Roaring Lion

Roaring Lion (born Rafael DeLeon, Aroquita, Trinidad, British Trinidad and Tobago, February 22, 1908; d. July 11, 1999) was one of the greatest calypsonians (calypso singer/composers) of the 20th century. His 65-year career began in

Roaring Lion (born Rafael DeLeon, Aroquita, Trinidad, British Trinidad and Tobago, February 22, 1908; d. July 11, 1999) was one of the greatest calypsonians (calypso singer/composers) of the 20th century. His 65-year career began in the early 1930s and he is best known for his compositions "Ugly Woman," "Mary Ann, "and "Netty, Netty," which are still performed today.

Rafael DeLeon was born in Aroquita, in the Caura Hills of northern Trinidad, to a mother named Basalicion DeLeon. An illegitimate child, Lion spent some of his earliest years in two orphanages, before being taken in following his mother's illness by an elderly woman named Miss Charles, who lived on Coffee Street in the southwestern city of San Fernando. Finally, he was presented by Charles to a Muslim Indian family in San Fernando who wanted him; he was adopted by Najeeran Khan, who became his adoptive mother. Although there has long been confusion about his full name, he himself gave it as Rafael Arius Kairiyama DeLeon. He later met his biological father, who told him that his surname, Kairi, was another name for Trinidad, and that "yama" is a sort of goat or deer from South America. In a 1990 interview, Roaring Lion stated that "from fear that I might be styled a thief, I only use Rafael Deleon."