A historical look at Steelpan In Guyana - Down Steelpan Memory Lane With Rudy Bishop

[Pan Times]

In A 2001 article, Guyanese Godfrey Chin writes, “On February 6, 1945, there were born two boys, different parents, different countries – one in Nine Miles, St. Ann, Jamaica – the other, David St. Kitty, Guyana. And JA, the great African God of Music, looked from the heavens, blessed the two boys, and ordained – I assign you, Bob, to take Reggae to all parts of the world – Rudy, you are to do the same for Guyana [sic] steelband.”

The `Bob’ that Chin was referring to in this little bit of harmless mythopoeia is, of course, none other than the legendary Robert Nestor Marley. Bob Marley has been reggae’s foremost ambassador, taking the Caribbean genre worldwide, touring places like Gabon, Germany, Sweden, Canada, Spain, France and the US.

Less is known, or has been documented, about the other man Chin refers to, especially at this time when steelpan music does not enjoy the unbridled popularity that it did during the exhilarating post-independence period when steelpan bands commanded a frenzied following and drew the sort of crowds that the big stereo sets do today.

Rudy Bishop, is one of the few people who can live up the cliché, “a man of many talents”. Chin described him as “an indefatigable hustler, entrepreneur, missionary, diplomat, conductor, a veritable Steelband Moses.”

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[kentsh stanley Borde]

Is there a steelband in T+T that could equal this resume of travel.They may not be on par with us in quality and panmanship but they certainly walked softly and carried their sticks to a whole lot of places.Very impressive.T+T impressarios and entrepreneurs need to take a page out of Mr Bishops book.

[Lilian Sten]

Renegades.

[Noah]

& Samaroo Jets.

[Lilian Sten]

All two both.