“Tan Man ” Horsford – A true Trini “mas-man”
Speaking to an old friend recently brought to mind another old friend , who passed away several years ago.
Owen “Tan-Man” Horsford was a fixture in Marabella in the sixties and seventies, and a lifelong member of the Southern Marines Steelband family.
After a long struggle with prostate cancer, Tan-Man passed away on Wednesday 24th, October 2012.
A gifted artist, Tan-Man was responsible for the look of the Marines in the sixties, from band logos and t-shirts, to banners, posters ,carnival drawings etc.
A real “mas man”, he was one of those young men who mastered designing the intricate Indian and Fancy sailor type costumes that were favored by the young men of that era.
I remember one year we all “played mas” with Southern Marines when the band featured Fancy Sailors, and of course his costume had that extra Tan-Man flair.
His picture from that portrayal is seen above, and is featured in Kim Johnson’s Illustrated Story of Pan.
Someone created this beautiful video montage as tribute to our old friend Owen “Tan-Man” Horsford who passed away on Wednesday October 24, 2012.
Tan-Man was a talented artist, and was one of the most popular and well liked of the young men I knew growing up in Marabella , Trinidad.
R.I.P. Owen “Tan-Man” Horsford.
.
G R JOSEPH 