Calypso is a folk/popular art form in Trinidad and Tobago, the country of its origin. Every year skilled signers, newcomers and even veterans, clash in the quest for supremacy in the field. But what makes a calypsonian? How does he emerge? What is required to win and remain in the eyes of the people, a champion?

These are some of the questions underlying the story of Neville Marcano, the Growling Tiger, first Calypso King of Trinidad and Tobago. His story provides information and offers insight into the traditions of the art and the world of the calypsonian of the Golden Era of Calypso.