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Laventille
Laventille is a suburb of Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago. It is administered by the San Juan–Laventille Regional Corporation. 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 northeast trade winds come to this part of the island of Trinidad before reaching any other part of colonial Port of Spain – hence the metaphorical name ''"La Ventaille"'' (''"The Vent"''). Geographically, it is the source of Orographic precipitation for the capital city. Arts and culture Laventille is the place where steel pan was born, and the birthplace of innovative world-renowned tuners such as Rudolph Charles and Bertie Marshall. As the heart of the steelpan world, this is where pioneer Winston "Spree" Simon lived and created one of the century's new acoustical musical instruments. Laventille is the original home to Desperadoes Steel Orch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Port Of Spain
Port of Spain ( ; Trinidadian and Tobagonian English, Trinidadian English: ''Port ah Spain'' ) is the capital and chief port of Trinidad and Tobago. With a municipal population of 49,867 (2017), an urban population of 81,142 and a transient daily population of 250,000, it is Trinidad and Tobago's third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, San Fernando. Port of Spain is located on the Gulf of Paria, on the northwest coast of the island of Trinidad and is part of East–West Corridor, a larger conurbation stretching from Chaguaramas, Trinidad, Chaguaramas in the west to Arima in the east with an estimated population of 600,000. The city serves primarily as a retail and administrative centre and it has been the capital of the island since 1757. It is also an important financial services centre for the Caribbean [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Desperadoes Steel Orchestra
The Desperadoes Steel Orchestra, also called Despers, are a steelband from Laventille in Trinidad, formed in 1945. Origins and evolution In Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 1943, some young men who lived in the Laventille community began calling their group the Morocco/Dead End Kids, after some of them had seen a movie entitled "The Desperadoes" at the Royal Cinema on Charlotte Street. The name Desperadoes Steelband first came out at Carnival in 1947.Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , pp. 96–97Dudley, Shannon (2007) ''Music From Behind the Bridge: Steelband Aesthetics and Politics in Trinidad and Tobago'', Oxford University Press, , p. 73 There were several rival steelbands at the time: Sun Valley, Hill Sixty, the Crusaders, and Destination Tokyo. In the early 1950s, Wilfred "Speaker" Harrison and Donald "Jit" Steadman began bringing out the Mas Band. Later, this took a professional focus that saw the band sign a sponsorship deal with Coca-Cola ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Destra Garcia
Destra Garcia (born 10 November 1978) is a Trinidadian soca musician, singer and songwriter. Among the most prolific soca artists in the world, she is often referred to as the Queen of Soca, the Queen of Bacchanal (Q.O.B.), or her stage alter ego, Lucy. Biography Childhood and early musical interests Destra Garcia was born in the east Port of Spain community of Desperlie Crescent, Laventille, on the island of Trinidad to guitarist Lloyd Augustin Garcia and Debra Garcia as the eldest of four siblings. Her paternal great-grandfather was from Venezuela, her maternal great-grandfather was from France and her maternal great-grandmother was from Spain. In addition to her father, Destra's beginnings in music stem from her late grandfather, Frankie Garcia, a local jazz musician. While attending Woodbrook Government Secondary school and St James Secondary School, she discovered her passion for singing. Destra went on to win her schools' Calypso Monarch title for five consecutive yea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rudolph Charles
Rudolph Charles (1 October 1938 – 29 March 1985) was a musician and instrument maker of the steelpan, but most notably, he was a pioneer and leader of the steelband movement in Trinidad and Tobago. 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, a ward of Trinidad, 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."Rudolph Charles - Twenty Five years Later, Stee ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leslie Stewart
Leslie Matthew Stewart (born 21 March 1961) is a retired Trinidadian boxer. A former world champion and two-time world title challenger, Stewart held the WBA light heavyweight title in 1987. Professional career Known as "Laventille Tiger", Stewart turned professional in 1982 and challenged for the vacant WBA Light Heavyweight Title in 1986, but was TKO'd by Marvin Johnson when the bout was stopped on cuts. In the rematch the following year, Stewart dominated Johnson, and Johnson's corner retired the fighter in the ninth round. Stewart lost the belt in his first defense to Virgil Hill. In 1988 he challenged WBC Light Heavyweight Title holder Donny Lalonde, but lost via TKO. In 1989 he took on WBO Light Heavyweight Title holder Michael Moorer, but again lost via TKO. He retired in 2000 after bouts of inactivity in the 1990s. Professional boxing record See also *List of light-heavyweight boxing champions This is a chronological list of world light heavyweight boxing champ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Travis Mulraine
Travis Mulraine (born 2 May 1977) is a Trinidadian football coach and former player. Early and personal life Born in Laventille, Mulraine attended Queen's Royal College. Club career Mulraine played as a midfielder for Joe Public, San Jose Earthquakes, D.C. United, W Connection, San Juan Jabloteh, Caledonia AIA and Fredericksburg Hotspur. In 2000 he was drafted by the San Jose Earthquakes in the first round of the 2000 Major League Soccer SuperDraft as the eighth overall pick. After being released by San Jose Earthquakes on 13 March 2001 he signed for D.C. United the next day. He was waived 14 days later in a pre-season roster reduction. In November 2001 he underwent a five-day trial with German club Union Berlin 1. Fußballclub Union Berlin e. V., commonly known as Union Berlin (), is a professional Football in Germany, German football club based in Berlin. The club's origins can be traced to 1906, when its predecessor FC Olympia Oberschöneweide was fo .... He initiall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bertie Marshall
