Celebrating 40 Years

England, UK - Ebony’s historical journey began in a humble setting of a chilly autumn of 1969 in Acton, London by Cape James and Winston ‘P’ Joseph. Cape inherited the steel pans from The Relatives Steelband when John Justalyn, a founder of the band passed away.

A garden shed at Cape’s home became Ebony’s first panyard with its original members: Winston ‘P’ Joseph, Leeford Sylvester, Hugh and Wendell Hargreaves and Cape James. The band comprised of a single cello pan, a set of 4-pan bass, one tenor pan and a double tenor pan.

James proceeded to register the band as the Ebonites Steelband but soon discovered that the name had already been registered and with good intentions, registered the band, ‘Ebony Steelband’. And so the birth of Ebony Steelband had joined a family of Caribbean culture already establishing a place into British society.

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By David Kalloo