calypso is like so…

By the time this album was recorded in 1957, actor Robert Mitchum was at the height of his film career and despite his reputation as a bad boy (“Booze, brawls, broads - all true”, he later admitted) he was a favorite of both male and female audiences. Mitchum’s one-off musical foray Calypso Is Like So... came about kind of haphazardly during Mitchum’s filming of Fire Down Below with Rita Hayworth in Trinidad. Here Mitchum was exposed to the talents of great Calypso stars of the era like Mighty Sparrow and Lord Melody and began learning their songs on his guitar between takes. Hoping to use a big star to cash in on the calypso craze that was sweeping the USA at the time Capitol Records soon offered Mitchum a deal. The resulting album is kitsch in the best sense of the word. Featuring Mitchum sporting a faux-Carribean accent as he runs through surprisingly inspired renditions of many calypso classics.