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IF Mighty Sparrow had sung one of his calypso hits – just one! – he would have been an outstanding artiste.

The fact that Sparrow rendered thousands – yes, thousands – of calypso masterpieces easily makes him Trinidad and Tobago’s greatest-ever entertainer.

He was peerless not only for his affecting lyrics, music and stagecraft, but also because of his social conscience, courage and resolve.

He was unceasingly ribald with daring sexual machismo and swagger, especially in the 1960s and 1970s, wit, bravado, and overall Caribbean persona.

In memorable numbers, he bragged of his sexual prowess, and poked fun at himself.

But Sparrow was also a singer with social scruples, supporting Dr. Eric Williams in his early years, but daring to back a political challenger in 1981 when he felt the PNM had lost its way.

When Karl Hudson-Phillips’ Organisation for National Reconstruction lost every seat it fought, Sparrow fired back with “We Like It So,” arguably the most blistering political calypso of all times.

In four verses and chorus, “Slave” vividly summarised the horror of chattel slavery, an assignment historians need huge tomes to do.

He displayed ethnic pride (he was honoured in Africa), won a road march (“Sa Sa Yea”) sung partly in patois, and indulged in playful Indo and Latin themes.

He had albums of soothing Christmas, pop, and religious music, and his love song “Only A Fool” topped the charts in Europe.

He ridiculed the British monarchy and slammed Jamaica for causing the collapse of the West Indian Federation.

“Capitalism Gone Mad” he protested over the cost of living.

“Good Citizens” unmasked society’s hypocritical elites.

He was a keen observer of the Caribbean condition, matched in recent times only by David Rudder.

As an emerging artiste, he was richly gifted and hoped Harry Belafonte would help him land on the global stage.

But Belafonte preferred Melody, whose music he blatantly stole, leaving the struggling calypsonian to die in poverty, of cancer, at age 62.

Sparrow’s genius led him to become an international superstar because of his universal topics of human relations, his personal flair, and unwavering work ethic.

He reinvented his style several times, especially in his association with Byron Lee, the Jamaican record producer and pioneer of ska.

For several years, lyricist Winsford “Joker” Devines wrote the songs that captured the essence of the great calypso storyteller.

Sparrow’s footprint in Caribbean music was matched only by that of Bob Marley, whose anthems of peace and international marketing made him a global superstar.

Birdie’s passing is a watershed event in the history of the calypso craft, but we will always have his storehouse of acclaimed recorded works.

For those who enjoyed his concerts, there is a lagniappe to the memory of the remarkable Mighty Sparrow.