From outcast to icons - a brief story of steel pan

By Khan Cordice

The story of steel pan is the story of some of the most fearless, determined and innovative people in the history of the Caribbean. The “20th-century musical phenomenon”, as it was called, was an immediate solution to a problem that was created when aristocrats living in the Caribbean (initially Trinidad) fought for the eradication of one of the most fundamental cultural aspects of our people: our music. From African drums and Tamboo Bamboo to steel pan in Trinidad and from housecoat band to steel band in Antigua, the “cacophony” of sound that is steel pan and its music paved the way for it to be one of the fastest developing instruments of all time and for the Caribbean people to be regarded as arguably some of the greatest inventors.

The steel pan is a melodic percussion instrument which was created in the 1930s out of a need for people to express themselves musically. The instrument was seen as a negative addition to the cultural arsenal of the people and was not accepted by affluent society and lawmakers. These “bad johns”, as these gangsters were called, were beaten, incarcerated, and even killed to eliminate an instrument that would later be considered a symbol of the Caribbean and music culture of the region, similar to reggae. The late King Franki highlighted that panmen not only fought for the instrument but also for the survival of a culture in a society where Black brilliance was diminished and not celebrated for what it was. They also fought for what this music meant to the people of the “ghetto”.

Today, the steel pan is the most sought-after instrument across the Caribbean by young and old alike. The instrument has evolved from being regarded as “noise” to now being the beacon light of a developing Caribbean and its music.

In the middle of the 1940s, the steel pan became the newest interest in Antigua and the sound of the people of the westward communities, starting in the Point area. Like their counterparts in Trinidad, they fought for the acceptance of the steel pan and the music that became the driver of workers’ union marches, political rallies, carnivals and festivities. And more importantly, it became an avenue for a suppressed people to elevate themselves to be widely accepted as people of great intellect and immense talent. The road to acceptance was a difficult one. The music was referred to as a “hellish cacophony”, and the steel bandsmen were despised by their families, friends and church groups. Yet they pressed on. They saw the vision and were determined.

On the path to acceptance, these musicians in Antigua created a relationship with the then culture enthusiast Governor (Lord) Baldwin, who was the Commander in Chief of the Leeward Islands. Like those in Trinidad, the Antiguan aristocrats detested the steel pan and fought for the abolition of the instrument and its music. It is said that Lord Baldwin remarked that if dogs are allowed to bark at night, then the steel bandsmen should be allowed to play. This was the beginning of the steel pan becoming an accepted musical instrument in Antigua & Barbuda. In 1949, Lord Baldwin facilitated the first steel band competition, which hosted three bands: Hellsgate, Brute Force and Red Army Steelband. The competition has remained the highlight of the music’s art form some 70-plus years later.

Antiguan steel bands saw many firsts, including the first performance in church and the first recorded on wax (circa 1952 by Emory Cook and the Smithsonian Records). These recordings are still being sold at premium prices today. The early bands also performed in hotels and for royal visits, on tours to the USVI and other neighbouring islands, and are confirmed to be the originators or inspirers of steel bands and carnival-like festivities in those territories.

The influence of notable musicians such as the late Bertha Higgins, and Lt. Vere Griffith of Barbados, assisted in the further development of steel bands in the 1950s and 1960s by way of increasing repertoires to include infamous classical pieces by composers such as Mozart, Handel, Bach, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven. Steel pan was on the rise. The road to acceptance was paved.

Today, the steel pan is the most sought-after instrument across the Caribbean by young and old alike. The instrument has evolved from being regarded as “noise” to now being the beacon light of a developing Caribbean and its music. From the 55-gallon oil drum to the ping pong, the steel pan and the electric pan (E-Pan). From the ghetto to Buckingham Palace and Carnegie Hall. From outcast to icons in less than a century. This is a brief story of the steel pan.