Person
In 1957, Ray Holman began playing steelpan at the age of thirteen with the Invaders Steel Orchestra, led by Ellie Mannette for whom he composed his first pan piece, "Ray's Saga," recorded by the Invaders in 1961. At 20, he became the youngest player to win the solo Ping Pong (an early version of the tenor pan) competition in the 1964 Trinidad and Tobago Music Festival. Later, he became arranger for Invaders Steelband, doing classical pieces such as "Dream of Olwen" and "Etude in Ab."
In 1963 Holman co-founded the Steelband Starlift, with whom he achieved consistent success in the both the Panorama competition and the informal "Bomb" played on the road at Carnival. Two of his most renowned arrangements were "I Feel Pretty" and "Penny Lane". During the 1960s his arrangements placed Starlift in the top 3 twice (1964: "Mas in South" - Kitchener, 3rd place; 1968: "Jane" - Sparrow, 2nd place) before finally winning the coveted first prize in 1969 with his arrangement of Kitchener's "The Bull". After placing second in 1970 with Sparrow's "Pan Man," Starlift was joint winner of the 1971 Panorama, tying for first place with Harmonites ("Play Mas'"- Kitchener) with Ray's stunning arrangement of "Queen Of The Bands." He has arranged Panorama tunes for a number of top steel bands, including Phase II Pan Groove, Exodus, Carib Tokyo, Hummingbirds Pan Groove, Invaders, and Pandemonium and since 2001 he has returned to the local band with which he achieved his early success - Starlift.
As an international artist he has also arranged and recorded with steel bands and artists in the US, Canada, Latin America, Japan and Europe, including televised performances with the WDR Big Band (conducted by Vince Mendoza), which showcased his compositions. He composed the highly acclaimed score for Black Orpheus, staged by Crossroads Theatre Company in New Jersey in 1991, and has been a featured performer in film, television and at venues such as Madison Square Garden, the Super Bowl and the St. Lucia Jazz Festival.
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