Historian Dr Kim Johnson questioned the "gangster mythology" associated with the steelband movement in his lecture, 50 Years of Pan, which was part of the 2012 NGC Bocas Lit Fest yesterday. Johnson's lecture covered the movement's evolution from primitive to modern variations and dealt with the socio-political and cultural aspects of pan history. Playing rarely heard recordings from the 1940s and 50s of steelbands such as Casablanca, Trinidad All Stars-whose 1947 manifestation was a rhythm section-the Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra (TASPO) and Starlift, Johnson charted the pan's role in nation-building.
"Modern steelbands have transcended all forms of social segregation, because it is music that allows us to transcend our individuality," he said. Johnson described the "fervour" of 1951, when communities in practically every corner of Trinidad organised fund-raisers to make it possible for TASPO to represent Trinidad-but unfortunately not Tobago-at the Festival of Britain in London that year. This feat, he said, was the birth of nationalism. "TASPO gave a wake-up call to T&T's sense of nationalism...It was a remarkable outpouring of sentiment and money," Johnson said. Support for TASPO broke down racial and social barriers, he said. The band's formation was also historic because it presented the first modern steelband.
TASPO was the first steelband to have all the musical voices, from soprano to bass, and this was accomplished with the creation of new instruments. The new instruments represented "radical ideas," such as assigning more than one pan to each player. The new formation fostered a distinction between steelbands for the road or the traditional "pan round de neck," and more stationary stageside performance bands. TASPO was also the first band to be completely outfitted with instruments made from oil drums and not biscuit tins, as was customary. It was the stereotype of the panman as "thug" that Johnson found fault with. He said panmen were not merely thugs but in some cases musical geniuses, and usually immensely popular in their respective communities. Johnson said that the "gangster mythology" associated with panmen is one-sided and needs review.