Obituaries: Vancouver Concert Poster Designer Bob Masse, Calypso Legend Mighty Sparrow

Bob Masse, a renowned Vancouver artist and concert poster designer, died on Sept. 21, at age 81.

His passing was announced via a Facebook post from Bob Masse Studios. Its obituary reports that ''Bob was a lifelong illustrator who, encouraged by his parents, attended the Vancouver School of Art. In 1965, a class practicum sent him walking into the Queen Elizabeth Theatre to offer a free poster for an upcoming Bob Dylan show. It was the start of a career that would eventually put his name among the greats of West Coast concert poster art.''

Masse then designed posters for Vancouver’s folk coffeehouses in exchange for free admission, and subsequent trips to San Francisco and exploration of its burgeoning psychedelic scene had a major impact on his work. Back in Vancouver he created posters for the Afterthought (a music venue and hub of local psychedelic/counter-cultural activity), the second Trips Festival and Dante’s Inferno, among others.

In an obituary in the Vancouver Sun, John Mackie describes Masse as ''Vancouver's premier psychedelic artist of the '60s. His 1960s posters for shows by the Grateful Dead, Doors and Steve Miller are considered classics by psychedelic poster collectors.

''In the 1960s, Bob Masse would get $10 or $15 to do a poster for a rock gig. But over time, his intricate art nouveau-like designs became internationally renowned and treasured collectibles of the psychedelic era. The Grateful Dead liked his 1967 poster of their Vancouver shows so much the band hung it up in their office. A mint copy sold for $15,000 at an auction in Florida in 2021.''

A 2016 feature story in Vancouver alt-weekly The Georgia Straight included two of Masse's early Vancouver posters, from October 1966. It was written by Jerry Kruz, a concert promoter, Afterthought founder and author of The Afterthought: West Coast Rock Posters & Recollections from the '60s. He reflected that ''the two posters shown here represent the start of Bob Masse becoming a great artist in his own right; they represent the time before he went to San Francisco.''

''By now, he had become the Afterthought's resident poster artist. You can see how unique they are; they stand alone. One should make note that he did all of these in black and white.''

After time spent in San Francisco in 1966 and '67, Masse returned to Vancouver. There he befriended the local band The Collectors and designed the cover for their debut album. When they travelled to Los Angeles to make a record he followed, spending the final years of the 1960s living in the Laurel Canyon area.

There, Masse designed posters for concerts by the likes of The Doors and Iron Butterfly, posters and newspaper ads for the Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood, and he also worked at the Cheetah club in Santa Monica. On the scene, he spent time backstage with Janis Joplin and The Doors.

In 1969, Masse returned to Vancouver, producing a series of posters for local venues including the Retinal Circus, Moose Valley Farms and Gassy Jack's.'' During the 1970s Masse undertook commercial work, illustrating for McDonald's, the Expo Space Station, CP Air, Lock-It Guitar Straps and others. He additionally designed numerous business logos, among them an orange fox for radio station C-FOX.

During the 1980s, Masse created posters for films including Total Recall and Back to the Future Part III. He also worked on the television series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

As rock concert art began to enjoy a surge in popularity in the '90s, Masse returned to poster design for the Smashing Pumpkins, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tori Amos, Neil Young, Tool, Alanis Morissette and others.

In its post, the Bob Masses Studios notes that ''Bob considered the posters he created in those years his best. He ran a regular Facebook series called 'Masso Monday,' sharing his art and connecting with friends and fans alike, until his health prevented him from continuing.

''This August, Bob’s artwork helped complete one final album: a reissue of his 1967 hand-colored psychedelic portrait of Tom Northcott, originally made as a promo item for Northcott’s version of 'Sunny Goodge Street,' now graces the cover of The History of Vancouver Rock & Roll Vol. 5.''

Social media tributes to Masse after his passing reveal a man who was very supportive of other artists and area charities and generous to fans of his work.

One Facebook tribute from Patrick Jacobson recalls that ''Bob did the 2009 album cover of a band I was in called The Luna Riot. It was an absolute honour to have been a part of his world for one small moment in time. Bob was an absolute master of his craft and his work is as legendary as even the most elite musicians he worked with. We’ll miss you, Bob. Thank you for everything.''

