The Trinidad All-Steel Pan Percussion Orchestra (TASPO) was formed to participate in the Festival of Britain in 1951. The group was the first steelband to travel abroad from Trinidad and Tobago, presenting the newly invented steelpan to an international audience.
Members
Lieutenant Joseph Nathaniel Griffith was the conductor of the band. Griffith was originally part of the Trinidad Police Band.
| Player | Band | DOB | DOD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cecil “Coye” Forde | Invaders | 1928/09/14 | 2012/12/25 |
| Orman "Patsy" Haynes | Casablanca | 1930/02/22 | 1985/10/29 |
| Elliot "Ellie" Mannette | Invaders | 1927/11/05 | 2018/08/29 |
| Belgrave Bonaparte | Southern Symphony | 1932 | |
| Anthony "Tony" Williams | North Stars | 1931/06/24 | 2021/12/21 |
| Carlton "Sonny" Roach | Sun Valley | 1924/08/06 | 1986 |
| Philmore "Boots" Davidson | City Syncopators | 1928 | 1993 |
| Sterling Betancourt | Crossfire | 1924/03/01 | |
| Andrew "Pan" de la Bastide | Chicago | 1927/12/01 | 2002/11/17 |
| Dudley Smith | Rising Sun | ||
| Winston "Spree" Simon | Fascinators (Tokyo) | 1930 | 1976/11/18 |
| Theophilus "Black James" Stephens | Free French | 1933/11/04 | 2001/11/06 |
On 6 July 1951, TASPO left Trinidad for England on the SS San Mateo. Carlton "Sonny" Roach fell ill and was left behind in Martinique. The steelband performed at the South Bank, London, on 26 July 1951, as well as elsewhere in Britain and in Paris. TASPO returned to Trinidad on 12 December 1951, the only exception being Sterling Betancourt, who stayed in London. Betancourt had been vitally involved in building up Notting Hill Carnival.
Further reading
- Blake, Felix I. R. The Trinidad and Tobago Steel Pan. History and Evolution. ISBN 9780952552802.
- Goddard, George (1991). Forty Years in the Steelbands: 1939-1979. London: Karia Press. ISBN 1-85465-034-3.
- Stuempfle, Stephen (1995). The Steelband Movement: The Forging of a National Art in Trinidad and Tobago. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 9780812233292.
References
- Nathaniel, Daina (2006). Finding an "Equal" Place: How the Designation of the Steelpan as the National Instrument Heightened Identity Relations in Trinidad and Tobego (PhD thesis). Florida State University. p. 85.
- Johnson, Kim. "Pan: the instrument that built a nation" (PDF). Trinidad & Tobago: 50 years of independence: 82–84.
- "TASPO Given Rousing Send Off; Promise to Justify Appreciation of Public". Port of Spain Gazette. 7 July 1951. p. 1.
- Johnson, Kim (1998). "Sonny Roach from St James". Trinbago Pan. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
- Johnson, Kim (2012-01-01). "When steelband took London by storm". Caribbean Beat Magazine. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
- Historic England (2018-08-24). "6 Historic Sites To Look Out For During Notting Hill Carnival". The Historic England Blog. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
External links
- Steelband 1950 - 1959
- From street gangs to steel-pan orchestras - The Forum BBC World Service
- YouTube clip from BBC2 documentary "The 1951 Festival of Britain - A Brave New World" (broadcast on Saturday 24 September 2011) with Sterling Betancourt talking about TASPO.
- Terry Joseph, "MBE for pan pioneer Betancourt honoured by Queen", Pantrinbago, 31 December 2001
- Orman “Patsy” Haynes - Professor Of Steel Band Music