From oil drums to the UK stage: Sterling Betancourt and the steelpan revolution

Sterling Betancourt, a Trinidadian steelpan pioneer, helped bring pan to the UK with the 1951 Taspo performance at the Festival of Britain, then stayed in London to build pans from discarded oil drums, teach the instrument across Britain and Europe, and contribute to the Notting Hill Carnival’s origins with Russell Henderson; he later toured, recorded across jazz, pop and reggae, and even released a Brexit-themed piece in 2018. After a stroke in 2024 he still contributed to Southbank Centre’s Steel Scenes for Taspo’s 75th anniversary before his death on June 3 at 96, leaving a legacy as a humble innovator who transformed British music.