Scholar, educator, champion Panorama arranger, drummer and ace panist Victor “Babu” Samuel has passed

When Steel Talks extends our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Victor “Babu” Samuel on his passing on June 28, 2022.

Victor “Babu” Samuel 

This man has other notable achievements, these include: the first foreigner to arrange for a steelband in Trinidad’s Panorama; the most successful arranger in Antigua’s Steelband history. He also “drilled” for the Phase II Pan Groove, one of Trinidad’s leading steelbands. Achievements such as these only confirm Victor “Babu” Samuel as the undisputed champion steelband arranger of Antigua.

The Antigua Grammar School had an affiliation with the Supa Stars Steel Orchestra of which “Babu” later became its number one (1) drummer. There again, he impressed everyone including the band’s arranger Trinidadian Phillip Vansupre, who once remarked, “If only I had that little boy playing for my band in Trinidad, no band would beat me.” Such comments were a fitting tribute to this little genius from Church Lane.

Panorama champion arrangers and Prime Minister - Pictured left to right: Patrick “Stone” Johnson, Len “Boogsie” Sharpe, the Honorable Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer, and 2010 winning Panorama arranger Victor “Babu” Samuel           

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• Scholar, educator, champion Panorama arranger, drummer and ace panist Victor “Babu” Samuel has passed