00:00The sweet melodies of the steel pan echoed through Germany in 1963, courtesy of the Merrymakers
00:14Steel Orchestra.
00:16Though the band has since disbanded, its contributions remain firmly etched in the cultural history
00:22of our nation.
00:24One of the band's founding members, Herbert Herbie George, was honoured on Thursday night
00:30at Phase II Pan Groove.
00:32The Merrymakers were among the pioneering steel orchestras that introduced the national
00:37instrument to audiences around the world.
00:41His grandson, Cheyon Smith, spoke with TV6 about his grandfather's lasting legacy.
00:48After taking pan to Europe in the early 1960s, he and his teams spread pan throughout Europe.
00:57Post World War II, they were instrumental in being ambassadors of our culture.
01:03Herbie played a variety of instruments, including the double tenor, tenor pan, congas and percussion.
01:12His passion for the national instrument never wavered.
01:16So today, we are here at the Phase II Pan Groove with none other than the Dr. Len Bugsy-Sharp
01:23and the entire team to celebrate his contribution and the contribution that he and his colleagues,
01:30some famous stalwarts in pan, what they've done in Europe to develop the culture of Trinidad
01:37and Tobago globally, as they help create a launchpad for other musicians.
01:46It was important to Herbert George's family that the 87-year-old receive recognition while still alive.
01:54As I said to my family, the United States and other countries, they have stars on the boardwalk in Hollywood.
02:02But in Trinidad, we honor our heroes this way.
02:10Herbie was serenaded by multiple Panorama Champions' Phase II Pan Groove,
02:15featuring the legendary Len Bugsy-Sharp.
02:27Aksha Galstan, TV6 News.
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