In the old days a group of us young men liming on Erica Street in Laventille next to Highlanders panyard decided to play some pan round the neck Music for Christmas eve night. After all we we used to play with different steelbands for Panorama and Carnival namely Highlanders, Tokyo, Facinators, All Stars and Phase 11, We got 2 tenors,2 single seconds, 2 single Guitars pans from Bertie Marshall and Charlie Pinder from Phase 11 said he will get Boogsie to give us some music. So said so done, Boogsie came looking ordinary with his usual cap on his head and under an old abandon house a stone's throw away from Highlanders pan yard, in no time flat give us Rocket with pan his own composition that he will arranged for Phase 11 for the coming Panorama and Carnival season and Amazing Grace. That Christmas eve night we had a ball Playing Boogsie's tune all over Laventille with a large crowd that included former Pan players and supporters from many bands in the area, some of them learn the tune by watching us play and asked for a knock. Little did we know that we were playing Music from a man destined to be a genius in the PAN WORLD. How do you remember your first contact with Boogsie or his Music ?  NUFF SAID.  BLESSINGS 

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  • There was no question in anyone mind that knew Boogsie from a young age that he will be a great pan man. Having been born in a panyard [Symphonettes] into a family that loved the steelpan and mas he couldn't escape.

    At a very young  age they realize that he could play the pan, but they tried to keep him outta the pan yard,  he would sneak back in anytime he got the opportunity only to be told "go inside" when he got caught, he did get a lot of "go inside". It was from through the window overlooking the pan yard he would tell big men "not so not so when he saw them playing wrong.

    All the kids were jealous of his ability to play because they couldn't but will eagerly wait for his return every time they saw his Dad take him out with a pan, for he cleaned up any where he went to play, he was about 5-6-7. Under their house was his sanctuary, he would go there with any old can he found with a rusty nail and a rock and you could see him sinking and grooving. He was born into this steelband /steelpan ting.    

  • It is good to see some FORUMITES paying tribute to a LIVING LEGEND while the LEGEND is still alive!!!

    • Thank you all so much for your responses so  far, and I hope these information will be helpful to young and aspiring arrangers to keep working and not give up, after all they are the future.

  • First contact with Boogsie was in 1969 (?) in Starlift Pan Yard where he was pointed out to me in the fashion.  "Check that fella, he a real good pan-man, watch him real good, cool."  They rehearsed and practiced an extensive repertoire for the Carnival Season, but kept the Bomb Tune secret hush~hush...

  • My first contact with Boogsie was when he was brought to play six bass in Starlift by his brothers Selwyn and Wilfred Sharpe who played in the band, at age thirteen. Whenever the arrangement was shown to other players and someone went to his pan to show him, he would say "is this what we have to play"? and he played the correct thing,even at times helping players on other pans to learn their part. He was then seen before and after practice playing on the other pans. I recall having a coast with him and when I asked what chord did you play there, he said "I don't know the name, but I just know it is that to play." When we were told that the tune was going  into a minor key, he asked the section leader, "is that the funny sounding kinda thing."? He was told yes and when it started he simply ran with it. From there it was only forward,to develop into the arranger/pannist/composer that he is today. The first arranged tune I played from him was Drunk and Disorderly, the 1972 road march.

  • Mr Pan, I'm sure that there are many stories like this.

  • Great Story, Mr. Richards!!! Yeah Man!!!

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