Thank You to All Our
Friends & Supporters!
Wishing Everyone :
Very Merry Xmas
& a Blessed, Safe, Prosperous and Musical
2026!
UKSPG - Forged in Sound, Steel and Skill!
Forged in sound, in steel, in skill,
On November’s fourth, two thousand seven,
Craftsmen gathered with shared will,
Hands shaped by earth, hearts tuned to heaven.
Not for profit, yet rich in aim,
A brotherhood, a guiding light,
To guard the craft, uphold its name,
Support each home, each family’s fight.
On twelfth December, two thousand ten,
The Guild stood firm, made whole, complete,
A covenant of tuned amen,
Where labour, learning, care would meet.
A forum born for practice shared,
For wisdom passed from hand to hand,
For teaching minds, for skills prepared,
For futures tuned across the land.
From health and safety, strong and sure,
To research, progress, bold and new,
From large commissions, worked as one,
To raw materials wisely used.
A union voice, a listening ear,
A shelter when the road is steep,
A place where every note is heard,
Where members speak and all may keep.
For music stands between the worlds,
As Beethoven so truly knew—
A power greater than its source,
A force both spiritual and true.
So too the pan, in fire born,
Now rings across both near and far,
As Guild members, globally sworn,
Tune instruments that travel stars.
They seed new bands where none had been,
In virgin lands, new rhythms rise,
Expanding culture, hope unseen,
Steel voices claiming open skies.
With leadership both firm and fair:
Chairman Robbie Joseph’s hand,
Vice Chair Toussaint Clarke stands there,
Guiding vision, strong and planned.
Secretary Cordelia “Dene” Johnney,
Keeps the pulse, the words, the way,
While Treasurer Aubrey Bryan guards
The roots that let the Guild hold sway.
The UKSPTG moves ahead,
To promote, develop, innovate,
A living craft, a future fed,
By tuned devotion, sound and faith.
In every note, in every pan,
The Guild’s true mission rings out clear—
Steel shaped by heart, by mind, by hand,
For generations yet to hear.
The late Frank Rollock - 1939 - 2020 - A true Steelband Icon.
In 1956, at the age of seventeen, this UK steelband icon and his brother Roy founded their own orchestra called Modernaires steelband. His brother, Roy aka Boo played in the famous Trinidad All Stars whom he greatly admired. In 1958, Roy migrated to the UK. Frank followed in 1959 and brought some pans with him and in February 1960, Roy, Frank and some friends took to the streets of Brixton to celebrate Carnival. Their actions were noted as the first time pan was played in Brixton Road and the initiation of the Brixton Carnival. In the late sixties, he played the sax with the Tony Morgan Road Show and the bass guitar with Rudy Jones and the Ambassadors, they toured Germany and played at most of the clubs in the West End.
He started teaching pan music in 1974 at the Kingsdale Secondary school which is now one of the many South London schools who have benefited from his musical talents. In conjunction with Audrey Dennett, the head of music for ILEA at the time, he was able to form the first ILEA School Steel Orchestra. In the meantime, his seven talented children developed their musical skills on a variety of brass and reed instruments and the family band; The Royaltys enjoyed great success. In 1974, they formed London All Stars and he has directed the band through many successes, including the UK’s first National Steel Band Festival Championship held at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1985.
He has made untold contributions to the advancement of the Steel Band Movement in the UK. He co-founded the Steel Bands Association of Great Britain (SAGB) and the London Brotherhood of Steel (LBS) and held office in both organisations with unselfish distinction. Along with Randolph Baptiste (deceased) they formed the Pan Players Academy. In 1981, he founded the Brixton Arts Culture and Carnival Committee giving the wider community the opportunity to learn musical instruments and share in the Carnival heritage. He also conducted the first combinations of steel and voice and contemporary dance with Alma Henry staged in Britain. He was approached by Claire Holder to form the UK National Steel Orchestra with the assistance of Randolph 'Bull Bull' Baptiste which performed in Buckingham Palace for the Queen’ Elizabeth 11 Golden Jubilee in 2002. He is a founder member of the UK Steelpan Tuners Guild and the British Association of Steelbands.
It is with great sadness that the UK Steelpan Tuners Guild, the British Association of Steelbands and the global Steelband family offers their sincere condolences on the passing of Mr Frank ‘Mr Carnival’ Rollock on the 20th April 2020. May he Rest in Eternal Peace!
Premier steel-pan tuner hits the right notes ahead of Cariwest Festival in Edmonton
Edmonton's premier steel-pan orchestra has flown in the best of the best to take care of their instruments ahead of the Cariwest festival this weekend.
The TrinCan Steel Orchestra sought out Augustus Peters, a renowned steel-pan maker and tuner, to ensure their instruments make sweet Caribbean music during the 35th annual festival.
"We're right down to the wire to make sure those pans are absolutely crisp for Saturday's performance," said Taneya Rogers, a performer with the band.
Peters hopped a plane from Japan to Edmonton to be here in the days leading up to Cariwest.
His art is subtle, and requires years of experience to ensure each note rings true.
"It's always a learning experience because they have so many different styles of pans and approaches to making it," said Peters, comparing his job to that of a tuning peg on a guitar."Unfortunately, unlike a guitar, the steel pan doesn't have that adjuster, so that's me."
Peters has been honing his craft for nearly two decades, and travels to several countries each year tuning steel pans.
Steel pans, or drums, originated on the island of Trinidad in the 1930s. They're made from oil drums with a special concave top. Different notes are delicately hammered into the curved surface to create harmonious musical tones.
"Basically, I adjust the pitch and preserve the precise pitch of the instrument," said Peters Thursday on CBC Radio's Radio Active.
Ensuring a good start
The Cariwest Festival is one of Edmonton's liveliest annual festivals.
It showcases Caribbean culture, recreating the original Carnival festival held in Trinidad and Tobago each year.
The steel-pan is a symbolic element of Carnival, and Rogers wants to ensure her band sets the tone for the festival parade on Saturday.
"We lead the parade, so we're the very first truck that you're going to see," she said.
"Trinidadians are described as the happiest people on the planet. Carnival is the happiest event on the planet and that's what we want to recreate."
The Cariwest festival runs Aug. 9-11 at the Federal Plaza Building near the Alberta Legislature grounds. People attending can listen to live music, try Caribbean food and dance at the Caribbean Village.
By ca.news.yahoo.com