Pan Player, Arranger
1928 - 1993
One of the most talented of pannist was Philmore ‘Boots’ Davidson, one of the pannists who bridged the gap between the days of Tamboo Bamboo and the newly declared national instrument, the steelband.
‘Boots’ ran away from home at age 11 and attempts were made to dissuade him by sending him from [his home in the] North, to [the] South, in the village of Point Fortin.
‘Boots’ was a major influence in Casablanca in the early days. When he left Casablanca, he was able to persuade a number of youths to join him in his new band City Syncopators which was situated at the upper part of Quarry Street, East Dry River.
‘Boots’ made Syncopators into a potential force in the steelband world. The band lived up to its name; for its syncopation, in many a musical clash of steelbands, was the hallmark of the bands performances.
In 1951 at age 23, ‘Boots’ so called because of his large feet, went with the Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra (TASPO) to England.
Upon his [return to Trinidad]; for several [years] he worked timelessly with the steelband, but the stigma of the new national instrument at that time forced him into exile.
In 1956
(1) he went to England. It was perhaps a fitting climax to ‘Boots’ that his beloved Syncopators won the Steelband Music Festival of that year for the Best Peformance of a classical piece Poet and Peasant.While in England, ‘Boots’ taught pan in school and helped form the steelband Mangroove. ‘Boots’ was one of the first pannist to play 'Mozart' on pan. He was known as a gentle giant and [has] received worldwide recognition.
It was unfortunate that he died just a few days short of receiving an award [from] the National Trinidad Folk Act Institution [in recognition of] ...his life long service to the culture of Trinidad and Tobago and the steelband in particular.
Philmore ‘Boots’ Davidson a true pannist of yesterday.
© 1997 Gideon Maxime: Pg 192; PAN THROUGH THE YEARS (1952 - 1996)
(1) Gideon has a date 1966 in his text. I believe that this may be a typographic error and I have replaced the date with 1956; as Dr Blake has this reference as 1955. But the Syncopators did win the Margaret Russell Trophy for the Best Performance of a Classical Piece in 1966.
[This reference is a matter of research for these pages]
