At 68, Ralph is still very much involved with his music. Based in Switzerland, he is responsible for teaching hundreds of Swiss students the art of playing the steelpan. He continues to teach Off Beat, Steel Magic, Pfanne and ABB steel bands as well conduct weekly workshops and school projects. He never shies away from a challenge.  Ralph stated: “I believe I can teach anyone to play the pan.” Whilst in Switzerland for the NORDfest 2004, Pan Podium was able to see this in practice. Ralph was teaching a group of disadvantaged students of mixed nationalities to perform at a concert and he had them all playing a tune on the pan even though they never played one before. This he achieved ten hours over five days.  He possesses a great amount of patience and his dedication is phenomenal. Determination to achieve the best in his music is a powerful driving force for him. 

Ralph worked as a galley boy and cook for six years for the Scandinavian Shipping Lines before going to London where he worked in a factory testing water heaters. At that time Ralph knew that music was his life so he got together with Gary Chang and Paul Francis to do some gigging. They did the hotel circuit on Park Lane during the weekends. He is a self-taught musician. He bought himself a piano and started writing his own music. He attended the Eric Guilder School of Music for three months where he was told that he had a natural gift for music. He went to a session in the CBS studio with Pedro Burgess and Irving Chambers to play for the Battie Mamzelle band, a rock band incorporating steel pan. Ralph did their music and they rehearsed at the Three Fives club whilst he was playing in the Manchurian on Baker Street. Before Battie Mamzelle dissolved through miss-management they produced an album of Ralph’s music, entitled I See The Light. He also played with the Soucouyant steelband in London.

Ralph toured Vietnam, Holland, Santo Domingo, and Europe and did freelance music sessions whenever he was in London. Michael Blackman became his agent and Ralph stayed in London owing to the huge amount of work at the time. He went to Germany for two weeks where he met Russell Valdez and Tom Dyer, they formed a combo and did lots gigs and some tracks in the studio but the musicianship was a let down and this led Ralph back to Trinidad. After a month in there he received an invitation to go to Switzerland in 1984 and has not looked back since.

Ralph is an accomplished musician who is a proficient bassist, pianist and percussionist. Music is the food of life and Ralph’s is always famished. He has just released his CD entitled Mis Takes, which came about from a band called Evolution that disbanded owing to family commitments. The production of the CD has been made possible through the help of Teye Akunor and Monika Nicoletti-Tung. Ralph is still lead player in his own steel band, Sounds of Steel. Trinidad and Tobago has a great Ambassador in Ralph Richardson who has taken the national instrument and its music to further realms of recognition.  

by Robbie Joseph