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Episode details

World Service,1 min

From street gangs to steel-pan orchestras

The Forum

Available for over a year

Dr Kim Johnson charts the evolution of steel-pan music in Trinidad. When teenage street gangs began knocking on hub caps, pan lids and steel drums in the 1930 and 40s, their battles became musical rather than physical. It was a rivalry that resulted in a new kind of music, now celebrated around the world. Photo: Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra (1951 BBC)

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