STEELBAND HISTORY

THE LONGTIME STEELBAND

Khalick J. Hewitt
Copyright February 13, 1998 (2002)

This article attempts to capture some of my personal memories of some of the various elements and characters of the steelband movement. It makes no claim to be a definitive history of the steelband movement. It includes my thoughts and observations of some of the problems facing the steelband movement but limit its growth and development.

Introduction

“Your wealth and your pride, even your image, they take from you
But, you survive all Civilizations old and new
Great Man, Black Man, pride of your father and your son
Africa! Remember, that you are the same one
From Egypt to Ethiopia across the Oceans to America
To the Russian Steppes of Europe, West Indies and India.
But, with every beat of the drum your image unfolds
Black Woman remember your children of Africa
Displaced and scattered without a trace of their culture
The color of their skin is their heritage
So no matter where you go or where you live
The Black Man with the drum remains your true heritage.”
Ras Shorty I

On August 13, 1992, then Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Mr. Patrick Manning declared the steelpan to be the national musical instrument of Trinidad and Tobago, (Trinbago). To date, that declaration is yet to be an Act of Parliament in the country of its creation. There is no legal protection for the national instrument. Yet, the steelpan, the only instrument created in the 20th century, continues to improve and it is in demand throughout the Caribbean and the continents of Africa, America, Europe and Asia. Today, there are steelband orchestras in America, Sweden, Japan, China, Israel, England, Canada, Cuba, South Africa and Switzerland.

The steelpan is a percussion instrument that comprises the body of the steelband orchestra similarly to the European conventional orchestra. The creation of this musical gift owes its presence to the ingenuity of the African working class. The turbulent and sometimes violent treatment of the Africans by the European enslavers did not prohibit the Africans from seeking cultural expressions and entertainment. After emancipation, the Africans working class struggled against the oppression and denials they received from European colonialism. And, in their struggles against an oppressive political and social system they were determined to develop their own cultural forms of music and art. The African working class appropriated the musical traditions of the European colonialists by empowering themselves with the instrumentation, melody and harmony derived from Western musical tradition. As a result, they dug deep into their past and extended the drum into the steelpan and their religious festivities into Carnival.

From its creation in the 1930s, the steelpan embodied the heritage of an African people enslaved and brought far away from their homeland to islands to serve their European enslavers. The Africans, though far away from their home, improvised and created an instrument to replace the distant drum that was banned and taken away from them. The steelpan was their answer to the many questions they silently asked themselves as their estrangement placed them in a strange land and circumstances under tremendous suffering with no one to hear their pleas. They transformed the drum into a steel instrument so that they could give cultural articulation to calm their fears with its music. With the steelpan instrument the bridge to their culture remained open. Although they were taken from their homes in Africa, remnants of their culture remained with them leading to the invention of the steelpan.

The New World

“I'm a slave from a land so far
I was caught, Oh yes, and I was brought
Here from Africa."
Sparrow

Africans were enslaved and brought to the new world by the Europeans. But, Africans were not always slaves. Their history did not begin with slavery. Slavery was the result of conquest by a foreign invader who was the last on the human evolutionary ladder towards civilization. While Europe lay in the dark ages, there were African civilizations in Egypt, Mali, Ghana, Songhay, Benin and Timbuktu. But, by the time Europeans began to enslave Africans numerous wars among Africans and Africans and Africans and Arabs had engulfed the African continent leading to their military demise. And, even though they resisted slavery with their every breath, nevertheless, they were finally conquered, enslaved and brought to the new world. One of the places they to which were brought was the twin-islands of Trinidad and Tobago. Trinbago was one of the various islands in the Caribbean that was used to drop off the slaves to work on the plantations. Spain was the first European power to bring African slaves to Trinidad. Then came the French and finally the British. Throughout European slavery, the slaveholders tried to strip the Africans of their culture in order to control and rule them. But, the Africans resisted until the Christian religion was used to pacify them making it easy for the Europeans to complete the enslavement.

During slavery in Trinidad, the British forbade the Africans from playing the drum. The African population, who are the descendants of Africans, were made slaves and taken away from their homeland, deprived of their freedom and brought to the island first by the Spaniards, then the French and finally the British during the European Slave Trade. In spite of the horrors of slavery and its aftermath, the Africans held on to some aspects of their culture and recreated the drum that they used in their social and cultural ceremonies to ease their oppressive conditions in the New World. The drum was the instrument that their ancestors used in their social, cultural and religious festivities throughout Africa.

