Wayne Hackett – Pan is my Life – Music is my Heart!
Hackett’s love for the steelpan started when his mom used to take him and his brother to the Trinidad and Tobago’s National Steelband Panorama in the ‘Big Yard’. When they were young. Living at the lower end of Gallus Street in Woodbrook was great and Hackett remembered a particular day when his mother sent him to purchase the Trinidadian delicacy, Roti, from Alma Roti Shop which was situated at the corner of Alberto Street and Ariapita Ave in Woodbrook, Port of Spain.
While waiting he heard steelpan playing and walked down Alberto Street until he arrived at Starlift’s pan yard. Once he entered the pan yard he knew immediately that he wanted to play pan. The Pan Jumbie had captured him as it does to millions of people. When Starlift moved to the top of Gallus and Warren Streets, Hackett met some older guys in the likes of Andy Phillips, Farmer Brown, Smiley and Ian Gibson. He was much younger than them and he recollects Anise ‘Halfers’ Hadeed and himself hanging around with the older guys, owing to their interest in steelpan music.
Hackett bought a sponge ball and got some sticks and made himself some pan sticks to play and started learning to play the song, Panman, on the tenor bass but was unable to play for Panorama, as he did not let his mother know he was playing and practicing for the Panorama competition. His family moved from Gallus Street to Marli Street in Woodbrook and Hackett started attending the Abbey School, on Mount St Benedict, St John’s Road, in Curepe.
Around 1973/74 he played his first song on a tenor pan when he was attending the Abbey School. He fondly remembers running away from school to go to the Lever Brothers Gay Flamingos Steel Band. He knew the guys in the band as they used to play football on the Abbey school grounds but he never played with the band. Loris Morris was one of the guys who showed him his first song on the tenor. But being from Woodbrook and hanging out in St. James, he had friends playing in the Third World Steel Band so he joined the band in 1974 when he heard their pans rolling they played Jericho. He started practicing late with the band, so did not make it for the Panorama competition.
1975 saw Hackett join the Third World Steel Orchestra’s stage side playing a guitar pan, the first pan he played at the Panorama competition. Hackett had to hide his uniform at his gate because his mother did not know he was playing, when he heard Third World rolling up to the savannah he picked it up after telling his mother he was going to listen to pan. After she saw him on television playing and he admitted it, she supported him fully. Third World played ‘Spree Simon’ followed by ‘Fiery’ for the Carnival, when the band was blocked at Deluxe Cinema at the top of Frederick Street, where they waited for hours to get into the Queen’s Park Savannah, ‘The Big Yard’. While waiting Hackett learnt a song on the tenor pan, so in 1977 he started playing the tenor pan and, ‘Gold’ was his first tune playing a tenor pan at Panorama. In 1978, Hackett played, ‘Social Dora’ with Third World Steel Orchestra under the leadership of David ‘Splaff’ Waddell.
Even though Hackett was performing with Third World Steel Orchestra, he was always hanging out in Phase II Pan Groove’s, ‘The Village’ pan yard. Boogsie, Groover, Sugars, Ron, Kevin, Anise ‘Halfers’ Hadeed and Gregory Roberts were all his close friends, so after Third World’s practice, they would go up to the Village to hang out.
In 1979, when the Carnival season started David ‘Splaff’ Waddell informed them that Third World Steel Orchestra was not performing at the Panorama competition any more and the band would only operate as a stage side. When Hackett heard the announcement he immediately left the yard and walked straight into The Village and started learning to play, '79 is Mine'. He played in the preliminaries and then the Panorama was cancelled. He played a few years with the Phase II Pan Groove’s stage side until 1983.
He fondly remembers his first meeting with his very good friend, Edme ‘Gazzo’ Gibbons when he came across to the Old Vale (Diamond Vale) where Hackett and Bellies used to hang out. Gibbons pulled up on his motorbike and came across to Hackett and said he wanted to play with Phase II Pan Groove but did not believe he was ready. Gibbons asked Hackett to show him a couple of past Panorama tunes, and Hackett obliged. The following day when Hackett’s mother left for work, Gibbons turned up in Claude’s car and woke him up to show him, ‘Pan Take Over’ and ‘Pan in Ah Rage’ and introduced him to Phase II in 1983. He remembered Gibbons being very elated when he told him that he was the captain of Phase II Pan Groove. Hackett also introduced Bevon ‘Bellies’ Phillips in 80/81 followed by Hinds, Steve ‘Musky’ Taylor, Brady and Burt, all from the Diego Martin/Diamond Vale area to Phase II Pan Groove.
In 1984, Wayne left Trinidad to go to school in Winnipeg; this transition meant that sadly he missed the 1984 and 1985 Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival and Panorama competitions, which left him gutted. After that episode in his life’s journey, Hackett moved to Miami and returned to Trinidad and Tobago to play with Phase II Pan Groove in 1986 and 1987. He missed 1988 but played again in 1989. Hackett could not recollect if he missed the 1990 Panorama competition but distinctly remembered playing from 1991 until he played, ‘Music in Meh Blood’ which was his last Panorama he played in Trinidad and Tobago with Phase II Pan Groove.
Hackett played and won with Dr Len ‘Boogsie’ Sharpe in Miami with Southern Symphony and also played a four pan with Othello Molineaux's Steel Band in the same year. He achieved first and last places in the same Panorama competition.
Hackett has been gigging since his arrival in 1986 in Miami. Andy Phillips gave him his first gig and he never looked back. He has been gigging ever since. Hackett had both a three -piece and four-piece band. He would and still do trio and duet bands but mostly performs as a soloist. He arranged for Miami Vibez Steelband in the Miami Panorama in 2019 and achieved final position as they were small and had inexperienced players but was moved up to third place when the winning band was disqualified. Hackett vowed that he would continue to play as long as the Almighty gives him strength.
Hackett stated that an important part of his journey with the steelpan was when he also played with Jewel 22 under the directions of Dr Len ‘Boogsie’ Sharpe. It was his first time ever playing with two large steelbands in Trinidad and Tobago. He remembered with regret that he did not play, ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’ but did play the following two years.
Panpodium salutes this dedicated pan musician who unselfishly continue to share his musicality. His encouragement and introduction saw many more pan musicians adopt the steelpan culture and create musical careers for themselves. Hackett thanks for your contribution to our national instrument and its culture.
