Profiles: Heroes, Role Models and Pioneers of Trinidad and Tobago - by Nasser Khan

80 the first that introduced the soca beat, combining the rhythms of the calypso, soul and chutney. In the late 1980s, mixing soca and gospel he introduced a new style he called Jamoo. He continued recording into the late 1990’s, writing hits like Watch Out My Children, which focuses on the dangers of drug abuse. The song was recorded in ten languages and was adopted by the UN in an anti-cocaine campaign. He toured internationally with his band, the Love Circle, which consisted mainly of family members. WINSTON ‘SPREE’ SIMON (1930-1976) F rom John John in Laventille, Winston Simon is one of the earliest persons to contribute to the development of the steelpan and was the first to play simple tunes on the pan in public. At around the age of 15 he was already a popular youngster among the men in the John John band, Destination Tokyo, known for his skill at playing the steelpan. He then joined a band called “Johannesburg Fascinators” of Nelson Street, and emerged as one of the finest tuners. He was chiefly responsible for the layout and the pattern of the notes, especially in those early days, although the ‘convex’ style he introduced was later set ‘concave’ by Ellie Manette. Winston Simon continued his great work of developing the steelband and he remained a huge figure in the steelband world. His love for fêtes and spreeing led to his nickname “Spree.” In 1951 he was a member of the Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra, TASPO, which toured England. It was made up of the best steelband players in Trinidad at that time and was the first steelband to go on tour abroad. He was honoured by Lord Kitchener during Carnival 1975 with the calypso Tribute to Winston Spree, which became the road-march of that year. • 1974 Public Service of Merit Gold