1941: The arrival of US troops as a result of the Anglo-US bases Agreement changes the pop culture of T&T as these soldiers become T&T’s distribution outlet to the world and patrons of Calypso culture. Stokely Carmichael (aka Kwame Ture), inventor of the term ‘Black Power’ is born in Port-of-Spain. Inventor of Soca and Jamoo Ras Shorty I is born in Lengua Village, Princes Town. André Tanker father of T&T fusion music is born- his mother is a descendant of Cazabon, Trinidad’s first great painter.,

1942: Kitchener leaves Arima for Port-of-Spain and joins the Roving Brigade changing the face of Calypso

1943: The father of Chutney Sundar Popo is born in Monkey Town, Barrackpore. The first “melody pan”- with eight musical notes- is made. Credited to Winston “Spree Simon”

1944: Rum and Coca-Cola by the Andrews Sisters, a cover of a Lord Invader’s song, became an American hit leading to a groundbreaking lawsuit by Invader for intellectual theft which he wins. Kitchener composes the first “pan calypso” (“The Beat of the Steelband”). The Caribbean’s first ‘modern’ literary voice- Wayne Brown is born- columnist, poet and fiction writer, teacher and mentor to numerous Caribbean writers. Multiple Grammy-award winning Trini percussionist, songwriter and producer Ralph MacDonald was born in Harlem. Hollywood actor and Scouting for Talent winner Sullivan Walker is born

1945: War in Europe ends and Steelbands appear in the streets for the first time. Beryl McBurnie leaves the United States in 1945 at the height of her popularity in New York to become a dance instructor with the Trinidad and Tobago government’s Education Department and changes the face of culture in T&T

1946: Everyone wins the right to vote and political parties began to develop. First elections under universal adult suffrage are held. Calypsonian Houdini’s 1939 “He Had It Coming,” is covered by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan as “Stone Cold Dead in the Market” and shoots to the top of the R&B charts in the States, where it remains for five weeks, crossing over to #7 on the pop charts. A wave of Calypso songs and movies begin sweeping the States and Calypso is touted as the new popular music after Jazz…

1947: Wenzell Brown noted: “Duke boxes account for a large proportion of sales of calypso records in America, for you’ll find at least one of the Trinidadian records in almost any of the 450,000 juke boxes scattered across the States”. Kitchener leaves Trinidad stays in Aruba and Jamaica changing the culture of both islands

1948: Trinidad wins first Olympic medal- silver in weight lifing by Rodney Wilkes. KItchener moves to England changing the culture of black Britain. Beryl Mc Bernie establishes the first permanent folk-dance company and theatre in Trinidad. Her first show is “Bele” at her newly opened Little Carib Theatre in Woodbrook which will nurture hundreds of talents, International singer and activist Paul Robeson lays the cornerstone of the building during a tour of the Caribbean

1950: Trinidad and Tobago takes a great political step forward when elected members are awarded a majority of the seats in the Legislative Council. The first steelband organization, the National Association of T&T Steelbandmen, was formed. Grammy award winning and multi-platinum artist Billy Ocean is born. Ocean becomes the biggest black recording star in Britain, sells over 30 million records, hits number one in the USA, Australia, Germany, Holland, and the UK.

1951: A group of the eleven leading panmen called the Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra (TASPO) are selected to perform at the Festival of Britain held at Southbank, London. This is the first steelband tour: In 15 years urban gangs had evolved into inventors and cultural entrepreneurs… One of our greatest athletes Mc Donald Bailey holds the record as fastest man in the world with Jesse Owens for the next 5 years.

1952: Young university radical, Eric Williams, returns to Trinidad as Deputy Chairman of the Caribbean Commission. He expresses concern that the Commission is not serious about development of the region.

1953 The great Calypsonian of the modern Age David Rudder is born in Belmont. Trini Dai Ailen is named principal of the Beijing Dancing School when it is opened. She is involved in the creation and leading performance of the first ballet in China: Dove of Peace.

1955 T&T’s greatest architect Roger Turton is born in Pointe-a-Pierre

1956 Eric Williams leaves the Commission and forms the People’s National Movement which wins the elections; Williams becomes Chief Minister, taking over the duties of the Governor. The Mighty Sparrow enters the stage with the massive international hit Jean and Dinah. The first million selling/platinum album in the world is ‘Calypso’ by Harry Belafonte- which beats out Elvis Presley for the honors. However ‘pop music’ wins out over Calypso to be the popular music of the USA