The Legend King Ayatollah

King Ayatollah, whose birth name was Dion Stevens, was a charismatic performer and a masterful lyricist. My earliest memory as a youth was observing that every time his songs came on the radio or his performance was televised, the adults who seemed most boring and miserable would transform into animated beings filled with happiness and smiles. Stiff-lipped, stressed out, grumpy people in the community would break out dancing as if they were auditioning for a Michael Jackson video. I remembered thinking, that he was a beacon of fun and happiness. They called him ‘The Bad Boy King’.

As an adult when I informed him I was featuring the icons of Carnival he asked, “But why you didn’t come before?” I replied, “Because you always save the best for last,” and he gave his kilowatt smile. This was six years ago.

I informed him that when I released the next project, he would be my first choice to be showcased. Furthermore, I told him what he meant to the people of St. Kitts and Nevis. I told him I was giving him his flowers at that exact moment. Then he gave me a performance on the sidewalk. As an adult I was now bouncing like the adults from the 1990s and had transformed into a happier human being. I bowed to a well-deserved King.

As promised, I embarked on this project on 1st January 2022, to commemorate the 65th Anniversary of St. Kitts and Nevis Carnival. It is only fitting to keep my promise and showcase the 1996, 1999 and 2003 Calypso Monarch – King Ayatollah. He hailed from the community of Irishtown and was also the first Kittitian to win the Leeward Islands Competition. He was born in 1967 and journeyed to the other side of the calypso arena where legends reside (he passed away) in 2020.

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To view the King’s performance below, stop the video that plays at the top by putting the cursor on the video and click the stop button.

Special thanks to Clement “Monarch” and family members Renaldo and Culbert.

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Cari and the Talking Bird breaks down the history of Carnival and folklore troupes for young children. Cari, BB and the Lost Artifact showcases the history of the Caribbean islands.

Both books can be purchased online.

In this publication, you will explore the culture of St. Kitts and Nevis, by tracing the Christmas Festivities from slavery, to emancipation, colonialism, statehood, independence and post-independence.

Interviews with veteran calypsonians, historians, pioneers, and musicians are also featured in celebration of the Anniversary of Carnival which started in 1957.

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