Sterling Betancourt, European steelpan pioneer, dies aged 96

Sterling Betancourt, the MBE recipient and last surviving member of the Trinidad All-Steel Percussion Orchestra (Taspo) that introduced steelpan music to Europe, has died at the age of 96. His death on 3 June passed without widespread public notice, yet his legacy is woven into the fabric of European cultural life. Later this month, his final recorded melody will feature at the Steel Scenes festival at London’s Royal Festival Hall, marking the 75th anniversary of Taspo’s 1951 debut.

After wowing audiences at the Festival of Britain, Taspo undertook a residency in Paris, producing Europe’s first commercially released steelpan band recordings. While the rest of the group returned to Trinidad, Betancourt stayed, eventually touring extensively across the continent. "The Swiss were amazed by steelpan," his widow Beatrice said, noting that later on, half the members of his Nostalgia Steelband ended up being Swiss and German.

For Betancourt, the instrument was a tool for integration rather than division. He performed across Spain, France, Germany, Holland, Singapore and the Gulf states. "He loved playing pan all over Europe and believed in bringing people together, not pushing them apart," Beatrice said, explaining his dismay at Brexit, which he addressed in his 2018 recording "Brexit Bacchanal Story".

His arrival in Britain aboard a banana boat exposed him to a starkly different reality than the idealised capital he had imagined. "He recalled signs in windows stating ‘No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs’; and the teddy boys attacking Black people," Beatrice said. "But he never got bitter and, being a musician, he attracted a great deal of goodwill."

Initially struggling to interest the public, he had to learn jazz drumming to make a living before infiltrating the Soho jazz scene. He also fundamentally altered British public life by helping to establish the Notting Hill Carnival. Partnering with pianist Russell Henderson, he led a steelpan walkabout around Notting Hill in 1966, an event that laid the groundwork for the carnival's 60th anniversary this August.

His final contribution to European culture will be heard at the Royal Festival Hall event, which features 500 pan musicians. Festival producer Deborah Yewande Bankole commissioned Betancourt to write a melody line for young bands, a task he completed despite a major stroke in 2024. "Apparently he put his mallet to his pan and said, ‘one last time’, and played the melody line while a friend recorded it," Bankole said.

He spent decades building his own instruments from discarded oil drums found in industrial wastelands like the back of King’s Cross station. Yet the nonagenarian remained modest about his sweeping influence. "My role is not enormous but I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved," he told his wife, deflecting praise by noting: "Many people were involved."