Mannette, born in Trinidad in 1927, is considered “the father of the modern steel drum.” He is the director of the Modern Tuning Project at West Virginia University, and an artist-in-residence. Mannette has worked for 75 years to develop and popularize the steel drum, creating seven of the ten instruments used in steel drum bands today.

Filmed: Charles Weber, John Wetmore, Marinna Guzy, Michael Headley, and Andrea Curran
Edited: Julia Narrow