Bertram Lloyd Marshall ORTT (6 February 1936 – 17 October 2012), known as Bertie Marshall, was a pioneer, musician and music instrument maker of the steelpan. Career Marshall was born in 1936, in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. As a child, he roamed the streets of John John and Success Village, Laventille. As a boy, he watched pioneering tuners at work and came into contact with Winston "Spree" Simon who created the multiple notes on the convex metal containers used for making pans. These encounters sparked his interest in the steelpan and began his secret association with pan and panmen. Marshall began playing openly after his mother died in 1954, but had tuned his first pan long before that. At the age of 14, he got an old ping pong from Tokyo Steelband and tried to retune it, using his harmonica. By 18, he began tuning pans, guided by other tuners such as Carl Greenidge. Marshall was dissatisfied with what he called ping pong's inferior tone. By 1956, Bertie Mar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sullivan Walker
Sullivan Walker (November 20, 1946 – February 20, 2012) was a Trinidad and Tobago actor who played numerous small and recurring roles on television shows from 1980 until 2005. Walker migrated to New York from Trinidad and Tobago in 1969 and became an actor, writer, director and teacher. Early life Walker was born in Laventille, Trinidad and Tobago, on November 20, 1946. He was raised in Broadway in the city of San Fernando. He initially began a career as a teacher at St. Paul's Anglican School in San Fernando. Professional work Walker acted in television shows, on ''The Cosby Show'' from 1988 to 1991 portraying Cliff Huxtable's physician friend, Dr. James Harmon. He guest-starred in episodes of '' The Pretender'' (1999), '' The Sentinel'' (1997), and '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (2004). He also played a bit part in several movies, including ''Crocodile Dundee'' (1986). His most significant role was in the 1994–95 show '' Earth 2'', where he appeared in nearly e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trinidad And Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller islets. The capital city is Port of Spain, while its largest and most populous municipality is Chaguanas. Despite its proximity to South America, Trinidad and Tobago is generally considered to be part of the Caribbean. Trinidad and Tobago is located northeast off the coast of Venezuela, south of Grenada, and 288 kilometres (155 nautical miles) southwest of Barbados. Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples inhabited Trinidad for centuries prior to Spanish Empire, Spanish colonization, following the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1498. Spanish governor José María Chacón surrendered the island to a British fleet under Sir Ralph Abercromby's command in 1797. Trinidad and Tobago were ceded to Britain in 1802 under t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steel Pan
The steelpan (also known as a pan or steel drum) is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago from Afro-Trinidadians. Steelpan musicians are called pannists. In 1992, the steelpan was declared Trinidad and Tobago’s national instrument by Prime Minister Patrick Manning. This helped turn the steelpan into a source of national pride and cultural identity, recognized both locally and internationally. In 2023, the United Nations General Assembly declared August 11 as World Steelpan Day. The following year, the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago officially recognised the steelpan as the country's national instrument. Description The modern pan is a chromatically pitched percussion instrument made from 200-litre industrial drums. ''Drum'' refers to the steel drum containers from which the pans are made; the steel drum is more correctly called a ''steel pan'' or ''pan'' as it falls into the idiophone family of instruments, and so is not a drum (which is a membranop ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Winston Simon
Winston "Spree" Simon (1930 – 18 April 1976) was a Trinidadian inventor, pioneer and musician of the steelpan. Life Simon was born in Laventille, Trinidad. He is credited with the invention of the ''Ping Pong'' steelpan instrument. Simon also was part of TASPO, the ''Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra'' and visited Great Britain in 1951. Winston "Spree" Simon worked closely with Anthony Williams, who later invented the fourth and fifth soprano pan. Simon also gave Bertie Marshall significant impulses for his work in developing harmonical tuning. The American musician and composer Van Dyke Parks celebrated the life of Winston Simon in the song "Tribute to Spree" on his album '' Clang of the Yankee Reaper'' written and first recorded by the late great Lord Kitchener. Simon is said to have invented the 8-note ping pong in 1943 and the 14-note ping pong in 1946. Further reading * Felix I. R. Blake, ''The Trinidad and Tobago Steel Pan. History and Evolution''. * Stephen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brother Resistance
Lutalo Masimba (24 October 1954 – 13 July 2021), born Roy Lewis and known professionally as Brother Resistance, was a rhythm poet and musician from Trinidad and Tobago. He died on 13 July 2021, after being diagnosed with cancer. Background and career Born in 1954 as Roy Lewis in East Dry River, Laventille, Trinidad and Tobago, he began writing poetry in primary school, and went on to study at Queen's Royal College. He was influenced by Trinidad's 1970 Black Power movement to become conscious of his African identity, and he would eventually change his name to Lutalo Masimba in 1982, in order to better reflect his heritage. He assumed the soubriquet "Brother Resistance" when he began performing and chanting his poetry at school. He went on to further studies at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, graduating with a B.Sc. degree in Social Sciences with History in 1980. Brother Resistance became, together with Brother Shortman, the lead singer of the Network Riddi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
