In
Elliott Mannette’s case, one man’s noise ended up as one of
the world’s treasures. He took his love of music and made it an
important contribution to the arts. Born in Trinidad, Mannette created
music using a 55-gallon steel container. Mannette, the principal innovator
and designer of the modern steel drum, is known as the "pan pioneer"
and "father of the modern steel drum instrument."
He is also a well-known player of the steel
drum and has been a member of several musical groups. With dreams of sharing
his knowledge of steel drums, Mannette left Trinidad for the United States
in 1967 and began working with New York City’s inner-city youth.
Along the way, he encountered a music teacher and was soon exposed to
information that eventually helped him improve and learn more about his
instrument.
Mannette is an artist-in-residence at West
Virginia University’s (WVU) College of Creative Arts. For more than
10 years, he has worked with students on tuning, construction and other
aspects of the steel drum.
Elliott "Ellie" Mannette
His initial affiliation with the university led to the establishment
of Mannette Steel Drums, one of the largest producers of steel drums in the
world.
Mannette can be credited for spreading steel drum mania. Today,
there are steel band programs in New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas
and Washington.
"The more you are
criticized, the more
determined you should be to accomplish."
For his contributions to the musical world,
Mannette has received a National Heritage Fellowship Award from the National
Endowment of the Arts, the Trinidad and Tobago Chaconia Silver Medal from
the Minister of Culture, and an honorary doctorate from the University of
the West Indies.
Mannette is establishing the Mannette Foundation
to help preserve, promote, research and document the legacy he helped create.
The steel drum instrument truly has a global impact and the foundation’s
initiatives will include a virtual and actual museum, scholarships and cultural,
economic and educational exchange programs between WVU, West Virginia and
Trinidad students.
Like many people pursuing their dreams, Mannette
encountered hardships along the way. However, he did not allow these to deter
him. Today’s generation should believe the same: "The more you
are criticized, the more determined you should be to accomplish."
