In Trinidad, February 2004


HUGH   BORDE

DATE OF BIRTH: 1933
PLACE OF BIRTH: St. James, Port of Spain, Trinidad
EDUCATION: ...
STEELBANDS:
  • Hell's Kitchen
  • Harlem Nightingales
  • Five Graves to Cairo
  • Tripoli
  • Trinidad Tripoli (Michigan, USA)
  • SPECIALTIES:
  • Player
  • Arranger
  • CAREER:                                        Borde became the leader of the Tripoli Steelband in 1951 and, by the early 1960s, had guided the band to prominence. In 1962, he was selected to lead the T&T National Steelband at the Commonwealth Arts Festival in Great Britain. In 1967, Tripoli was selected to perform daily for three weeks at the Trinidad & Tobago and Grenada Pavilion at the World's Fair (Expo '67) in Montreal, Canada. While performing at Expo '67, Tripoli was recruited by the famous American pianist Liberace to accompany him on a two-year tour. The band later recorded the album "Liberace Presents the Trinidad Tripoli Steel Band" which won a U.S. Grammy Award in 1972. Tripoli toured with entertainer Sergio Franchi and played at Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, and the Hollywood Bowl. The band also performed alongside entertainers such as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Bob Hope, Della Reese, and Dionne Warwick, and appeared on U.S. television shows hosted by Ed Sullivan, Mike Douglas, and David Frost. In 1976, Borde migrated to Michigan, USA, where he formed a family steelband and continued to perform through the early 2000s.
    AWARDS:
    • 1971 - Trinidad & Tobago Humming Bird Medal Bronze (for Steelband Development)
    • Caribbean Sunshine Awards Hall of Fame
    • Motown Detroit Metro Music Awards Hall of Fame
    DIED: February 18, 2020
    Compiled by Ronald C. Emrit