Lennox "Boogsie" Sharpe (born 28 October 1953 in

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 dail ...

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 i ...

) is a successful and popular composer and arranger of

steelpan The steelpan (also known as a pan or steel drum) is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago from Afro–Trinidadians and Tobagonians, Afro-Trinidadians. Steelpan musicians are called pannists. In 1992, the steelpan was declared ...

music.

Biography

Sharpe began his career with Starlift steelband, where he worked as a co-arranger with

Ray Holman Raymond Anthony Holman (born 1944) is a musician, composer, pannist and performer from Trinidad and Tobago. Biography In 1957, Ray Holman began playing steelpan at the age of 13 with the Invaders Steel Orchestra, led by Ellie Mannette, for who ...

. He is most strongly associated with the

Phase II Pan Groove Phase II Pan Groove is a steel orchestra from 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, ...

Steel Orchestra, a band he has taken to several finals of the

Panorama A panorama (formed from Greek language, Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any Obtuse angle, wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography (panoramic photography), film, seismic image ...

steelband competition, as well as winning the first place in 1987 and 1988. Sharpe does not teach steelpan privately one-on-one; instead, he teaches it publicly at the panyard. Sharpe started to play steelpan when he was just four years old. He used to play with

the Invaders ''The Invaders'' is an American science fiction television series created by Larry Cohen that aired on ABC for two seasons, from 1967 to 1968. Roy Thinnes stars as David Vincent, who after stumbling across evidence of an in-progress invasi ...

, then he went to Starlift, the steelband with which

was taking the revolutionary step of composing music specifically for the instrument. Sharpe wanted to continue what Ray Holman had started by starting his own steelband in 1972. In 2020, the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 18 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...

awarded Sharpe an

Honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

for steelpan composition, arrangement, and performance. Sharpe was married to the very talented Janet Hoating, an accomplished pianist who attended the St. Bartholomew's Music School under the tutorship of the late Amy Bartholomew.

References

External links

* * Chester Sambrano
"Boogsie, pan prodigy"
''

Trinidad & Tobago Guardian The ''Trinidad and Tobago Guardian'' (together with the ''Sunday Guardian'') is the oldest daily newspaper in Trinidad and Tobago. The paper is considered the newspaper of record for Trinidad and Tobago. The slogan of the paper is ''The Guardia ...

'', 29 August 2019. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sharpe, Lennox Steelpan musicians Trinidad and Tobago musicians 1953 births Living people People from Port of Spain