HAROLD HEADLEY
Pan Player, Arranger

   Harold Headley began playing the steelband at the age of four years.

   At the Steelband Music Festival of 1966, he won the Individual Championship playing Tchaikovsky's Russian Dance.

   Again in 1980 at the revised Music Festival 'Pan is Beautiful [Too]', his performance of Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu earned him the top spot when he won the Spree Simon award.

   Festival judge Nathan Davis paid tribute to Harold by mentioning that "...his touch was fantastic: he had the best touch".

   It was ironical that Allan Gervais, who tuned the pan with which he won, was the official tuner for Tripoli; the St James band of which Headley was a member.(?)

   Harold was associated with Klondyke Pan Sounds of Tunapuna in the 1980 Festival. With his brother; he has arranged Panorama selections for Exodus [and] Invaders; to name a few.

© 1997 Gideon Maxime: Pg 199; PAN THROUGH THE YEARS (1952 - 1996)


   (?) So what's the irony? I think it refers to the fact that the band Tripoli, who were in the 1966 festival semi-finals, did not make it to the finals themselves; but then, more likely it could be to do with pan tuning.
   Tuning was an issue at that festival. Blue Diamonds and Diamond Symphony of the North zone; then Our Boys of the Tobago zone; failed to make it to the quarter finals because of poor tuning. The adjudicator, Professor Russell, in his conclusions states "On the question of tuning, steelbands would now have to use tuning forks to acquire the correct playing pitch."
   Although not recorded, Tripoli may have lost-out for a number of reasons; one of which could have been due to faulty tuning. Allan Gervais was one of the best, and much sought after, tuners in the land at that time!(?)
   [Allan Gervais has since passed away; but the ledgend grows that he was one of the greatest, ever, pan tuners.]


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© 1998: tobagojo@gmail.com - 19980314 - 1m20071228 - 2m20140615
Historic Update: 04 December 1999; Last Update: 18 July 2014 21:00:00 TT
Processed by: Jeremy G de Barry


Compiled & Processed by Islands Research for:
The Steelbands (Pan) of Trinidad & Tobago
http://www.seetobago.org/trinidad/pan/panpeep/pp12.htm


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