The Esso Trinidad Steel Band was a

steel band 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 ...

from

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 ...

, active from 1942 to 1976.

History

The group began in 1942 as the Tripoli Steel Band, named after a lyric in the United States Marines' Hymn.Biography

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In 1951, the group came under the leadership of Hugh Borde, who directed the ensemble to greater technical skill and established them as contenders in local Carnival competitions. In 1964, the group won the Steel Band Music Festival. The following year, the petroleum corporation Esso began sponsoring the group, who renamed themselves the Esso Trinidad Steel Band. Under Esso's sponsorship, the group grew to 28 members and was outfitted with uniforms and new instruments, and in 1967 they appeared at the Montreal Expo. The band's performance at the Expo led to a record contract with ARC Sound, a label based in

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. Following this,

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picked them up, and

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produced a full-length album which was released in 1971. The album was nominated for a

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for Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording, but lost to

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago ...

.Grammy Awards 1972
Awardsandshows.com Soon after the release of the album, Esso cancelled its sponsorship, so the group rechristened itself the Trinidad Tripoli Steel Band, and under this name toured internationally with

Liberace Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer, and actor. A child prodigy born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish origin, he enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordi ...

.Lost and Found Sound: Liberace & the Trinidad Tripoli Steel Band

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, 2003. Parks recorded a one-hour documentary of the group's tour, and called them "the greatest group I've ever had the privilege to produce." Hugh Borde and his family moved to

Ypsilanti, Michigan Ypsilanti (), commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Township and on the west, south, an ...

in the United States in 1976, after which the Trinidadian group disbanded, but Borde's sons played under the name Trinidad Tripoli Steel Band in the United States, and released the albums ''Momentum'' in 1985 and ''Hot Like Fire'' in 1994.

References

{{reflist Trinidad and Tobago musical groups Steelbands Musical groups established in 1942 Musical groups disestablished in 1976 1942 establishments in the British Empire