March 10, 1964 Curtis “CC” Cochrane was born to Mr James and Mrs Carolita Agnes Cochrane. Curtis hails from Gilpin Avenue, Grays Farm.
He attended the TOR Memorial and Ottos Comprehensive Schools. He is a trained musician with Grade 5 music certification: a trained pannist and keyboardist. He was also exposed to training in the UK in 1992.
Curtis was an active member of the Grays Green community alongside being involved in school activities which included football and pan. He recalls his days as the leading goal scorer for the OCS and his youthful days playing with the Empire Football Club.
“CC” was drawn to pan around the 1975 after he was invited by Carlos Mannix, then Vice Captain of Empire Football Club to visit Halcyon pan yard. There, under the tutelage of Neville Laviscount he honed his early pan skills eventually joining the panorama side in 1979. He remained a member of Halcyon Steel for several decades until 1995, during which time he served as Vice Captain for 11 years. Among his outstanding accomplishment with Halcyon is the 2008 Panorama Championship partnering with Fitzroy ‘Blakey’ Phillip to arrange ‘Hitman’ by Latumba.
In 1985, “CC” started the Trinity Band. This avenue gave him an opportunity to explore and express himself as a pan soloist, and also afforded him [the opportunity] to play alongside some of Antigua’s best musicians. This pan-centred enterprise remains to today.
As a founding member of the West Side Symphony Cochrane contributed to expanding the number of youth from the Grays Green community trained in steelband artform.
He also founded East Vibes Steel Orchestra originally in the Seaton’s community, eventually relocating to the Potters Village.
Mr Cochrane has also worked with Sunnyside Tutorial for 9 years on their pan program and worked along with the St. Anthony’s Secondary School’s pan program. He is currently engaged by the Ministry of Education as a pan instructor with the Willikies Primary School. He previously served Sir Novel Academy and Potters Primary using the East Vibes instruments.
‘CC’ has produced several CDs as a solo artist and with Trinity Band. He says ‘Pan should be in all the schools, exposing children from 5 years old. We need to develop the musical ears of our children and remove the elitism creeping in. Music is linked to our spirit, and an essential part of our blackness’.