Courts Sounds Specialists of Laventille
Participant - World Festival,  New York 2005

Laventille has produced many a top steelband. They include Desperadoes, Highlanders, Savoys and in 1975 Sound Specialists from the Eastern Quarry area. The nearby Tokyo was the band to which Sound Specialists owe its birth, since many of the original players in Sound Specialists which started off as a traditional band came from Tokyo. In the competitive arena, Sound Specialists first incursion was in 1976 when the band took part in the annual Guardian Newspapers contest. This competition was held however not at the St. Vincent Street Car Park as at present but at the grounds of the West Indian Tobacco at Champ Fleurs. The tune selected was "Flag Woman" by Kitchener and this was the Road March of the year. The band gained sponsorship from Readymix Limited in 1977 and as Pan Trinbago started a competition called "Pan-around-de-neck" now named Traditional Steelbands, Sound Specialists entered. The band played the calypso "Jump Judges Jump" by Shadow. The band now improving by leaps and bounds qualified for the semi finals. By 1980 the band had improved to such an extent that they placed 4th in the finals of Panorama. The days of being a Traditional band were numbered so that when "Pan is Beautiful too" came about in 1980 the band had been converted into a conventional one. In 1983 Sound Specialists lost its sponsor Ready mix due to financial constraints and did not participate in the subsequent two Pan is Beautiful series in 1984 and 1986. By 1988 the band had reappeared. There was no Music Festival in 1990 due to the attempted Coup in July of that year. However, in December 1990 for the first time a competition was held entitled Pan Parang. It was held in the Arima Veledrome. Sound Specialists won the contest in the category for Conventional Band. The band played "A Trini Christmas" and emerged with 702 points. In 1992 Courts Furnishings (Trinidad) Limited sponsored the band. The band pleased their new sponsors by reaching the finals of that year's festival. There was no festival in 1990 due to the insurrection but they were eager and waiting for the year 1992 when after being sponsored by Courts Furnishing (Trinidad) Limited in October a month before the start of the Festival they made it to the Festival Finals with a performance Gustav Holst “Jupiter” and Superblue’s “Get something and wave”. The band has made every Music Festival Final since, so when Pan Trinbago staged the Trinidad and Tobago leg of the World Steelband Music Festival, Courts Laventille Sounds Specialists was confident that they would have qualified, and after performing John William’s “Throne Room” and “End Titles” and Len “Boogsie” Sharpe’s “Clear De Way” the band placed sixth. The band has gone from strength to strength and by its enthusiasm and commitment will in the near future accomplish its ultimate aim to win both the Panorama and Music Festival titles. A re-branding of the band took place in 2004 and they are now known as Courts Sound Specialists of Laventille. This orchestra continues to thrill many with their music and has been very outstanding with their Jourvert Bomb presentations and at the Laventille Steelband Festival. The year 2004 saw them placing fifth in the Medium category of the National Panorama Finals. In 2004 they qualified as one of Trinidad and Tobago’s representatives to the finals of the World Steelband Music Festival. The band was a semi-finalist at this year’s (2005) National Panorama competition and and was the winner of the Jourvert Bomb Competition in the classical category. At the 2005 T.S.T.T. Pan in The 21st Century Competition they placed third with a breath taking rendition of “Morning Dance”