1498-1797 Trinidad and Tobago under Spanish reign 1797 Trinidad becomes an English colony  Till 1838, West-Africans are taken as slaves to the island. In 1838 the slaves are released. During the spring time the French immigrants celebrated the Carnival. This is now adapted by the free slaves. They celebrate it with their original
mask-dances and the canboulays, “fights” with sticks. The kalinda-songs, the predecessors of the Calypso, lead to chaotic agitations. The disputes lead to the prohibition of the African drums. 1890-1900 the group uses an uniform look (West-African influence). This is the time of creation of the tamboo
-bamboo-bands, the answer of the prohibition of the drums. Complicated rhythms were played like in the spoon-and-bottle-bands. 1930 Singing is added. It is amplified by metal items, because volume is missing. Some bands use these metal items, only. 2nd world war The carnival is forbidden. However the waste of the oil industrie and the US-Navy lead to secret
experiments with the oil barrels in the poor quarters of Port of Spain. At the beginning the oil barrels are used as rhythm instruments. That is why the other name for Tenor is Ping-Pong (2 notes). Since 1940 you can talk about the first steelbands, which take over from the tamboo-bamboo-bands. The steelbands develop the tuning and produce pitch rhythm instruments. However the panmen suffer from lacking establishment. 1945 With the end of the war the carneval and the steelbands are allowed again. Rivalry of the bands leads
often to problems. 1950 The problems are solved. The best panmen of Trinidad are sent to England on tour. This success caused the acceptance and the proud of the Trinidadians of their instrument. | 
