Clyde [Lightning] George
New instruments, Trinidad and Tobago

About the participant

TT, Diego Martin

Clyde Lightning George is a virtuoso steelpan player born in the birthplace of steelpan, Laventille, Trinidad. His high caliber of musicianship and his vast repertoire of music shows how deep his passion for music runs. Clyde George received his sobriquet “Lightning” because of his ability to quickly learn tunes. His teacher and inventor of the double tenor steel pan, Bertie Marshall, gave him this name. As a youngster, Lightning‘s love of music was seen. At 7 years old, he made his first instrument. He took the basic pan making techniques to a smaller scale and along with his Mother’s discarded tin food cans he created a full scale of 12 notes to find tunes on. In his teens he began playing music, arranging music and making pans at the panyards. His fascination with how far this instrument could go was born. Hearing Lightning on his double tenor pans, fine tuned like a Stradivarian violin, by Bertie Marshall, makes for a memorable music experience Lightning has performed with the finest of musicians in both the jazz and calypso world. Whether you hear him in Port of Spain, Chicago, Amsterdam, or St Louis and whether he is performing as a soloist, trio, sextet or with a 15 piece band you are guaranteed to love the sweet sounds of his pans displayed with skillful musicianship. PERFORMANCES: Pan Jazz, Queen’s Hall, Trinidad: Geneva Lake Cruise Lines; Columbia Yacht Club; Hammond Yacht Club; Ancilla College; Trinidad Hilton; Four Seasons, Jamaica’ International Jazz Festival at Sea’ Internation Festival of Live; City of Chicago Summer Concert Series; Taste of Chicago; Chicago Bulls; weddings; Andy’s Jazz Club; Chamber’s Restaurant’ Fitzgeralds’ Chicago Cultural Center; Apple Vacations; American Airlines; ABC; Oprah Winfrey; Chicago Mayor’s Office; St. Louis Caribbean Festival. FILM & TV: “Calypso Dreams”; “the Bertie Marshall Story”; “The Boy who loved Christmas”; “Someone you should know”; TRBTV, The Kathy Watson Show. COMMERCIALS: Amoco, Chilis, Space Travel, Budweiser, Coors. RECORDINGS: “Lightning Strikes the Heartland” 2001; “Steelin the Night”, 2004: “Tribute to the Masters”, 2005; “Brian in the Tropics”, 2003; “Brown Around”, 2004; “A Tropical Christmas” 2001. Reference Performances: Geneva Lake Cruise Lines, Columbia Yacht Club, Hammond Yacht club, Ancilla College, Trinidad Hilton, Four Seasons, Jamaica, 8th International Jazz Festival at Sea, International Festival of Life, City of Chicago Summer Concert Series, Taste of Chicago, Chicago Bulls, weddings (references on request), Andy’s Jazz Club, Chambers Restaurant, Fitzgerald’s, Chicago Cultural Center, Apple Vacations, American Airlines, ABC news, Oprah Winfrey, Chicago Mayor’s Office, Kalamazoo Island Festival… Press remarks: “Calypso and Jazz are an unusual blend in this talented combo” Dave Hoekstra, Chicago SunTimes, “unleashing their magic on the audience” Michelle Loubon, Trinidad Express “The Sweet sound of a Marshall Pan played by a master panman” Terry Joseph , Trinidad Express “Steel Drummer extraordinaire” Owen Lawson, Chicago Defender Renowned musicians performed with include: Willie Pickens, George Bean, Clive Zanda Alexander, Len Boogsie Sharpe, Michael and David Boothman, Ray Holman, Clark Terry, John Bany, Sean Thomas, Red Holloway, Warren Smith, Ira Sullivan, J.D. Parran, Brian O'Hern, The Mighty Sparrow, Calypso Rose, Lord Superior, Impulse, Bomber, Von Freeman, Buddy Guy and many more…