Wonderland Burlesque's
Down The Rabbit Hole:
Boney M
Down The Rabbit Hole merely places a spotlight on something slightly unusual that's caught my interest. With the help of Wikipedia, YouTube, and other sites, I gather information and learn something new.
Today, we take a look at the music and history of the disco phenom Bony M.
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From Wikipedia:
Boney M. are a R&B, reggae, funk and disco music group founded in 1974, who achieved popularity during the disco era of the second half of the 1970s. The band was created by German record producer Frank Farian (Milli Vanilli), who was the group's primary songwriter. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the band's official line-up were Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett from Jamaica, Maizie Williams from Montserrat, and Bobby Farrell from Aruba.
German singer-songwriter Frank Farian recorded the dance track Baby Do You Wanna Bump in December 1974. He sang in a deep voice as well as performing the high falsetto chorus. When the record was released as a single in early 1975, it was credited to Boney M.. Farian came up with the name after watching the Australian television detective series Boney, whose main character was named Napoleon Bonaparte. "I turned on the TV one day and it was the end of a detective series. I just caught the credits and it said Boney. Nice name, I thought – Boney, Boney, Boney... Boney M. Boney, Boney, Boney M. Nice sound. Simple."
1979 saw Boney M. release a brand new single, Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday, which became another Top 10 hit across Europe. Later in the year they released their fourth album, Oceans of Fantasy, containing two hit singles – Gotta Go Home/El Lute and I'm Born Again/Bahama Mama. While the album reached #1 in the UK and was certified platinum, their run of Top 10 singles came to an end with Gotta Go Home peaking at #12 and I'm Born Again peaking at #35.
German singer-songwriter Frank Farian recorded the dance track Baby Do You Wanna Bump in December 1974. He sang in a deep voice as well as performing the high falsetto chorus. When the record was released as a single in early 1975, it was credited to Boney M.. Farian came up with the name after watching the Australian television detective series Boney, whose main character was named Napoleon Bonaparte. "I turned on the TV one day and it was the end of a detective series. I just caught the credits and it said Boney. Nice name, I thought – Boney, Boney, Boney... Boney M. Boney, Boney, Boney M. Nice sound. Simple."
The song became a hit in the Netherlands and Belgium. It was then that Farian decided to hire performers to create a troupe for TV appearances. It included model-turned-singer Maizie Williams, originally from Montserrat, Bobby Farrell, a dancer from Aruba, and singer Marcia Barrett from Jamaica who brought in singer Liz Mitchell, also from Jamaica. As Maizie Williams' voice was not considered suitable for recording purposes by Farian, and a try-out with Bobby Farrell singing did not work, Farian decided to use only Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett along with his own studio-enhanced voice to create the Boney M. sound. Barrett had previously recorded songs for Farian which Farian had created for another act. These were included on Boney M's debut album in 1976.
The group rigorously toured discos, clubs, and even country fairs to earn a reputation for themselves. Their big break came at the end of the summer of 1976 when they were asked to appear 'live' on the West German television show Musikladen. Their daring stage costumes caused quite a stir, as did their song Daddy Cool, which quickly went to #1 in West Germany. The album did likewise and an additional single, a cover of the pop standard Sunny, gave the group their second #1 hit. The group's popularity subsequently grew throughout Europe, with Daddy Cool reaching #1 in Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Spain, France, and Austria.. Both singles were also Top 10 hits in the UK.
In 1977, Boney M. released their second album, Love for Sale, which contained the hits Ma Baker and Belfast. Both singles from the album reached #1 in West Germany and the UK Top 10. and the album was certified gold a year after its release in the UK.
They then released a new double A-sided single in 1978. Rivers of Babylon/Brown Girl in the Ring became a hit all over Europe, reaching #1 in several countries as well as becoming one of the biggest selling singles of all time in the UK. It also became their most successful single in the United States, peaking at #30. Their best-selling album, Nightflight to Venus, followed. It spawned further hit singles with Rasputin and Painter Man.
1978 also saw them release Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord, which was that year's #1 Christmas single, going on to become one of the biggest selling singles of all time in the UK. In addition, they embarked on a much publicized tour of Russia. They were one of the few western acts, along with Elton John, permitted to tour that country. While touring, all four members sang live, augmented by backing vocalists to fill out their sound.
The group rigorously toured discos, clubs, and even country fairs to earn a reputation for themselves. Their big break came at the end of the summer of 1976 when they were asked to appear 'live' on the West German television show Musikladen. Their daring stage costumes caused quite a stir, as did their song Daddy Cool, which quickly went to #1 in West Germany. The album did likewise and an additional single, a cover of the pop standard Sunny, gave the group their second #1 hit. The group's popularity subsequently grew throughout Europe, with Daddy Cool reaching #1 in Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Spain, France, and Austria.. Both singles were also Top 10 hits in the UK.
In 1977, Boney M. released their second album, Love for Sale, which contained the hits Ma Baker and Belfast. Both singles from the album reached #1 in West Germany and the UK Top 10. and the album was certified gold a year after its release in the UK.
They then released a new double A-sided single in 1978. Rivers of Babylon/Brown Girl in the Ring became a hit all over Europe, reaching #1 in several countries as well as becoming one of the biggest selling singles of all time in the UK. It also became their most successful single in the United States, peaking at #30. Their best-selling album, Nightflight to Venus, followed. It spawned further hit singles with Rasputin and Painter Man.
1978 also saw them release Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord, which was that year's #1 Christmas single, going on to become one of the biggest selling singles of all time in the UK. In addition, they embarked on a much publicized tour of Russia. They were one of the few western acts, along with Elton John, permitted to tour that country. While touring, all four members sang live, augmented by backing vocalists to fill out their sound.
A greatest hit package was released in 1980, hitting #1, but it would prove to be the group's final major success. Issues rose between Farian and Farrell with the latter leaving the group upon the release of the group's much delayed fifth album, 1981's Boonoonoonoos. Without Farrell to tour and make appearances, the album under-performed, failing to crack the UK Top 100.
The writing was on the wall. A replacement was hired to fill in for Farrell, but subsequent releases failed to alter the group's sales slump. In the coming years, various groups, some with Farian's involvement and some without, would tour as Boney M, but the magic was gone. And while public interest has remained strong, concrete plans for a possible reunion have never materialized.
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Daddy Cool - Boney M
Sunny - Boney M
Rasputin - Boney M
Rivers Of Babylon - Boney M
Gotta Go Home - Boney M
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