Honorees for 2010

MUSICAL DIRECTOR AND BANDLEADER OF THE INTERNATIONAL TRINIDAD TRIPOLI STEELBAND

Biographical information:
As the longest reigning steelband leader in world history, Mr. Borde began leading the Trinidad Tripili Steelband in 1951. He gave the art of steelband playing world creditability from its very modest beginning. Musicians from Trinidad would take a basic steel drum and pound it into a melodic instrument that played current musical tones of the culture. Mr. Borde took this cultural tradition and advanced it to an art of appreciation for all class of people from all over the world to enjoy when de devised local talent into his first twelve member band called Hells Kitchen in 1945. Hells Kitchen Steelband was the first organized sponsored steelband. The band was sponsored by Mr. George Whitehead, a successful business man and owner of the Robinson Crusoe Rum Company.
In 1951, Mr. Borde was appointed the new leader by the originator of the Trinidad Tripoli Steelband, Mr. Joseph Crick, also known as The Admiral.
In 1962, Hugh Borde was appointed on a committee to prevent steelband rioting among themselves. Mr. Borde was appointed by the Right Honorable Prime Minister, Dr. Eric Williams. This appointment resulted in the formation of the National Steelband of Trinidad & Tobago and the historical reunion of all steelbands to “stop the rioting.” From this point Mr. Borde advanced the Tripoli Steelband into its first victory for the prime Ministers Trophy in 1964. Mr. Borde layed the leading tenor pan for the Trinidad Tripoli Steelband. Once again he made history by raising steelband music to an even higher level when he took the band on international tours to the United States in 1964. The band played in Canada, Jamaica and the Caribbean.
In 1964, the government of Trinidad arranged a band that consisted of all of the leading band players and organized the official first National Steelband. This famous band of forty four members toured with different members traveling to all parts of the world such as England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
In 1966 the National Steelband performed at the Royal Albert Hall in England with Queen Elizabeth attending the command performance and later, for Princess Margaret, on the Royal Yacth Britaineer. In the same year the Tripoli Steelband played for the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I, on his visit to Trinidad and Tobago.
Hugh is one of the first steelband musicians selected by Panmen themselves to adjudicate Panorama from 1976 to 2006.
In 1967, Mr. Hugh Borde lead the Tripoli Steelband at the Expo’67 in Montreal, Canada at the Trinidad and Tobago Pavillion. The band was the featured entertainment that was highlighted as the first steelband to perform and start at the now famous Toronto Caribana. For six months straight, there were over thirty-thousand people in attendance, giving standing ovations including the famous pianist, Liberace. It was at this time that Liberace decided that he absolutely wanted this featured act to be the opening band at his 1969 concert tour. Mr. Liberace introduced the band using these famous words: “I’ve never before had the thrill of introducing an entire group of people such as the one and only Trinidad Tripoli Steelband. This group is the first touring act I have seen to receive a ten minute standing ovation at every performance.” Due to the success of the 1969 tour, Liberace contracted the Trinidad Tripoli Steelband for another year.
The Trinidad Tripoli Steelband was the only steelband to appear on every major television show such as The Ed Sullivanj Show, The Mike Douglas Show, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The Merv Griffin Show, and The David Frost Show. Hugh Borde has lead performances at Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, Waldorf Astoria, The Hollywood Bowl, Las Vegas Hilton, Sahara, Caesars Palace, The flamingo hotel, The Golden Nugget Casino, Harrah’s in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, the Diplomatic Corp in Washington, D.C., The Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, and the Rockerfella Plaza in New York.
Mr. Hugh Borde is the only Trinidad Steelbands man to receive the Gold Medal of merit by a United States President, Ronald Reagan for his contribution in Steelband music – “The new artform of musical bands in the United States”.
Hugh also made appearances on the Easter Seal national Jerry Lewis Telethon in 1969, with such stars as Frank Sinatra, Dean martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Bob Hope, Smothers brothers, Barbara Streisand, The Jackson Five with Michael Jackson, and Dione Warwick. The band also released fourteen albums while touring the united States and Canada. In 1972, the band was nominated for a Grammy Award in the division of island Music.
In 1995, Hugh Borde was inducted into the hall of Fame at the Caribbean Sunshine Award in New York City. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame for five consecutive years by The Motown Metro Musical awards in Detroit, Michigan. He was also granted the Kentucky colonel Award in Steelband Music.
Mr. Hugh Borde is well known in the world of academia. He serves as a Lecturer in over seven hundred colleges and universities in the United States as well as performs concerts.