After the British banned the drum, the Africans created the tamboo-bamboo instruments out of bamboo to express their musical heritage. But, the British also banned the tamboo-bamboo music. The Africans resisted every British attempt to suppress the steelband and the steelpan survived. After the tamboo-bamboo was banned, the Africans turned to steel drums to provide musical instruments. The British also banned the steeldrums because they saw its use as subversive. The British banned the first two instruments for security reasons because they suspected that the Africans were using those instruments to transmit messages to one another to plot revolts to escape from their oppressive conditions.

The beginning of the Second World War made the Africans important to the British Army as the British sought soldiers to fight their war abroad in Europe and Asia. Thus, the British were forced to enlist Africans in a unit called the West Indian Regiment. But, there was still no tolerance for African culture, in spite of their contributions to the war effort. In the 1950s, the Africans middle-class began to demand self-government. The importance of the Africans' presence in the war gave the panists the opportunity to enlist some middle-class Africans, local religious leaders and a few white local liberals in their fight against the banning of the steelpan. Leaders like Albert Gomes, Beryl McBurnie, Lennox Pierre and Canon Farquar were at the forefront fighting for the rights of panists. They believed that the steelband was a positive force to shape the 'moral' character of the panists (player of the steelpan) by giving them something to do with their creativity.

But, the British saw the panists as savages and the steelpan as crude and noisy and continued their ban on the steelband. The British enlisted the Police in their attempt to stamp out African culture and its off spring, the steelpan. The Police harassed and arrested the panists with charges of ‘disturbing the peace’ in their attempt to destroy the steelband movement. Some times the Police would raid the panyards and destroy the steelpans. The harassment by the Police placed a stigma on the steelband movement as a group of low-class hooligans creating noise during the night with their steelpans. As a result, most parents were reluctant to permit their sons to join any steelband orchestra. And, most parents forbade their daughters to date panists. The panists became persona non grate in their own land. As a matter of fact, most people called the steelpan a ‘noisy' instrument and several attempts were made to suppress it.

During the 1930s, Trinidad was still a colony of Britain. Africans were denied all the benefits of civil society. They had no rights and were unequal before the law. The British made every attempt to strip them of their culture. In their quest to find instruments to use in their festivities, a few Africans, who resided in the surrounding urban districts of Port of Spain, invented the steelpan. The steelpan evolved out of the climate of white supremacy, racism and colonialism that existed in Trinidad in the 1930s. In the early 1930s, the Africans attempted to create a musical instrument by using discarded biscuit drums, caustic soda drums, dustbins and any other steel drum they could get their hands on to accomplish that goal.

The early creations were simple. Due to the panists' lack of musical training, the early steel drums carried only a handful of notes. At first, the panists created a crude instrument with limited notes. The instrument was tuned to whatever upper pitch they could get. It became known as 'Ping Pong'. Later on, more notes were added and it was called a tenor pan. The early association with the steel drum's development has enshrined in the local language the term 'pan'. But, the steelpan instrument that we know today was created from discarded oil drums. And, its correct pitch is in the soprano range.

In the early 1940s, the United States had an Army base on the island of Trinidad. The Army would discard their oil drums after use. Since the Africans were prepared for this opportunity, they took those discarded oil drums and used them to fashion and develop the steelpan. They soon got another opportunity to display their new instruments. After the end of the Second World War, Trinidad celebrated the victory over Japan (VJ Day) with a large carnival festival. On VJ day the nation awoke to the sounds of steelbands like Invaders, Rising Sun, Hell Yard, Desperadoes and Free French. That celebration provided the impetus to the Africans to merge their creation with the national carnival celebrations. They came on the road with their crude instruments created from the oil drums and played them to large onlookers. Later, in the early 1950s the steelpan was refined and tuned properly by Ellie Mannette. Ellie Mannette, then leader of the Invaders Steel Orchestra, based his styling on musical 4th circles and added more notes to the steelpan making it the instrument that we know today. Today, the steelpan plays all types of music, including classical, reggae, jazz, latin and calypso. It has been a part of jazz ensembles and has accompanied popular singers.

