By Lear Matthews
People criticized our parents. “How could you allow your daughters to do such a thing?” they would ask.
It was the early 1950’s. Guyana, then British Guiana, like many other Caribbean countries was in the initial stages of struggle to shed the yoke of colonialism, epitomized by the first national, multiethnic political party. The dawning of “Massa Day Done”!
As with the political scene, “beating pan” was a male-dominated activity. But despite normative cultural credence and challenges faced by women, pioneering genius was afoot. The phenomenon of a female steel orchestra was emerging. Steel band was viewed as a lower class musical form, practiced by urban folk from economically deprived communities – “Dem Bad boys” from Albouystown and Lodge (although the majority of residents from those neighborhoods were decent, law abiding and productive). Initially, steel band playing was not considered socially accepted as a legitimate genre of entertainment, thus deemed unworthy of invitation to perform at “prestigious venues” such as the Town Hall in Georgetown.
Against this backdrop, one could envisage the idea of a female steel band was indeed an ambitious, if not presumptuous artistic endeavor. The first two such bands were founded by unsung hero Yesobel Ross, a home maker and later Iris Leach, a school teacher. Challenging tradition, these enterprising women ingeniously organized a group of teenage girls, marking the birth of an All Girls Steel Band, a stark gender breakthrough. They undoubtedly had to be charming, diplomatic and bold as they did compete with male counterparts, unnerving engrained gender-based cultural barriers. The country certainly was not “ready” for such a thing. Among the trainers was a pan wizard named Bertram DeVarrel, who was the leader of Tripoli Steel Band. He was a tuner and first-pan player extraordinaire. At that time the rival band was Quo Vadis.
To capture that unprecedented, challenging and transformative experience, I interviewed Joan Rose, former leader of the Ebony All Stars Steel Band at her home in Brooklyn, New York.
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