Brief Steel pan history

This exclusive Sun photograph showing some of the first panmen playing biscuit tins with sticks. This picture was supposedly taken around the late 30's. Young Mannette (second from right) tuning some of the first pans as we now know the instrument to be. Mannette, a pioneer of the steelband art form, now resides in the United States where he tutors and continues experimentation with the instrument.
Taken from the Sun newspapers, Friday, March 21, 1986

August 13, 2000
By KIM JOHNSON

1783 Mass exodus from Haiti, Martinique & Guadeloupe White population 100 - 2500 Introduction of Mardi Gras (Christmas to Ash Wednesday) Slave & colored population 500 - 16000 On plantation festivals banned Establish own celebration Cannes Brulees (Canboulay) Introduce own dance (calinda) & own songs to African drums 1838 Emancipation Canboulay celebrated yearly on August 1st, later moved to Sunday before Ash Wednesday Mardi Gras on Monday & Tuesday Ex-slaves replace Mardi Gras with Canboulay Whites withdraw and denounce the festivities 1858 Banning of Sunday revelry 1881 Canboulay riots 1884 Ordinance African drums outlawed from participating in Canboulay Band size restriction Yields sporadic & violent outbursts over the years 1900 Colonial government & business community take control of Canboulay Organized into disciplined parade of masquerade bands Bands vie for competitive prizes Upper class return to festivities 1931 Outright banning of African drums by the British Tamboo Bamboo replace African drums as main musical medium "boom" for low tones "foule" or "buller" for mid-range "cutter" for counterpoint/lead 1935 Tamboo Bamboo banned Gonzales Tamboo-Bamboo Band introduce bass pan 1939 Alexander Ford establishes The Alexander Ragtime Band Sweet-oil pans, dust bins, biscuit pans: convex - shape Sticks without rubber Steelband competition held at Queen's Park Oval Alexander Rag Time Band (winner) Hell Ward Second Eleven World War II (1939-1945) Carnival suspended Bands parade illegally 3 note ping-pong introduced Experimentation begins 1940 Roaring Lion - first calypso ever composed for the steelband Alexander Ragtime Band Brute Force (Antigua) - first band to use rubber on sticks to play bass Hollywood influence on band names (violence, force, terror, heroes & movies) Hell Yard - "All Stars" Merry Boys - "Casablanca" Laventille Boys - "Desperadoes" River Lady - "Destination Tokyo" Age of "badjohn" 1941 Invaders formed by Ellie Mannette 1945 V.E. day (May) Tenor kettle (5 notes), ping pong, cuff boom, dudup (bass kettle) appear in the bands of revelers Developments (1945-1950) sweet-oil drums (ping pong) sunk in convex fashion 5 to 7 notes held in one hand, rubberless stick in other oil drum sunk in concave fashion 15 notes with rubber-tipped sticks competitions begin in Port of Spain & San Fernando notes continue to be added to instruments 1949 Antigua Steelband Association formed - 8 members "The Steelband Herald" published as its official paper ...steelbandsmen attained a standard of performance which equals if not surpasses that of the best there is in Trinidad., Sunday Guardian, January 26, 1951, p.17 Antigua's "Brute Force" steelband gets picture in "The Times Survey of the Colonies" Hell's Gate is planned to represent West Indian steelbands in Festival of Britain 1950 Steelband Committee setup by government to investigate steelband violence and to find solutions Cannon M.E. Farquhar - chairman George E. Mose - chief probation officer Carlyle P. Kerr - solicitor Lennox O. Pierre - solicitor Albert Gomes defends steelband men Public should discipline Steelband prejudices, January 8, Sunday Guardian "Behind the Curtain" column J White college students play pan in streets of Port of Spain, later to become Texaco Dixieland Steelbands clash Feb 21 Invaders attacks Tokyo (on Carnival Tuesday) Mar 2 Casablanca & Invaders meet, agree to bury hatchet... meeting attacked... bombarded with stones & bottles... Mar 6 More steelbands agree to end clashes, meeting at Old Prison Quarry, more than 500 members and supporters present from March Hill 60, Invaders, Casablanca, Destination Tokyo, Crusaders, Merry Maker, All Stars and Desperadoes Cannon Farquhar defends steelband men link to "dark past of slavery, plus a century of economic deprivation", March 12, Sunday Guardian Steelband Association formed by Lennox Pierre & Carlyle Kerr President Sidney Gallop of Crusaders 76 bands joined banned steelband competition for next 5 years poor judging contributing factor to violent clashes between steelbands introduced steelband recital (June) 1951 Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra (TASPO) established Lieutenant Griffith of St. Lucia Police Band is musical director formed specifically for Festival of Britain toured France and United Kingdom for 3 months 11 best players from the country, 13 reserves Orman "Patsy" Haynes / Casablanca "Boots" Davidson / City Syncopators Sterling Betancourt / Crossfire A. DeLabastide / Chicago Dudley Smith / Rising Sun Winston "Spree" Simon / Tokyo Granville Sealey / Tripoli Clive Belgrave / Southern Symphony Ellie Mannette / Invaders Anthony Williams / Sun Valley Sonny Roache Theo Stephen / Free French Operation Britain - to raise $15,000 for TASPO July 6, TASPO departs on San Mateo, Sonny Roache ill, left behind in Martinique September, Winston Spree gets contract to teach pan music at University of Nigeria & Ghana Developments 3 drum bass boom 2 drum cello coom establish complete chromatic range of notes from ping pong to bass 1952 Trinidad Music Association accept steelband men after initial rejection, Music Festivals no longer off limits Bands from south form: Southern Steelbands Association, 25 members 1957 George Goddard elected President of Steelband Association (June) 12 member band Constitution drawn 1959 "Desperadoes" & "San Juan All Stars" clash 1960 Bertie Marshall & Anthony Williams introduce Harmonic tuning Extended range of orchestra Bass pans on wheels, entire band on wheels (Anthony Williams) 1962 Steelbands Association renamed National Association of T&T Steelbandsmen 1963 Carnival Development Committee change name of competition 1st prize raised from $350 to $1000 1st "Steelband's Panorama" held at Queen's Park Savannah, February 22 Participants include, North Stars, Sundowners, Desperadoes, Modern Sunland, Invaders, City Symphony, Casablanca, Starlift, San Juan All Stars, City Syncopators, Crossfire, Dixie Harps, Merrytones, Metronomes, Merry Stars, Metronomes, Nocture, Prodigal Philharmonics, Renegades, Sputniks, Steel Stylers, Tropical Harmony, Wonderland (Port of Spain), Wonderland (Chaguanas) Calypsonians try to gain advantage in Carnival Road March competition, accused of giving scores to steelbands. April 11 Government Aid for establishment of National Steelband Ellie Mannette chosen as tuner Grant not to exceed $1500 for tuning Association establish National Steelband and organize steelband Festival, Crossfire wins Festival August Wolfgang Krause of Germany films Ellie Mannette tuning, slips out of country on yacht, violates agreement with Association & government Moral Re-Armament (MRA) organization invites National Steelband to USA 1964 North Stars win Panorama North Stars expelled from Association by general membership Rudolph Charles elected leader of Desperadoes, later will introduce chromed pans nine bass quadrophonic pan triple tenor rocket bass aluminum canopies 22 players chosen for National Steelband performance in USA, Emmanuel Riley(Invaders), Errol Zephrine (Starlift), David Samuel (Prodigals), Rudolph Johnson (Fascinators), Norbert Augustine (Wonderland Symphony) Band performs in Michigan, West Virginia, Santa Fe, New Mexico 1965 Cavaliers win Panorama Easter Sunday, Desperadoes 1st steelband to play in church National Steelband (20 members) attends Festival of Arts in the UK 1966 Desperadoes win Panorama - 50,000 in attendance Desperadoes go to Africa (Senegal) 1967 Cavaliers win Panorama Anthony Williams suggests local tunes to be used with test pieces Desperadoes tour Zambia 1968 Harmonites win Panorama 1969 Starlift win Panorama CDC, the sole sponsor of Panorama Police Superintendent, Anthony Prospect suggests steelbands use Concert Pitch when tuning, "A" above middle "G", 440Hz, (universally accepted pitch) North Stars Steel Orchestra holds recital with Winnifred Atwell at Queen's Hall 1970 Desperadoes leader, Rudolph Charles suggests to prime minister, Eric Williams to set up co-operative tp manufacture steelband instruments Prime minister meets with steelband leaders Co-operative agreement between Prime Minister & 17 steelbands Goddard and PNM clash Steelband & Black Power Movement State of Emergency declared Steelband Music Festival cancelled 1971 George Goddard resigns as president of NATTS NATTS changes name to Pan Trinbago 1977 $15,000 awarded to Panorama Winners 1978 South Steelband Movement formed - stage own Panorama Panorama appearance fee - $500 for preliminaries 1979 DJ's impact carnival scene both in US and Trinidad Panmen boycott Panorama for more money Cost of preparing steelbands for panorama $15,000 - $20,000 Cost of new band $60,000 1980 Panorama appearance fee $5,000 1981 Eric Williams dies 1985 Rudolph Charles dies

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