Frederick Wilmoth Hendricks (November 25, 1895 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago – August 6, 1973, New York, New York), best known as Wilmoth Houdini, was a prominent calypsonian. He made numerous recordings from the 1920s through the 1940s, also sometimes using the names Wilmoth Hendricks Edgar, Leon Sinclair, and King Houdini. His 1946 composition "Stone Cold Dead in the Market (He Had It Coming)" was a hit for Louis Jordan and Ella Fitzgerald. With his recording "Black But Sweet" he composed a classic track, that has been covered by numerous artist around the world, only to mention Mighty Dub Kats ("Son Of Wilmot"), Sabres of Paradise ("Wilmot Meets Lord Scruffage") and Shantel ("Bucovina").
References
Cowley, John (1984). Wilmoth Houdini: Poor but Ambitious. In Wimoth Houdini: "Poor but Ambitious": Calypso Classics from Trinidad (pp. 2–5) [CD liner notes]. El Cerrito, California: Arhoolie Productions.
