Roaring Lion was a Trinidadian calypsonian. His 65-year career began in the early 1930s and he is best known for his compositions "Ugly Woman", "Mary Ann" and "Netty, Netty", which are still performed today. The song "If You Wanna Be Happy", which hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on 18 May 1963, as well as the R&B singles chart, is based on Roaring Lion's "Ugly Woman".