DCFA Music lecturer Dr Jeannine Remy’s new book looks at the life and legacy of a celebrated steelband man
A bird’s-eye view of the life of a legendary steelband man who grew up in San Fernando.
This how Dr Jeannine Remy, music lecturer at the Department of Creative and Festival Arts (DCFA) describes her book, The Saga of Milton Wire Austin and the Fonclaire Steel Orchestra.
Dr Remy’s work chronicles the life of the celebrated pan man known fondly as “Wire”, who led Fonclaire Steel Orchestra for 50 years.
The book launch was held on January 22, 2026 at the UWI RBL DCFA Building on Gordon Street, St Augustine. Dr Remy, a Senior Lecturer at DCFA, shared historical highlights and photographs of the Fonclaire Steel Orchestra that she collected through interviews with Milton Wire Austin between 2016 and 2020, and artefacts from his personal archives.
The launch also featured presentations by Dr Lorraine Nero Senior Librarian and Head of the West Indiana and Special Collections at The UWI’s Alma Jordan Library and Mr Darren Sheppard, current Managing Director and arranger of the Fonclaire Steel Orchestra. Ms Opal Murrell performed on the tenor pan.
Dr Remy explained that the 150-page book outlines a decade-by-decade history of the steelband, from its inception in 1965, to Mr Austin’s death in 2020. Filled with historical photos, newspaper clippings, and quotes from Wire, the book also includes many sidebars featuring significant members of the band who reflected on their involvement in Fonclaire under his leadership.
Dr Remy teaches steelpan and percussion, pan arranging, composition, and steelpan history. She is also the Director of UWI Arts Percussion Ensemble. She has dedicated her academic career to arranging, composition, and scholarly research. In her presentation, Dr Nero described Remy as “the flag woman of steelpan research”. She discussed several similar collaborations between Dr Remy and the West Indiana Collection over more than 20 years and urged members of other steelbands to reach out to have their content scanned and included in The UWI’s digital library to ensure their place in the historical record.
Mr Sheppard spoke on behalf of the Fonclaire Steel Orchestra. He explained the importance of sponsorship to steelbands and the need to preserve the community and location of Fonclaire. Sheppard commented on his own experiences in the band as a player, arranger and leader over the years.
Besides this latest work, Dr Remy has published numerous articles on steelpan history and development. Her work has been featured in When Steel Talks, Caribbean Beat, Pan Podium, and Percussive Notes, the peer-reviewed journal of the Percussive Arts Society in the United States. She has co-authored books on the Invaders Steel Orchestra and the Northern Illinois Steel Band.
