Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4547-451X

Semester

Summer

Date of Graduation

2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MA

College

College of Creative Arts

Department

School of Music

Committee Chair

Katelyn Best

Committee Member

Michael Vercelli

Committee Member

Jake Sandridge

Abstract

Ellie Mannette, among others, was one of the first builders of the modern steel pan. Born and raised in Trinidad, Mannette started building steel pans at a young age. Eventually, he gained employment with the United States Naval Steel Band, which opened opportunities for him to grow in his field. Through these opportunities and connections, Mannette arrived in the United States permanently in 1967. In the later part of his life, he moved to Morgantown, West Virginia, where he continued building, teaching his building processes, and tuning steel pans. The study aims to serve as an aid for other scholars who are filling in similar gaps related to early steel pan builders. The primary method of research is grounded in ethnographic field work. Specifically, a vast majority of the information was gathered through interviews, video recordings, and photographs. This investigation sheds light on how cultural and locational factors influenced Ellie Mannette’s building processes and examines the development of those building processes. Cultural and locational factors influence a vast majority of topics similar to this one and understanding how those factors affect the development of history is an important element to focus on through this document. Broadly, this study examines pan-building processes within the United States through the lens of Ellie Mannette. More specifically, this research follows Mannette’s time from Trinidad to Morgantown, West Virginia, investigating the socio-cultural and environmental dynamics at play as he navigated building steel pans within a new cultural environment.

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