Norm Roth posted on Facebook that ''We in the Glass Cage were honoured and fortunate to have Bob Masse create our album cover earlier this year. Possibly one of his last works. Heaven just got more colorful. RIP Bob and thank you''

International

Mighty Sparrow (née Slinger Francisco), a pioneering Caribbean calypso singer and songwriter, died in late September, at age 91.

On Sunday (Sept. 27), his family announced the calypso giant’s passing.

Francisco, whose recorded catalog spans seven decades and genres ranging from calypso to soca, “died peacefully surrounded by family” after “he succumbed [to] a brief illness in New York,” reports an official statement from his family.

“He was an institution in the entertainment industry, well admired for his skill and finesse as a singer, songwriter and mentor,” the statement continues. “Beloved by many, he was also a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, life partner and friend.”

Billboard reports that "Though he was born in Grenada’s coastal town of Grand Roy in 1935, Francisco migrated with his parents to Trinidad & Tobago as a toddler in 1937, setting in motion a lifelong love affair with music that properly began when he joined a steel pan band and played Carnival with them at just 14 years old.

''He made serious inroads with his first recordings in the early 1950s — including 'Missing Baby (Ruby)' and 'High Cost of Living' — eventually winning Trinidad’s Carnival Road March and Calypso King competitions with his classic 'Jean and Dinah,' a celebration of the departure of American troops from Trinidad.

By the 1960s, as he regularly collected new Road March and Calypso King victories, Francisco underscored his international appeal by signing with RCA Records, for whom he recorded 11 albums in just five years. Around this period, Francisco moved his family to Jamaica, Queens, in New York, where he became a fixture at Brooklyn’s annual West Indian Day Parade and wrote songs inspired by the city’s robust Caribbean diaspora, like “Mas in Brooklyn” and 'Crown Heights Justice.'''

Francisco’s success in the ’60s and ’70s led him to a tour of West Africa and to the music charts in the Netherlands, where he hit No. 2 with his Byron Lee-assisted cover of “Only a Fool Breaks His Own Heart.” His witty, fiercely political lyricism made him one of the most celebrated calypsonians of all time.

In 2008, Francisco threw his support behind Barack Obama’s presidential campaign with the original track “Barack the Magnificent.” Two years later, health complications ranging from an inguinal hernia to a diabetes diagnosis forced him to shift his priorities. After a brief hiatus, Francisco returned to the stage in 2014, with a recording of his 2019 Joe’s Pub set arriving as a live album in 2020.

Caribbean music stars and politicians praised Mighty Sparrow's work and legacy. King of Soca Machel Montano shared a video of him introducing Francisco onstage, writing, “Sparrow provided me with opportunities, gave me his platform, and literally took me under his wing and direction many times over, and for this I am eternally grateful. I will miss his wit, his sweet voice and smile, and I will keep this moment dear to me, as I was able to sing with him one more time on stage.”

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley stressed that Sparrow “has been woven into our Caribbean civilisation.”

Throughout his career, Francisco earned several major honors, including an Honorary Doctor of Letters (D. Litt.) from the University of the West Indies (1987), a lifetime achievement award from the Consulate General of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in New York (2013), and the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire honor (2015).

At the 2024 Caribbean Music Awards, the “Calypso King of the World” received the Elite Calypso Honor.

Mighty Sparrow frequently performed in Toronto, inspiring local Caribbean musicians.

On Instagram, the Canada Black Music Archives (CBMA) posted that ''Mighty Sparrow had deep personal and professional relationships with fellow Trinidadian expats in Toronto. And with Caribana, North America’s largest Caribbean festival, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2027, it comes as no surprise that this musical giant would have a long and impressive influence on international Calypso artists here in Canada.

''According to Patrick McNeilly aka Panman Pat, steelpan maestro and educator: 'Sparrow was already known to the growing West Indian community in the early ‘60s. He sang in small clubs including the Little Trinidad Club on Yonge Street, and other venues, sharing spaces with artists such as Lord Kitchener, Lord Superior, and Lord Ryner.'

''Then came Caribana in 1967. Sparrow eventually captured that moment in song, recording 'Toronto Mas.'"

On Facebook, Toronto author and music historian Nicholas Jennings noted that 'the very first time the Mighty Sparrow played Toronto, in early December 1964, he was performing in the Little Trinidad, a tiny after-hours calypso club started by five Trini partners and later sold to Charles Roach, the prominent Trinidadian-born civil rights lawyer, activist, and musician who went on to co-found the Caribana festival.''

