1968

EARL  RODNEY DATE OF BIRTH: 1939 PLACE OF BIRTH: Egypt Village, Point Fortin, Trinidad EDUCATION: ... STEELBANDS: Intruders (1948 - 1951) Tropical Harmony (1951 - 1965) #149;   National Steelband of Trinidad and Tobago (1962) Harmonites (1967 - 1970s) SPECIALTIES: Player Arranger Composer CAREER:                                  Rodney was exposed to pan at a very young age and began playing when he was four years old. Growing up in Egypt Village, he spent two years as a member of the Intruders Steelband, which was previously known as the Morning Stars Steelband. In 1951, he founded the Tropical Harmony Steelband with Allan Gervais and became a member of the National Steelband of Trinidad and Tobago in 1962. In the early 1960s, Rodney learned to read music and play the acoustic string bass, and worked with brass and jazz bands. He joined the Dutchy Brothers Orchestra in 1963 where he became a bassist/arranger. After three years with the Dutchy Brothers, during which time Tropical Harmony disbanded, Rodney joined the Harmonites Steelband in 1967 where he took over as arranger and led the band to Panorama titles in 1968, 1971, and 1972. In 1973, he composed "Friends and Countryman." While a member of the Mighty Sparrow's accompanists, The Troubadors, he arranged calypsoes for some of Sparrow's albums including "La Cha Cha Cha" (1968), "More Sparrow" (1969), and "One For The Road" (1976). The following is a summary of the Harmonites record in the Panorama competition with musical arrangements by Rodney: 1968 - "Wrecker" (Lord Kitchener), 1st 1969 - "Bongo" (Mighty Sparrow), 3rd 1971 - "Play Mas" (Lord Kitchener), 1st (Tied) 1972 - "St. Thomas Girl" (Lord Kitchener), 1st 1973 - "Steel and Brass" (King Wellington), 3rd AWARD: 2007 - Sunshine Awards Hall of Fame Compiled by Ronald C. Emrit