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‘Culture’

sung by Roger George
composed by Raf Robertson

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“Culture”
Roger George
Provided with the expressed permission of the composer(s)

click here for lead sheet

LYRICS

Verse 1

Have you ever wonder, of a carnival, Without a steelband
No Panorama, no Sharpe,
Or no Ray Holman.
People stand up speechless
By de savannah - dey cyar understand
No steelband to play in Panorama.

Chorus

Yuh see Pan is carnival, de only bacchanal
When yuh up de barber-green
It’s such a crazy scene
Steelband come from all about
East, west, north and south
Dat’s we culture, Trini culture
The Trinidad steel orchestra.

Verse 2

Never miss de water, ’til de well run dry -
Ah hear people say;
Never thought I’ll see, de day, when I -
Cyar hear no more Pan
To reject dey culture, must be Trini thing
But hear what I say
De steelband in Trinidad is de king!

Chorus

Yuh see Pan is carnival
Is de only bacchanal
When yuh up de barber-green
It’s such a crazy scene...
Rhythm go capture your soul
And take full control
Dat’s we culture, Trini culture
The Trinidad steel orchestra.

Verse 3

Trinidad is de Mecca, is de home of Pan
An’ great steelband man
Wonder of the world;
Ah mean we make music
With rubber an’ stick.
Steelband ketchin’ horrors
Every year dey say,
Dey cyar see dey way
But carnival time, dey come out to play!

Chorus

Yuh see Pan is carnival, de only bacchanal
Man when yuh up de barber-green,
It’s such a crazy scene
Steelband come from all about
East, west, north and south
Dat’s we culture, Trini culture
The Trinidad steel orchestra.

(REPEAT Chorus)

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Raf Robertson

Raf’s musical career began in the late 1960s, while he was still attending St. Benedict’s College in Trinidad in the era of combos playing dance music. After studies in England and the U.S., Raf resumed his career as a professional musician with tours in Europe and North Africa. Following his return to the Caribbean in the early 1980s, he participated in workshops throughout the region, lecturing on developing calypso jazz and the potential of the steelpan.

Raf toured Europe, Africa and the Caribbean for several years with pop star Eddy Grant and performed at the St. Lucia Jazz Festival and with other well-known artistes such as Ralph MacDonald, Branford Marsalis, Grover Washington, and Roy Haynes.

He has arranged music for steelbands and judged steelband and calypso contests in Trinidad, Barbados, and New York. In late 2000 Raf moved to the Washington, D.C. area, where he came to work as Musical Director for the PG County Community College Metropolitan Ebony Theatre’s musical, “Once On This Island.” Raf and his band were featured in the Washington, D.C. area at Calypso Jazz concerts organized by the Embassy of Trinidad and Tobago and by the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Washington, D.C.

Since 2006 Raf has been residing in Trinidad and Tobago where he has been involved in a number of projects, along with continued arrangement and production of his own work. He currently leads a music program for children in the Point Fortin area and also conducts a Saturday pan class for youth called the Birdsong Academy, an offshoot of Birdsong Steel Orchestra. He is also involved in the production of Return of the Hat, a docu-drama based on the life and times of the late, great calypsonian, Lord Kitchener. Culture, vocalized by Roger George can be found on Raf’s latest CD, Majesty.

Roger George

When we talk about high energy, vibrant, soft-spoken, breathtaking, and polite you can put Roger’s name in the same sentence. Roger has been singing for over 17 years. Even as a young singer Roger displayed tremendous potential and talent, which manifested itself in the early coronations as “The Junior Calypso Monarch,” in 1988, 1990, and 1991 respectively. Forward to 1994, Roger decides to spread his wings; taking up residence in California, he worked with bands like Upstream and Steel Pulse.

Upon the request of long-time friend and mentor, the legendary Carl Jacobs, in 1995 Roger moves to Miami becoming lead singer of Jacobs’ band “Islander.” He goes on to release a string of songs, and in 1998 returns to Trinidad & Tobago with the release of his hit “Take it out.”

Roger joined the band, XTATIK for Carnival 2000 and was one of the major front line singers. In 2002 he scored a hit single, “Mo Luv” with the band.

Roger also went on to hold the title of 2002 Pan Calypso Monarch, when he performed his hit song “Good News” which Exodus Steel Orchestra chose as their 2002 tune of choice for the Panorama. After 2002 Carnival he became a featured front line member of Jamaica’s Bryon Lee and the Dragonaires. Roger’s future is very bright, and he looks forward to his voice leading him around the world not only in the Soca industry, but also in R&B, Jazz and Gospel music.