by Howard Campbell
SOUTH FLORIDA – Denyse Plummer, whose flamboyant costumes and energetic dance moves inspired a new generation of female soca artists, died in her native Trinidad and Tobago on August 27 at age 69.
The cause of death was cancer, according to reports out of T&T.
Plummer emerged in the late 1980s when soca — a derivative of calypso — was growing in stature. In 1987, she placed third in the National Calypso Competition; the following year, Plummer reached the National Calypso Monarch finals and won the Calypso Queen crown.
At the height of her popularity in the 1980s and 1990s, Plummer was a regular at carnival events throughout the Caribbean and North America.
Plummer was still a force to be reckoned with in 2001 when she won the Calypso Crown with the songs, Heroes and Nah Leaving.
Her high-energy performances set the tone for a new wave of female soca artists, notably countrywoman Destra Garcia and Alison Hinds of Barbados.
Garcia hailed Plummer on social media, describing her as the “Queen Mother” and thanked her “for being an inspiration and opening so many doors worldwide for the rest of us women…”
Denyse Plummer is survived by her husband and two sons. A thanksgiving service for her life takes place at Queen’s Hall in St. Ann’s, northern Trinidad on September 6.
