Rudolph Charles (1 October 1938 – 29 March 1985) was a musician and instrument maker of the

steelpan The steelpan (also known as a pan, steel drum, and sometimes, collectively with other musicians, as a steelband or steel orchestra) is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago. Steelpan musicians are called pannists. Descriptio ...

, but most notably, he was a pioneer and leader of the steelband movement in

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

. Also known as Charlo, The Hammer and Trail, among other names, he led Desperadoes Steel Orchestra to 10 various victories from 1965 to 1985, including six Panoramas, two Classical Music Festivals, one Best Bomb and one Best Playing Steel Orchestra.

Background

Charles was born as fourth of nine children and grew up in

Laventille Laventille is a ward of Trinidad and Tobago. Etymology The name ''Laventille'' hearkens back to colonial times, especially when the French dominated the cultural traditions of the island. One etymological derivation of the name is because the no ...

, a ward of

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

, near the capital Port of Spain. He was one of the two well known and very popular Trinidadians who was born and grew up in Laventille the other is the Queen of Bacchanal

Destra Garcia Destra Garcia (born 10 November 1978) is a Trinidadian musician, singer and songwriter of soca music. She is also known by the mononym Destra. She is one of the most popular female soca artists in the world. Biography Childhood and early caree ...

."Rudolph Charles - Twenty Five years Later, Steelband Leader Still Exceptional"
''When Steel Talks''. He joined the

Desperadoes Steel Orchestra The Desperadoes Steel Orchestra, also called Despers, are a steelband from Laventille in Trinidad, formed in 1945. Origins and evolution A number of youths in the Laventille Road area began calling their group Morocco/Dead End Kids, before some ...

in 1958 and was their bandleader and tuner from 1961 until his death at the age 46 in 1985."Rudolph Valentino Charles"
MyPanyard. Charles invented several instruments for the steelband, including the ''Nine Bass'', the ''Rocket Pans'' or the ''Twelve Bass''. He also invited other pan tuners, such as Bertie Marshall, to collaborate with him. Rudolph Charles engaged himself strongly in the steelband movement. The boycott of the national

Panorama A panorama (formed from Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film, seismic images, or 3D modeling. The word was originally coined in ...

in 1979 was a result of Charles' fight for higher recognition of pannists. He died aged 46 on 29 March 1985, and his funeral took place on 4 April at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

Legacy

In 1986

David Rudder David Michael Rudder OCC (born 6 May 1953) is a Trinidadian calypsonian, known to be one of the most successful calypsonians of all time. He performed as lead singer for the brass band Charlie's Roots. Nine years later, Rudder stepped outside t ...

sang the composition "The Hammer" dedicated to Rudolph Charles. The Rudolph Charles Pan Innovation Award was founded to encourage emerging tuners, and is a part of the Trinidad and Tobago National Steelband Music Festival."Rudolph Valentino Charles – Steelpan Innovator"
Caribbean Icons. In 2005

paid tribute to Charles and her home town with a song entitled "Laventille (The Hammer Revisited)", a duet with Rudder. At UK Panorama 2013, Real Steel's winning calypso "Hammer Time" was dedicated to Rudolph Charles. In 2014, Rudolph Charles was posthumously awarded the

Chaconia Medal The Chaconia Medal is the second highest state decoration of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Established in 1969, the medal honours long and meritorious service to promote national welfare or community spirit. It is awarded in three classes: ...

(Silver) for his contribution to culture at the anniversary of Independence National Awards.

References

External links

* Dalton Narine
"30 years after his death...Rudolph Charles lives"
''Trinidad Guardian'', 29 March 2015. * * Dalton Narine

When Steel Talks... * Dalton Narine

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles, Rudolph Steelpan musicians 1938 births 1985 deaths Trinidad and Tobago musicians Recipients of the Chaconia Medal

Background

Legacy

Further reading

References

External links