Martin “Dougie” Douglas
April 3rd
When Steel Talks extends Birthday Greetings to the late panist
Martin “Dougie” Douglas
The history of Pan is replete with large, colorful figures whose names and deeds will be entwined with steelband music art form forever. Martin "Dougie" Douglas was one such character.</span >
Douglas was born at Upper Bournes Road in St. James, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad - a stone’s throw from Sun Valley Steelband. When there was a split in the band, the legendary
Tony Williams left, and founded Pan Am North Stars. There was pan every night in Douglas’ midst. He ran around both pan yards as a small boy. He started to learn music and play pan with the fabled North Stars when he became a little older. Practice went late, especially in Festival times such as in 1962, up to 2:00 and 3:00 in the morning. He remembers getting up early in the morning at 4:00 to the sounds of pan still coming through his window - obviously practice had gone through the night! North Stars was less than a half mile from his house, just across the river, and for Martin Douglas, that was where it all started.
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