''Sparrow returned to Toronto and performed countless times from then on, occasionally appearing at large venues including Massey Hall and Maple Leaf Gardens. He was often at Caribana, leaving an indelible mark and gifting the city with his song 'Toronto Mas,' a tribute to the festival’s growing popularity. The Caribbean diaspora and lovers of his music everywhere are mourning the passing of a true legend.''

Roddy (Rodgers Allen) Frantz, performing artist and arts advocate best known as the frontman and lyricist for the post-punk rock band Urban Verbs, died on Oct. 1, at age 71, after a long struggle with health challenges.

An official obituary reports that ''Born in 1955 at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, to Suzanne and Robert Frantz, Rod was raised in Pittsburgh, where he graduated from Shady Side Academy. Upon graduating, he moved to Washington, D.C. where he attended American University.

''Throughout his life, Rod combined the instincts of an artist, entrepreneur, and civic leader, leaving an enduring mark on the cultural life of Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, and Connecticut through his contributions to music, the arts, and community development.''

''Rod ('Roddy' to friends) was the vocalist and lyricist of the groundbreaking Washington, D.C., avant-rock and new-wave band Urban Verbs, whose music helped define a new creative movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Urban Verbs released two albums on Warner Bros. Records, establishing the band as one of the era's most influential acts. The group recorded with Brian Eno and shared stages with artists including The Cramps, The B-52s, and Devo.

''With his distinctive voice, poetic lyrics, and magnetic stage presence, Rod became one of the defining figures of the emerging music scene''

Roddy Frantz is the brother of Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz, who posted on Facebook that ''Roddy is best known for the avant- rock band Urban Verbs who made two great albums and for his work supporting the arts and environment in Pittsburgh and Connecticut.''

''He was on the board of directors of The Warhol Museum. More recently, he had made a record as Nicki Butane with some good friends called Flameproof Mascara. As his brother, I have always been very proud of him.''

Roddy Frantz made a guest appearance on Close to the Bone, the 1983 second studio album by Tom Tom Club, the popular Talking Heads offshoot headed by Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz.

In the late '70s, Urban Verbs made a splash on the D.C. music scene and then in New York City. A 1978 gig at CBGBs with The Cramps caught the attention of Brian Eno. He then recorded some material with the group that has never been released.

In 1979, Urban Verbs signed to Warner Brothers for a two album record deal. Released in early 1980, their eponymous first album, was recorded with Mike Thorne (producer of Wire, Soft Cell and Bronski Beat). The Urban Verbs second album for Warner Bros. Records, Early Damage, was recorded in Atlanta with producers Jeff Glixman and Steve Lillywhite.

Urban Verbs were scheduled to tour with Joy Division in May 1980. Arriving in Toronto for the first show, the band found the tour was canceled due to the suicide of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis. The band toured the United States and Italy as a quartet until its final show at Nightclub 9:30 in D.C. on October 29, 1982.

In 1995, Urban Verbs reunited to perform at the closing celebration for the 930 "F" street location of the famed Washington venue 9:30 Club. They again reformed in 2008 to play a show at the 9:30 Club.

Frantz's writing partner in Urban Verbs, Robert Goldstein, died from cancer in 2016, at the age of 66.

Frantz later relocated back to Pittsburgh, where he took a prominent role with the Riverlife Taskforce, the nationally recognized effort that transformed the city's relationship with its bountiful waterfronts and helped create a new vision for urban revitalization.

Later, he joined his mother and siblings in Connecticut, where he continued to blend art, innovation, and civic engagement. He led and supported a number of pioneering public arts initiatives, including the CreateHereNow Initiative and the Connecticut City Canvas Project.

Frantz also co-authored a parenting book, The Yes Child: A Simple Guide to Raising Great Kids.

In 2024, he returned to music as Nicki Butane and assembled a collection of new bandmates under the name Flameproof Mascara. They released a six-song EP, FMMF.

A Memorial Service celebrating Frantz's life will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church, Southport, Connecticut, on Saturday, November 21, at 1:30 pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in his memory to Constellation Health Services of Connecticut, The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, or the American Diabetes Association.