From Ann Zimmerman:
I would like to leave a story that my father, who is deceased, told the family.
Family story -- Arrival of Steel Drums in Trinidad
Perhaps there would be someone interested in it among the group members and it would not be lost with his passing.
Charlie (Charles J. Getz, Chief Storekeeper) was supply officer for the US Navy on Trinidad during WWII. They had problems unloading petroleum before the U-boats blew up the supply ships. Charlie came up with the idea that the supply ships could roll oil barrels (drums) overboard very quickly and escape before the submarines spotted them. Then Charlie sent out skiffs to net the floating drums and bring them into port. This worked well, he received a medal, and the practice was embraced elsewhere because of the lives it saved. However, this left a lot of empty drums, since the ship didn't pick them up as it did under the former practices. Charlie traded the empty steel drums to the locals for rum for the officers (and most likely for himself), and they made steel drums from them...
Charlie loved steel drum music all his life.
Best,
Ann Zimmerman
Replies
Is it possible that the first big pan was tuned in Tunapuna? I heard this story before,It was a competition in a Cinema and the pan kept falling off his lap and the audience kept laughing. If this is true, Ellie should not lay claim for something he did not do.
Hamilton "WEB" Alexander
I think that those who believe that the 55gallon drums came from the US Base are not aware that the Refinery at Pointe a Pierre in Trinidad was operating long before the World War11 and they were refining products for the British and US military and transporting products in barrels,so I'm not sure about what this person has written. I worked with many of those who were in the Employ of Trinidad LeaseHold Ltd the owners of the refinery before if became Texaco and they shared with us the younger ones their experiences of Operating those Petroleum Units during the war. ALSO, it is written that in the very early days of Crude oil production here in Trinidad barrels were used to transport the Crude oil. As to where those barrels were made at that time I do not know but I know that in the 60's a Company named Van Leer was making steel drums in LaBrea and Maestro Allan Gervis was experimenting with them as to their suitability for making Steelpan Instruments. Thanks.
STEVE MY BRO, I dont want to burst your bubble but 1960 (?) in the history of pan is very late. allan gervais might have been experimenting with drums but the (55 gal) PAN was over 15 years old then (remember TASPO was 1951) . The first steel band I ever saw was RISING SUN from Belmont Trinidad who were brought to St Vincent around 1947 or 8 by a vincentian national Henry "Carey" Wilson a promoter and movie house owner and cousin to Tootie Wilson. ALL THE PANS RISING SUN HAD WERE 55 GAL DRUMS. Those pans fell into ownership to some Vincentian boys who called themselves CARIBBEAN BOYS and taught themselves to play pan. Caribbean Boys was St Vincents FIRST steelband... 8 YEARS LATER I STARTED TO PLAY PAN. STILL PLAYING (Despers USA, Vinci Starlift and Antigua Halcyon)
paddy corea
Paddy , I don't know why you had a problem with anything that Steve said , because everything he said was correct.
Read it again,
And his main point was that 55gallon drums were not as rare as implied in the article ,since there was a large oil refinery in Pointe-a- Pierre, Trinidad since the early 1900s , which used the 55gallon oil drum.
This was the Trinidad Leaseholds Limited (TLL) Oil Refinery.(my father worked there in the forties and fifties and he always called the company "Take Little and Live".)
That's the same refinery that became Texaco, and is called Petrotrin today.
My point of view is that if there was no other source exploited to gain the 55 gal oil drum other than the Statement mentioned above .Drums of Oil being dumped overboard to avoid an attack by the enemy ,,and at the said time there was none that had existed in T&T ,,,Empty Oil Drums,,,its time for us to Give Thanks an Praises,Regardless of whether the first Steelpan was made using the said 55 gal Oil Drum,2 to 5 years later,respect to all on WST.
Mr. Jules stated, their was a pan soloist competition in 1947 at a Tunapuna Cinema. Three of the soloists were Mr. Ellie Mannette, Mr. Neville Jules and Mr. Cyril "Snatcher" Guy. Both Mr. Mannette and Mr. Jules performed their pieces on a "38" gallon drum. Then this guy came unto the stage with this "BIG PAN". That was the first time an audience were privied at seeing and hearing someone playing a pan that was tuned on a 55 gallon drum. The given names of the tuners were Mr. Andrew Beddoe and Mr. Randolph Wiltshire. If anyone out can share some light on this please do. Our pan history must be factual.
I have also heard about contradicting claims and to be honest, I wouldn't place my life on some of Ellie's statements...I don't know if we'll ever get an accurate account of who the originator was for the 55 gallon drum...obviously someone isn't telling the whole truth.
Ian, do you know if the "BIG PAN" was a single pan or a Double Second?
Blessings,
GP
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