Wyn Baptiste grew up in Notting Hill believing his dad Selwyn, a Trinidadian steel pan player who arrived in Britain in 1960 and was the first Chair of Notting Hill Carnival Committee, was the man who started Carnival. But the truth isn't quite that simple.
Wyn discovers that the origins of Carnival are as tangled as the history of London itself as he meets key players who were actually there with his dad, and goes on a journey that takes in mass immigration, the 1958 race riots, pioneering social workers, Trinidadian steel pan players – and adventure playgrounds
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Brenda H.
They were TAKEN, from their Home Land...
Thanks Pan times for posting and thanks also to Wyn Baptiste. I know how frustrating it could be when you ask various people to pin point a specific year, but somehow the answers are never unanimous.
Wow! ... Sure brings back memories as a former member of the Ebony Steelband in the early 1970s ie during my student tenure in London followed by my career as a Teacher at Southfield Middle School, West London. Do permit me, however, to add a piece to the puzzle as I just saw myself playing a (Grundig) Double Guitar rolling along the street at Notting Hill Carnival. It will be remiss of me not to mention my mentor ... Randolph Baptiste (dec.) former captain, tuner, cum arranger of Ebony. Bless his soul. He is the one who allowed me to create history into the carnival ... "Pan on Wheels with Canopy" ... first for a band in the UK carnival as well as getting the first band to be sponsored at a carnival ... St Clair's Hairstylist ... The St Lucian husband & wife located at Marble Arch. This was long before "Red Stripe" appeared on the scene. Mind you that sponsorship only involved a donation of T-Shirts for panists and supporters at the festival.
Tanks fuh dis very good documentary . Seems like d " Carnival was Launched "in 1965 accidentally from ah social event , organized mainly by the white lady Ms . Laslett . Mr . Baptiste , who was a community activist an organizer , an spokesperson . Steelbands were already organized , it seems , to be present an ready , at the function . D monent dat d Steelband started tuh move , d carnival began . after d launchin , d fete start . . . . Ah hear , from Jay Telfer , dat he was a part of organizin d carniva .Many ah d names he called are in dis srory here . Hats off tuh d producer / documentarian , again .
this is excellent it was good to see darcus and sterling and Russell Henderson at the forefront. But no mention was made of the sikh Telfer,Mervyn Telfer's brother.Years ago my wife interviewed him at his home in St JamesP O S where he intimated that he was one of the leaders of the notting hill carnival movement.She was at the time working on a project at UWI. Stalin corroborated his story.There is as much confusion about Notting Hill as there has been here.I wonder if this is because Trini is a major player. Only 2day somebody questioned the fact that Victor Wilson was the first man to play pan inTrininidad and not Spree Simon. If Spree was the man how come he was not one of the tuners for TASPO?
Victor "Tote" Wilson was not, the first either Sherman...