Mitchum Cunningham
On September 12th 2026 Pamberi bade farewell to one of the main architects of the Pamberi Brand. Musicianship has always been a key component of that brand, and Mitchum Cunningham is someone who played a key, foundational role in the establishment of Pamberi’s musical template.
A Bright Young Man
At the beginning of the Pamberi Story, Mitchum was in his early twenties, a San Juan South Secondary graduate with a full GCE School Certificate; personable, ambitious and multitalented. At that time (in the 1980s) Mitchum could be forgiven for believing that the world was his oyster, fully anticipating that his talents would lead to success in a pathway of his choosing. However the call of music was insistent.
In the yard of his Irving Street home in Petit Bourg, San Juan, a gig steelband-ensemble was born. An offshoot of the legendary San Juan All Stars, Marsicans was comprised of some of the young San Juan All Stars crackshots, (including Earl Brooks Snr. and his elder brother Mikey) whom Rudolph Charles had recruited to embellish Desperadoes’ Panorama efforts.
The Beginning of the Pamberi Story
When Pamberi was formed in 1980 there was no prior history to suggest anything special, but in ten short years, Pamberi the “Small Band From the Croisée” immortalized in Godwin Bowen’s ‘Raising Dust’ had graced the stage of the Panorama Grand Finals on five (5) occasions; broken into the Panorama Big 5; placed first in a semi-final round of the Steelband Music Festival with a Pat Bishop-adaptation of Aaron Copeland’s ‘Billy the Kidd;’ embarked on its first international tour; released its first steelband recording, and hosted a full length, sold-out production Pamberi Chimurenga at Queen’s Hall in collaboration with Astor Johnson, Andre Largen, Pat Bishop and Dawn Batson.
Pamberi’s Focus on Music Literacy
By the end of its first decade, the Pamberi brand was well established and a reputation for musicianship had become an essential feature of that brand. Mitchum Cunningham spearheaded Pamberi’s journey to music literacy. For Pamberi’s five (5) journeys to the Panorama Grand Finals in the 1980s, the band’s arranger Godwin Bowen was engaged as a keyboardist at Sparrow’s Original Young Brigade and sent score sheets with the Panorama Music. Likewise, Pat Bishop sent her Billy the Kidd-adaptation score sheets for Pan is Beautiful.
To facilitate this new form of music transfer, Mitchum took the lead. Musically literate, he co-opted the Section Leaders, and through on-the-job-training made them musically literate and charged them with the responsibility to transfer scored music to their respective sections.
Building from the Ground Up
Those who only knew Mitchum in his later years could be forgiven for dismissing him as a mild-mannered elderly statesman. Pamberi’s early national impact—including a growing recognition for its musicianship—did not come from hiring ‘Crackshot’ players. Pamberi did not ‘hire’ talented panists; it ‘created’ them. They came from the school system: from San Juan Senior Comprehensive, St George’s College, from Barataria Junior Secondary and St Augustine Secondary, from Febeau Government Primary and San Juan Boys and Girls RC as well. They also came from the surrounding enclave San Juan communities: from San Juan Hill and the Santa Cruz Old Road; from Petit and Grand Curacaye; from La Canoa, Laventille Road, Febeau Village, Mataigual, Petit Bourg and Mt Hope.
Pamberi’s First Musical Director
Mitchum was a hard task master. You had to do wrist exercises with lengths of iron to strengthen your wrists, play with both precision and feeling, and work hard to master the music no matter how technical. Life has a ironic way of turning full circle. At 10 a.m. on Saturday September 12 - the same Pamberi Multi-Purpose Hall where Mitchum presided over, and personified the musicianship that propelled Pamberi to the Panorama Big 5 and Steelband Music Festival achievement - that same Multi-purpose Hall was the place where Pamberi bore witness to Mitchum’s last rites and bade farewell to one of its template builders.
Passing the Torch
While most of the present-day Pamberi membership might be too young to have experienced Mitchum in his time as Pamberi’s Musical Director, the likes of Robert Bailey, Pat Bishop, Dawn Batson, Godwin Bowen, Othello Mollineaux and “Boogsie” Sharpe trusted him implicitly with their music. Additionally, Pamberi’s present Musical Director, Brian Villafana, served his apprenticeship and was mentored by Mitchum, and in this regard Pamberi’s reputation for musicianship has extended beyond Mitchum’s tenure at the helm.
Pan Trinbago Contribution
In addition to his exemplary service as Pamberi’s Musical Director, Mitchum Cunningham also served as Chairman of the Eastern Region of Pan Trinbago while still in his early twenties. He was a vital component of the youthful membership of Arnim Smith’s 1980s Pan Trinbago administration that introduced the Pan is Beautiful steelband music festivals, the School Steelband Music Festival, Champs in Concert, and saw Pan Trinbago’s transformation into an viable year-round organization.
Personal Sacrifice
If Mitchum had a fault, it is that he was an uncompromising perfectionist. He invested a lot of his time and energy into establishing a career as a pan tuner. But perhaps in that pursuit, his desire for perfection needed to be tempered with some practicality and pragmatism, to ensure that he could pay his bills, while at the same time accommodating his sound analytics and his music passions.
The development of the steelband industry, or more precisely its ‘underdevelopment,’ has made it very difficult for those desirous of mapping out full-time careers. For Mitchum, the career opportunities did not quite work out in the ways he had hoped; but the flip side of his passion and sacrifices, is the establishment of a tradition for excellence of which Pamberi, in particular, and the steelband movement in general, are the long-term and enduring beneficiaries.
Pamberi Says – Thank You!
Thank you, Mitch, for your passion and inspiration, and may your contribution never be forgotten, nor underappreciated.
Heartfelt thanks to Mitchum’s family and loved ones who shared him with us and in so doing helped Pamberi create ‘new history.’
Thank you to the pan tuning community, including Lenny Lera, Patrick “Belé” Worrell, and Leighroy Rivero, who mentored Mitchum and engaged his pan tuning passions.
Thank you to Marsicans, (including Earl Brooks Snr, and elder brother Mikey) who first excited Mitch’s early music passions.
Mitch, Pamberi will miss your panyard presence, your analytical observations, your honest, forthright assessments, your passion and your love.
Farewell Mitch - our friend, brother, mentor and elder statesman; Pamberi hereby pledges to make your legacy a proud and enduring one.
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