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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Wyn, keep up the exposure. Get your findings documented by the official historian for the location where your meetings were held. As it is now people are beginning to wipe his work out of the history books.
The first procession started when people spontaneously followed Rus Henderson , Sterlng and others , who were playing at a street party put on by Ms Laslett in the North Kensington area - Pan on the road - was the cry , and people came out .That was in 1965 .
In the early years the only pan in what became the carnival, was played by Russel who was on the road with a ' pan 'round neck ' band . The next band to hit the road was Blue Notes steelband and the following year The Adventurers led by Selwyn Baptiste came on the road . There probably were other bands but I didn't see them , I was busy .
Enough can never be said of the influence Selwyn Baptiste had on pan playing and carnival in the Grove . The band he started in the Notting Hill Adventure playground was the first organised steel band of its size in the area , and Selwyn put the first carnival committee ( CDC ) together , of which Darcus Howe was the chairman .
I can't go without clearing two things .. Peter Joseph ... Selwyn wasn't no pseudo nutten . Especially to us who were teenagers at the time . The Grove was a rough area with a lot of "work for idle hands " in the late sixties The steel band provided a focus for the youth and kept us off the street . And the Adventurers did not become the Metronomes as was stated . The Metronome steel orch was started by Phil De Bique in the Metro youth club after the Adventurers broke up .
Comments
anyone ever heard or remembers
gerald forsythe who went to the uk in the early 60s
would love to get some info
was a mentor to pan at the then woodbrook youth centre
he gave the then curator juancito rodriguez many a headache
Ask Sterling Betancourt (TASPO) who remained in the UK in 1951.
Matthias - Steelpan European
H
aving lived in England during that period I believe Carnival started in 1965..
Wyn, keep up the exposure. Get your findings documented by the official historian for the location where your meetings were held. As it is now people are beginning to wipe his work out of the history books.
Brenda H.
Thank you for the film Wyn .
This work separates fact from fiction .
The first procession started when people spontaneously followed Rus Henderson , Sterlng and others , who were playing at a street party put on by Ms Laslett in the North Kensington area - Pan on the road - was the cry , and people came out .That was in 1965 .
In the early years the only pan in what became the carnival, was played by Russel who was on the road with a ' pan 'round neck ' band . The next band to hit the road was Blue Notes steelband and the following year The Adventurers led by Selwyn Baptiste came on the road . There probably were other bands but I didn't see them , I was busy .
Enough can never be said of the influence Selwyn Baptiste had on pan playing and carnival in the Grove . The band he started in the Notting Hill Adventure playground was the first organised steel band of its size in the area , and Selwyn put the first carnival committee ( CDC ) together , of which Darcus Howe was the chairman .
I can't go without clearing two things .. Peter Joseph ... Selwyn wasn't no pseudo nutten . Especially to us who were teenagers at the time . The Grove was a rough area with a lot of "work for idle hands " in the late sixties The steel band provided a focus for the youth and kept us off the street . And the Adventurers did not become the Metronomes as was stated . The Metronome steel orch was started by Phil De Bique in the Metro youth club after the Adventurers broke up .