Winston "Spree" Simon (1930 – 18 April 1976) was a
Trinidadian
Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The population of Trinidad is notably diverse, with approximately 35% Indo-Trinidadian, 34% ...
inventor
An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea, or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...
,
pioneer and
musician
A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...
of the
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 ...
.
Life
Simon was born in Laventille,
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...
. 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
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
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
Van Dyke Parks (born January 3, 1943) is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, arranger, record producer, singer, and former Warner Bros. Records executive whose work encompasses orchestral pop, elaborate recording experiments, Ame ...
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 Stuempfle, ''The Steelband Movement: The Forging of a National Art in Trinidad and Tobago'', Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1995
*
Cy Grant
Cyril Ewart Lionel Grant (8 November 1919 – 13 February 2010) was a Guyanese actor, musician, writer, poet and World War II veteran. In the 1950s, he became the first black person to be featured regularly on television in Britain, Gus Joh ...
, ''Ring of Steel: Pan Sound and Symbol'', Macmillan Caribbean, 1999,
See also
*
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 ...
*
Ellie Mannette
Notes
External links
* http://www.nalis.gov.tt/Biography/history_PanPioneers_WinstonSimonEllieMannette.htm
* Terry Joseph
"Remembering 'Spree' Simon" TriniSoca.com, 18 April 2001
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Winston
1930 births
1976 deaths
Steelpan musicians
Trinidad and Tobago musicians
Date of birth missing
Place of death missing