Emergence

“The steelband music is very sweet
You get a rhythm with every beat."
Kitchener

The origin of the steelpan was an urban activity that grew out of the working class industrial districts of Port of Spain and San Fernando. There are not too many working class communities that can claim to be the creators of a musical instrument. Yet, it is believed that the working class industrial district of Laventille, a low-income African community on the hilly urban area of East Port of Spain, can proudly claim to be the birthplace of the only musical instrument of the 20th century. It is probable that this phenomenon occurred simultaneously in other districts like St. James, Woodbrook and even as far as the Southern districts of the country. But, what is certain is that the creators of this 20th century phenomenon were young African men, regardless of the district from which they came.

There are some people who give credit to Winston ‘Spree’ Simon as the individual responsible for giving the instrument it s first voice. This claim has been disputed by some saying that no one person created the steelpan. Anyway, Mr. Simon was even given a national award as the creator and innovator of the steelpan. I believe that there were many panists exploring the idea in different parts of the island. Also, I believe that the steelpan was invented in the working class district behind the bridge. I do not think that any one person was responsible for the creation of the steelpan. Some panologists (steelpan researchers) maintain that other panists: Sonny Roach, Leonard Morris, Oscar 'Bogart' Pile, Neville Jules, Ellie Mannette, Dudley Smith, Randolph 'Fisheye' Olliverie and Wilfred Harrison also contributed to the early development of the national instrument. The many pioneers of the steelband movement stretched from the north in Port of Spain to the South in San Fernando. But, those pioneers in the city of Port of Spain stood out for recognition because Port of Spain the capital and the major carnival metropolis. Also, the steelpan has always been intrinsically linked to carnival. The panologists will have to settle that dispute. What is certain is that Africans created the steelpan in Trinidad.

The 1930s were the years of African and Indian resistance in Trinidad against the inhuman, uncivilized and barbaric conditions imposed upon them by British colonization. As a result, there were riots in the Sugar Cane and Oil industries that employed Indians and Africans respectively. The British introduced martial law to suppress the riots. Each step of the resistance brought incremental changes. But, the Africans and Indians persevered. It was that hostile environment during the years from 1939 through 1945, which gave birth to the modern steelband. And, from 1945 to 1960 the modern steelband was consolidated.

The British colonized Trinidad and Tobago and ruled the twin-islands through 1956. Previously, two former colonialists, France and Spain, ruled the twin-islands. In 1956, self-government was introduced to the people of Trinidad and Tobago and a new political party called the Peoples National Movement (PNM) was formed. In 1956, the PNM took over the reigns of self-government under the leadership of the late Dr. Eric Eustace Williams. Dr. Williams, a former island scholarship winner, Oxford graduate, scholar and historian, became the first Premier of the twin-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago.

In 1962, Dr. Williams became the nation’s first Prime Minister. In 1986, he died after leading the nation and his party for an unbroken thirty years. The longest unbroken reign for any democratic leader. His contribution to the steelband movement was the initiation of a steelband association to represent the affairs of the steelband movement. Under his leadership the government contributed financial assistance to the steelband movement. It was also the first time that a local government placed financial assistance to the steelband in its annual budget. Also, he organized the local businesses to sponsor the various steelbands granting them tax relief for doing so. Later, he would grant many steelbands space on lands that the government controlled to open their panyards.

“Trinidad and Tobago
Will always live on
Colonialism gone
Our nation is born
We go follow our leader
They always do their best . . . .”
Sparrow

On August 31, 1962, Trinidad and Tobago was granted political independence from Britain. But, the ruling classes continued to view the steelband movement as a necessary nuisance only to be tolerated during the carnival celebrations. After carnival, the local radio stations banned steelband and local music on the radio. During the Lenten season, for forty days and nights, the two local radio stations Radio Trinidad and Radio Guardian refused to play steelband and calypso music. Even in some homes children were forbidden to sing a calypso tune during the Lenten season.

As a result, calypso and particularly the steelband, were relegated in the peoples' consciousness primarily to the carnival celebrations. That perception would continue to haunt their acceptance as normal art forms way into the future when attempts were made to play calypso and steelband music throughout the year rather than only during the carnival season. The high record sales that occurred during the carnival celebrations seemed to drop drastically after the carnival season ended. After carnival, the fervor that gripped the people evaporated until the next year. The large crowds that attended the panyards, supported the Panorama competitions and assisted the Steelbands on the road for carnival disappeared.

