Steel Band

Drumming was forbidden at Carnival processions in Trinidad in 1884, in an effort by the English rulers to limit the African cultural influence. From this attempt at suppression, Tamboo-bamboo bands emerged. The percussionists in these bands used lengths of bamboo, supplemented by any available metallic implement (pots and pans, garbage cans, automobile parts). In 1937, Alexander's Ragtime Band, an all-steel band, was formed. In the 1940s steel, pitched oil drums or cans were developed, which evolved into a large number of instruments in each band. In 1950 the formation of the Steel Band Association and in 1951 the tour of the Trinidad All-Steel Percussion Orchestra to England established the steelband as a global phenomena.