“Who Is Copeland?”

sung by Mark “Oscar” Roberts
composed by Mark Roberts

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LYRICS

Verse 1

Professor Bertie, Professor Tony;
Struggle for recognition, from Babylonian system,
Crazy they are, completely.
Honoring you with Copeland,
Say he invent the G-Pan.
In the Pan world we all know,
You two are super heroes.
So brothers, I not rejoicing as man
Why, I hope you understand
Too much wickedness walking we land, yuh dig it?

Chorus

I know when you talking pan
These names will be first mention
Tony Williams - big contribution
These names you must understand,
Deserve big recognition
Bertie Marshall big contribution,
I could go on calling names
But that’s not really the aim
Come let we deal with the matter at hand
Enlighten me, brother man
Tell me, who is Copeland?

Verse 2

The fourths and fifth man Anthony Williams;
Thanks to your contribution,
We could now standardize pan
Bertie, thanks for harmony, put harmonics in the pan
Make it sound like an organ.
History every one should know
In the land of Trinbago,
So we could rewrite the curriculum
History of Pan number one.
Now yuh talking nationalism, yuh dig it?

Chorus 2

I know when you talking pan
These names will always mention
Ellie Mannette big contribution
These names you should understand
Deserve big recognition
Jules, Spree Simon big contribution
I could go on calling names
But that’s not really the aim
Come leh we deal with the matter at hand
Enlighten me brother man
Tell meh: who is Copeland?

Bridge

Who is Copeland, who is this man?
Is this Copeland an alien?
Who is Copeland, who is this man?
Did he just land, with the G-Pan?

Verse 3

Initial stages; such were the phrases
Vagabonds - no ambition, no worthy contribution,
Lazy menace to society
Now Pan have recognition
They jump on the bandwagon.
Jah Jah watching them I know,
They will reap just what they sow.
But behold - nothing new is being unfold
This happening since times of old,
For silver, some brothers sell dey soul, yuh dig it?

Chorus 3

We know when you talking Pan,
These names you have to mention:
Lincoln Noel big contribution,
These names you must understand,
Deserve big recognition, Emmanuel Riley big contribution
We could go on calling names,
But that’s not really the aim
Come leh we deal with the matter at hand
Who could tell me, brother man,
Copeland contribution?

Repeat Bridge

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“Who is Copeland?”
Mark “Oscar” Roberts

Provided with the expressed permission of the composer(s)

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Oscar - Mark Roberts
Mark “Oscar” Roberts

I am “Oscar” Mark Roberts from the twin island Republic of Trinidad & Tobago (Trinidad to be specific) W.I.

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I have loved music from my youth and that love intensified with adulthood. At the age of 12, during the Christmas celebrations when most kids my age would begging for toys like cars, trucks or guns I would always ask for a mouth-organ. This would be my request year after year. Somehow I had the ability to play any Christmas Carol I heard on the radio on my mouth-organ.

In 1975, myself and some other youths in our community of Laventille, east of Port-of-Spain, decided to form a Steelband. After the formation of the band Music Maker I somehow emerged as the arranger. I can’t recall the circumstances which lead to me being elected but if I had to make a guess, I would say it was because in 1970 - five years prior to the formation of our band, I had joined the legendary Desperadoes Steel Orchestra which is also situated in my community. This was the beginning of my musical journey. I started on the Guitar Pan and later in 1978 moved to the Double Tenor and that has been my instrument ever since.

My association with Desperadoes afforded me the opportunity to tour extensively. I have travelled to Cuba with the Caribbean Festival of Arts, Barbados, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom. In the USA I have played at Carnegie Hall, the Apollo Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Freedom Theatre, Yerba Buena Performing Arts Center, and Lincoln Center.

Under the leadership of the late great Rudolph Charles, and master arranger - the late “Sir” Clive Bradley, I was given an informal but extremely valuable music education - one which cannot be expressed in words. Because of this union I acquired a little knowledge of music theory. However since music is a living thing, every day is one of learning.

I started composing in 1991 but my first publication was in 2006. The composition was called Clive Gone to honor Clive Bradley’s memory; this was vocalized by Brache. In 2008 I published Celebrating Crawl sung by Chucky, honoring the memory of our legendary bass player Frank “Crawl” Findley. In 2010 I did a piece called Pow Pow Doi Doi (Bad Boy), putting my own vocals to the track. For 2012 I have composed this piece, Who Is Copeland, again vocalized by me.