Happy Birthday to steelpan music great Anthony Williams on his 81st birthday.
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Accomplishments of Anthony Williams by David Maunday
Scientific
Anthony Williams involved in putting pan on wheels in the late 1950s.
The placement of notes on the tenor pan in the 4th and 5th formation.
The grooving of notes on pans in a spider web pattern (more notes achieved).
Placement of notes on the six bass in fourths (a virtual lower extension of the tenor pan).
Placement of notes on their double second and 3 pan cello carries similar patterns making it easy for players to migrate from one section to the other.
Tony’s quality of tuning produced a very unique tone with his early use of harmonics.
Inventor of the 4 pan (a form of cello pan).
Anthony Williams made outsize pans (larger than the standard 55 gallon drums) using sheath metal which he tuned [into] some tenor pans, cellos and bass, some of which were used on the Ivory and Steel Recordings in 1969.
North Stars made metal bins and hand held cases for transporting their pans since the early sixties.
Musical
Anthony Williams, a self taught musician with North Stars won Steelband Panorama in 1963 and 1964 and placed 2nd in 1965. His format of introduction, verse and chorus, counter melody, change keys [and] re-harmonization, has been the musical prototype for Panorama since then.
North Stars won “Trinidad and Tobago Music Festival” in 1962 playing “Voices of Spring” and in 1966 playing “Poet and Peasant Overture”.
They excelled in “Carols and Classics” in 1965. Many can remember the scintillating rendition of “Sleigh Ride”.
Performed with the “Marionettes Chorale” in 1967 and 1968.
Performed at the 1968 U.S. Republican Party Convention in Miami.
Performed in Madison Square Garden in New York in July 1969.
Performed in New York’s Carnegie Hall on the “Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964 and with Winifred Atwell for the Ivory and Steel Concert in 1969.
Performed at the U.N. in New York in 1969.
Anthony Williams is one of the earlier composers of his own tune “Pan Down 5th Avenue”.
Social
The first steel band to introduce (loaders) separate persons to load and transport their pans to and from venues. Band members always travelled to and from performances in arranged taxis.
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Replies
Thank you for all the inovations, your life long dedication, committment, and your research and development of the steelpan and steelband all of which today's players like myself inherited though some of us take them for granted.
May you continue to be with us for many more birthdays God's willing
Congratulations, Tony Williams ... we hope you are aropnd for several more years to come.
Peter
Happy birthday to the person I cansider to be the preeminent panman to date. Best wishes for many more healthy and happy birthdays and I hope that the just recognition you deserve will come while you are still alive.
On a point of correction North Stars won the 1996 festval playing "Intermezzo In E Flat" composed by Anthony Prospect.Poets and Peasants was actually played by City Syncopators who came in second and Guinness Cavaliers took the third spot playing Excerpts from Carmen. The other contenders that year was Starlift and Savoys .
Happy birthday to you Mr Anthony Williams.May God give you health and strength to celebrate many more birth days.
Hamilton "The Web" Alexander.