February 7, 1952 – Lynwall Kurtley Joseph was born in the village of Bethesda to Mr. Samuel Joseph and Mrs. Millicent Joseph. He attended the historic Bethesda Primary School and was a choir boy when he discovered his singing ability and love for music.
Under the moniker ‘The Mighty Zero’, he started to sing calypso professionally in 1973. He was a prolific song composer, writer, and singer of the calypso art form. He was regarded as having one of the sweetest and finest voices in calypso throughout the Caribbean. Zero’s first mega-hit was a song entitled ‘Horrors on Pan ’- this masterpiece was the test-piece for the National Panorama in 1976.
Zero won the Independence Calypso Crown in 1981 and 1982, respectively. He was a Calypso Finalist for most of his career. In 1990, he won the Carnival Calypso Monarch Crown for the first time and again in 2002. Among his repertoire are many classics: Horrors on Pan, Kneel in Prayer, Speculation, Don’t Eat It, Disco Brawl/Soca Session,
The Letter/Sing That, AIDS/ Protect Yourself (2002)
Joseph was passionate about politics and was aligned with the Antigua Labour Party. He was the branch chairman for the St Phillips South Constituency for several years. In 1991, Joseph successfully contested a by-election to fill the vacant seat in St Phillips South. He replaced the late Minister Honourable Reuben Harris as the Member of Parliament and served as Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Education from 1991 to 1994. He remained in Parliament, serving as a senator in the Upper House from 1994 to 1999, when he retired from active politics.
Joseph’s favourite pastimes outside of calypso and helping his family were owning and driving fast sports cars, building small model houses, and political campaigning strategies. From 1995 to 2004, he advocated for HIV/AIDS Prevention and was on the frontline in the education programme in Antigua and Barbuda and across the region. His song ‘Protect Yourself/Aids’, penned by Sir Prince Ramsey, gained regional acclaim and became central to many awareness campaigns.
He died on March 8th, 2004.
On May 25, 2025, Lynwall Kurtley ‘The Mighty King Zero’ Joseph, posthumously received the Vigo Blake Distinguished Service Award for “Service in The Arts (Calypso)”, during the annual Vigo Blake Day celebrations hosted by the Bethesda School Heritage Foundation Inc,