In 1976, Trinidad and Tobago adopted a republican form of government thus ending the monarchial system that it inherited from Britain. It replaced the Governor General, as representative of the Queen of England, with a President. But, in spite of the new republicanism, most of the upper and middle classes and especially the local elite still did not consider the steelpan to be a serious instrument. During elections the politicians would make several promises to aid and assist the steelband movement. But, the majority of the support for the steelband movement came from the ordinary African and Indian citizens, the two largest groups in the country. The African and Indian upper classes, the Chinese and the local white population gave very little support to the steelband movement. To the contrary, they did everything in their power to stiffle the growth of the steelband movement. One of the ways they attempted to do this was to ban the playing of steelband music during the Lenten season for 40 days and forty nights.

Leadership

"I could beat everyone of them in the band
Except for the captain, that's the man."
Sparrow

The leadership structure of the steelband was unconsciously based on the old African hierarchy system. The steelband was governed by a group of elders in the community and a Captain was elected as leader/chief of the steelband. The captain was the Chief of the steelband and the steelband was the tribe. But, he was also accountant, pan-tuner, musical arranger and lead 'badjohn.' He led the steelband with an iron fist. But, he was unselfish with the steelband. He gave the steelband all his time, money, creativity and sometimes his life. He lived for his steelband, most times neglecting his family. His passion for his steelband knew no bounds.

The Captain ruled with the help of a Committee that consisted of a secretary, treasurer and two or three trustees. Although the committee had some powers of persuasion yet, the Captain was the man in charge and everyone knew that. He was a benevolent dictator who was in total control of his steelband. He exercised his authority in the following ways: he chose the tune for the steelband festivals, the 'mas' to be played on Carnival days and the fetes in which to play. There was to be no dispute and his word was final. There was no appeal to his decisions. In most cases he was a benevolent dictator. Those who questioned his authority faced suspension from the steelband. Sometimes, dissenters were banished or temporarily banned from a steelbands because they challenged the Captain’s orders and had to leave the community and reside elsewhere. Two cases in particular come to mind. The first case was when a few members of the Desperadoes Steelband Orchestra had a disagreement with Rudolph Charles, the band's leader. As a result, they decided to leave the band and open their own steelband a few blocks away from the Desperadoes Steelband Orchestra. When Rudolph heard about it he went immediately to their panyard and smashed their pans shouting, "The hill has room for only one steelband and that is Despers." That ended the dissent.

The second notable case that I know of was when panists from Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra ‘stage side’ obtained a contract to play at the Trinidad Hilton Hotel. After a few months, a few members complained that all the panists from the orchestra should be given an opportunity to play at the hotel since it was an opportunity to make some money. That led to an argument between the 'stage side' and the other panists. The Captain, Neville Jules, called a special meeting to discuss the matter. At the meeting he decided that there would be a rotation of the panists to give everyone an opportunity to share in the financial rewards of the job. The 'stage side' members disagreed with his decision and left the orchestra. Of course, they lost the contract at the Hilton Hotel. The dissenters formed a new steelband called Boston Symphony Steel Orchestra. Their Captain was Winston Gordon. They opened their panyard on Piccadilly Street at the corner of Laventille Road.

As a result, the Captain banned some of the dissenters from returning to the Trinidad All Stars Steelband. Boston Symphony lasted for two years. After the steelband disbanded, some of the panists joined other steelbands, a few returned to Trinidad All Stars while some migrated to the United States and Canada and some stopped playing pan altogether.

Steelband Captains were chosen for life and their word was the law. Some steelbands had a group of community elders who advised the Captain. As long as they supported the Captain he was untouchable. At times they would replace him but that was seldom. Most Captains led their steel orchestras until they died, migrated or retired. The Captaincy was always male. He was trusted and the members depended on his wisdom and bravery. He settled all disputes among members of the orchestra. Some of the famous steelband Captains were: Rudolph Charles aka Charlo (Desperadoes), Neville Jules (Trinidad All Stars), Ellie Mannette (Invaders), Philmore 'Boots' Davidson and Kenny Hart (City Syncopators), Michigan (City Symphony) Oscar Pile aka Bogart (Casablanca), Winthrop Thomas (Joyland Synco), Kim Loy (Hilanders), Earl Rodney (Harmonites), Stephen Nicholas aka Goldteeth (Renegades), Arthur Byer (Sunland) and Anthony Williams (North Stars).

