – were also members of the group.

“Each artist recorded at his/her own expense, and, although not every song made the charts, many were well received by Caribbean communities in New York and beyond,” he added, stating that “Temple’s ‘Hold the Cock and Pullet’ – double entendre evident – was an instant success.

“The song’s title and storyline exemplified Temple’s jovial personality –  always with a mischievous smile and witty comment,” McIntosh continued. “As the musical arranger of the song, I do recall that no one in the studio could keep a serious face while Temple recorded his lead vocals, demonstrating in the process how one should ‘hold the cock’.”

Daneth “Doppy” Dopwell, who owns a recording studio in Brooklyn, also told Caribbean Life that Temple, a Brooklyn resident, had toured Canada with his defunct Vincentian band, Asterisks, in the 1980s.

“He did a lot of recordings with us,” said Dopwell, who had played the rhythm and lead guitars with Asterisks. “He was a good writer, and he was funny, too.

“That was my real buddy; he was always cool,” added Dopwell, who paid his last respects to Temple at a funeral service in Brooklyn, at Harmony Funeral Home on Clarendon Road, on Dec. 7, and at the final one in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, on Dec. 22, where Temple’s body was afterward interred at the Fitz Hughes Cemetery in his home town of Chateaubelair.

Dopwell said distinguished Vincentian calypsonian Alston “Becket” Cyrus was among mourners at the final funeral service at Mt. Bethel Baptist Church in Sharpes, Chateaubelair.

He disclosed that he had also recorded some of Temple’s yet-to-be-released songs last year. 

Besides “Hold the Cock and Pullet,” Dopwell said “Cow Itch” was another popular Temple song.

Vincentian calypsonian Oscar James, a founding member of the Vincentian Entertainers’ Guild of North America in the 1980s, said Temple was also a group member.

James said other founding members of the entertainers’ guild included Becket, Winston Soso, Darwin David, Tommy T, Walter Porter, Dan Simon, Cauldric Forbes, and broadcaster Don Bobb.

“He was a very affable guy – very harmonious, very attentive when we had meetings,” said James, a member of the Dynamites Calypso Tent, the lone Vincentian calypso tent in North America, about Temple.

“He always loved to ask questions – good songwriter, good performer on stage,” added James, a co-founder of the defunct Affetuosos musical band in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, who attended Temple’s funeral service in Brooklyn. “The audience always loved him – compelling performer on stage, crowd pleaser.

“The crowd always looked forward to Temple’s performance, especially ‘Hold the Cock and Pullet,’” he continued.

According to the obituary – read at the funeral service in Brooklyn, presided over by Chateaubelair native Pastor Wilmouth Seaton, by Temple’s first child, Joycelyn King, who resides in Toronto, Temple, whose real name was Fitzroy Cornelius Edwards, was born on April 26, 1951 in Chateaubelair to Albertha Derrick and Webster Walker (deceased).

After completing his elementary education at the Chateaubelair Methodist School, Temple migrated to Trinidad and Tobago, where he honed his skills in masonry.

The obituary says that Temple was “a man of many talents” and that he performed as a “calypso artist,” with “Hold the Cock and Pullet” being one of his hit songs in 1985.

After Temple migrated to New York in 1985, the obituary says he continued to work as a mason while singing calypsos part-time, retiring from the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) after 25 years.

“He lived a quiet and personal life,” the obituary says. “His pleasant personality was contagious to everyone he interacted with, and he made friends everywhere he went.

“He passed away on Nov. 24, 2024, after a courageous battle with cancer,” it adds. “He was surrounded by his loved ones, who will continue to honor his legacy by living their lives to the fullest.”

At the funeral service in Brooklyn, an MTA worker, who gave his name as Eddie, spoke on behalf of his colleagues who paid their last respects. He said Temple was “a real mason.”

“Fitz (Temple) was a very hard worker,” he said. “He loved his family, and he loved St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”

In eulogizing his dad at the funeral service in Brooklyn, where Pastor David Charles also officiated, Fitzroy James said: “I appreciate all that he had done for me. I love you, dad. May his soul rest in peace.”

Temple was preceded in death by his daughter Simone and brother Noel.

Besides his mother Alberta Derrick, son Fitzroy, and daughter Joycelyn, Temple is survived by his other children – Cherryann, Fitzbert, Nyasha, Jesselle, and Ayanna; grand-children – Isaac, Yannick, Malia, Kelis, Brandon, Danion, Olivia, and Scotlyn; siblings – Viola, Jestina, Susan, Kendrick and Norris; and many other relatives and friends.