Elliott Mannette

2006 Honoree

In Elliott Mannette’s case, one man’s noise ended up as one of the world’s treasures. He took his love of music and made it an important contribution to the arts. Born in Trinidad, Mannette created music using a 55-gallon steel container. Mannette, the principal innovator and designer of the modern steel drum, is known as the "pan pioneer" and "father of the modern steel drum instrument."

He is also a well-known player of the steel drum and has been a member of several musical groups. With dreams of sharing his knowledge of steel drums, Mannette left Trinidad for the United States in 1967 and began working with New York City’s inner-city youth. Along the way, he encountered a music teacher and was soon exposed to information that eventually helped him improve and learn more about his instrument.

Mannette is an artist-in-residence at West Virginia University’s (WVU) College of Creative Arts. For more than 10 years, he has worked with students on tuning, construction and other aspects of the steel drum.

His initial affiliation with the university led to the establishment of Mannette Steel Drums, one of the largest producers of steel drums in the world.

Mannette can be credited for spreading steel drum mania. Today, there are steel band programs in New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas and Washington.

For his contributions to the musical world, Mannette has received a National Heritage Fellowship Award from the National Endowment of the Arts, the Trinidad and Tobago Chaconia Silver Medal from the Minister of Culture, and an honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies.

Mannette is establishing the Mannette Foundation to help preserve, promote, research and document the legacy he helped create. The steel drum instrument truly has a global impact and the foundation’s initiatives will include a virtual and actual museum, scholarships and cultural, economic and educational exchange programs between WVU, West Virginia and Trinidad students.

Like many people pursuing their dreams, Mannette encountered hardships along the way. However, he did not allow these to deter him. Today’s generation should believe the same: "The more you are criticized, the more determined you should be to accomplish."