The Panist

"If your sister talk to a steelband man
The family want to break she hand,
Put she out, lick out all she teeth in she mouth
Pass, you outcast."
Sparrow

It has been a long hard struggle for the panist. He began as a pingpong man, then he became a steelbandman, then he was called a panman and finally he became a panist. That title gave him a new status as a musician. But, the panist is yet to achieve the social and economic status for creating the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago. In the 1960s and up to the late 1970s, the steelband was considered a community band. The panists were mostly young unemployed men who came together to form a steelband. In the early days women did not play the steelpan. Most of the panists were men who struggled without recognition and respect to give a voice to their creation. They were never paid for their skills. Even today, the only people who make any money from the steelband are the pan-tuners, arrangers and businesses that sponsor the steelbands. Today, few panists like Robert Greenidge, Len 'Boogsie' Sharpe, Rudy 'Two Left' Smith, Othello Molineaux and Andy Narell are lucky to carve out a financial existence. In the beginning of the steelband movement, most pan tuners and arrangers belonged to the individual steelband. They tuned the instruments and arranged pieces for the steelband. But, an exception was made for the bi-annual Music Festivals. During that time the steelbands would hire a trained musician (most times from the Police Band) to arrange and conduct the classical piece to be performed at the festival.

During the 1950s, 1960s and throughout the early 1970s the relationship with in-house pan tuners and arrangers gave the steelbands their individual tones. On a carnival day you could tell which steelband you were listening to without seeing that steelband. You knew its sound. It seems that each steelband had a sound unique to its arranger. In the West, steelbands like Invaders and Starlift were distinguishable from the rest. In the South, steelbands like Cavaliers and Hatters had their individual sound. In the East, steelbands like Flamingoes and Cordettes each had their own sound. In Port of Spain All Stars, Despers, Casablanca and Syncopators were distinguishable from the rest. In those days no two steelbands sounded alike.

In the late 1970s, that distinction began to change as the Panorama competition became the main outlet for the steelbands. In order to be competitive, some steelbands started hiring outside tuners and arrangers. Popular arrangers like Len 'Boogsie' Sharpe, Ken ‘Professor’ Philmore, Clive Bradley and Ray Holman were in demand. Tuners like Bertie Marshall, Coker, Lincoln, Butch Kellman became absentee tuners for some steelbands. The fact that tuners and arrangers were now hired created a new relationship between tuners and arrangers and the steelband. Before, the integration of the tuner and arranger with the steelband was an important relationship as it gave the steelband control of the tuner and arranger. Also, they were loyal and available to the steelband twenty-four hours and most times for free. That relationship was lost when the tuners and arrangers started to migrate to other steelbands. Now, steelbands seek the popular tuners as Butch Kellman, Bertie Marshall, Wallace Austin and Linclon Noel and hire them to tune their instruments.

The resident tuner is a thing of the past. Still, few steelbands are able to keep an in-house tuner and arranger. Steelbands like Desperadoes (Bertie Marshall), Phase II (Roland Harrigin) and Renegades (Butch Kellman) are the only steelbands that can lay claim to that luxury. The arrangers have become an integral part of the steelband movement because their arrangements give the steelbands the opportunity to enter the various steelband competitions. The arranger is hired for the Panorama festival. He is not concerned with any particular sound for the steelband. The businesses that sponsor the steelbands receive free advertisements and tax breaks from the government. As a result, they are willing to assist their sponsored steelband to pay the pan tuner and arranger since entering and winning the Panorama competition gives that steelband media coverage and public exposure which becomes a windfall for businesses. Hence, every steelband with their sponsor seek the tuning services of the popular pan tuners.

As stated earlier, in the beginning the steelbands did not pay the panists. In later years, some steelbands were able to pay the panists from the monies they received from playing in the parties and carnival band fees. In the 1960s and 1970s, during the carnival season, most of the steelbands played in the carnival parties. But, every panist had to play the first year without any payment before he received any money. And, most of the time, whatever money the steelbands made from parties or carnival band fees were used to maintain the orchestra by buying or tuning new instruments. It was not until the 1980s, with the arrival of pan soloists like Robert Greenidge, Ken Philmore, Liam Teague, Len 'Boogsie' Sharpe, Rudy 'Two Left' Smith, Andy Narell and Othello Molineaux, that panists started to receive any real financial reward for their talent. Throughout the years, those soloists were able to produce records and CDs to display their skills. [MORE]