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Andrew Weil’s (MD) talk during the Psychedelic Science in the 21st century conference in California, April 2010. Organizaed by MAPS, CSP, Heffter Research Institute and Beckeley Foundation

“Rum and Coca-Cola” is the title of a popular calypso. Originally composed by Lord Invader and Lionel Belasco, it was copyrighted in the United States by entertainer Morey Amsterdam and became a huge hit in 1945 for the Andrews Sisters, spending ten weeks at the top of Billboard’s US Pop Singles chart.[1] Although the song was published in the United States with Amsterdam listed as the lyricist and Jeri Sullavan and Paul Baron as musical composers, the melody had been previously published as the work of Trinidadian calypso composer Lionel Belasco on a song titled “L’Année Passée,” which was in turn based on a folksong from Martinique.[2] The original lyrics to “Rum and Coca-Cola” were written by Rupert Grant, another calypso musician from Trinidad who went by the stage name of Lord Invader.[3] (The true credits for music and lyrics were restored in a plagiarism lawsuit won by famous attorney Louis Nizer, the account of which can be read in his book, My Life in Court.) According to Lord Invader, “Calypso is the folklore of Trinidad, a style of poetry, telling about current events in song. Back home in the West Indies, Trinidad, where I’m from, it’s a small island, I’m proud of it. I was traveling on a bus, someplace they call Point Cumana, a bathing resort, and I happened to see the GIs in the American social invasion in the West Indies, Trinidad. You know the girls used to get the candies and stuff like that, and they go to the canteens with the boys and so on, have fun …

Many people were filmed in St Michael’s church in Byker Newcastle, individually, over the course of a day, playing single notes on various insruments to create a note bank that andy jackson the composer used to create the score that you see and hear. Most of the participants had no previous musical experience. Myself Anton Hecht bought it all together, with Richard Lawson on camera. The work was produced by Mathew Lennon for Newcastle City Council as part of the Off-Centre project. The main body of people came from the community group Aspire.