Elphlin Warner MBE is also widely known throughout the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis as Crefton Warner. As a calypsonian, he sings under the sobriquet, Meeko.
King Meeko was born in the village of Cotton Ground, Nevis. From an early age he demonstrated a love for singing and sang at Sunday school and throughout his Primary and Secondary School years at the St. Thomas’ Primary School and the Charlestown Secondary School. Joseph Niles and the Consolers had a particular influence on his singing in church while King Short Shirt of Antigua and King Ellie Matt of St. Kitts influenced his calypso career.
Meeko first entered the Culturama Calypso Contest in 1976 and won his first Culturama calypso title two years later in 1978, with the songs “Let the Culture Live” and “De New Culture”. He went on to win eight additional Culturama calypso (kaiso) titles giving him a total of nine Culturama Calypso (Kaiso) crowns, thus making him the second most crowned calypso king for Nevis’ Culturama Festival.
Additional to winning nine Culturama Calypso (Kaiso) titles Meeko also won the Caribbean Calypso King title in St. Maarten in 1995, the Federation Calypso King title, the Culturama King of Kings title, the Nevis Tourism Calypso King title and the FND King of Kings title over on St. Kitts.
In 1995 King Meeko released the song Nevis Nice which was recorded at GT Recording Studio in Bronx New York. The song was produced by legendary musician and producer the late Kenrick Georges who in 1983 wrote the National Anthem of St. Kitts and Nevis. Nevis Nice has been widely adopted as the unofficial anthem of Nevis and has been used extensively to promote the island regionally and internationally. Twenty-five years after its release Nevis Nice remains as one of the biggest calypso songs of all times coming out of Nevis. Some of Meeko’s other top songs include, Sing You Peace, Nation Building, Nevis Still Nice, Darkest Hour, My Country and In Times Like These.
His riveting and dynamic performances, characterized by distinctive dance movements and fancy foot works have made him a cultural ambassador for Nevis whenever he performs in places such as New York, Boston, Miami, Washington, England, Trinidad, US Virgin Islands, St. Maarten, British Virgin Islands, Anguilla and St. Eustatius.
On June 7th 2019 Elphlin Warner was awarded in the Queen’s birthday honors list with a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire –MBE for his contribution to calypso and musical development in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. He subsequently received this honor during an investiture ceremony that was held on January 15th 2020 at Government House on St. Kitts.
The Ministry of Culture on St. Kitts awarded King Meeko for his service in the area of music during the 2020 Independence Fiesta held at Carnival Village on Friday September 4th, 2020.
“LONG LIVE KING MEEKO! You have been a true cultural ambassador and an outstanding calypsonian on Nevis.