Information AboutBoney M. |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT BONEY M. | |
| musical groups established in 1975 | |
| 1970s music groups | |
| disco groups | |
| 1980s music groups | |
| pop music groups | |
| german dance music groups | |
| german musical groups | |
Boney M. was a Pop and Disco group, comprised of four West Indian Singer s and Dancer s and masterminded by West German Record Producer Frank Farian , and who were successful during the 1970s. It is claimed that Boney M. have sold nearly 150 million records worldwide. {Link without Title} BONEY M. BIOGRAFIE The four original members of the band were Liz Mitchell (born on July 12, 1952, Clarendon, Jamaica), Marcia Barrett (born on October 14, 1948, St. Catherines, Jamaica), Maizie Williams (born on March 25, 1951, Montserrat, West Indies), and Bobby Farrell (born on October 6, 1949, Aruba, West Indies). Boney M., with their bubble-gum infectious tunes, became one of the few Western groups at that time to become well-known in places such as Africa , the Arab Countries , Iran , South Asia , Southeast Asia , and the USSR . To this day, along with Swedish pop group ABBA , they are among the most widely known 1970s Western music acts in these regions. HISTORY Frank Farian - an unsuccessful German schlager singer - wasn't happy with the choice of material his record company wanted him to sing. He would much rather do black music but it was unthinkable for himself to front such a project. He went into the studio in December 1974 and recorded the song Single "Baby Do You Wanna Bump?", a monotonous dance track, with himself singing the repeated "Do you do you wanna bump" in a deep voice as well as performing the high female chorus vocals in his falsetto voice. The record came out, credited to Boney M. and after a slow start, it became a hit in the Netherlands and Belgium . It was then that Farian decided to hire a team to 'front' the group for TV performances. A booking agency found model Maizie Williams (originally from Montserrat) and her Jamaican friend Sheila Bonnick for him, and a dancer called Mike for the first gigs. Also during 1975, a girl named Nathalie joined but was soon replaced by Claudja Barry . Then Sheila and Mike left, and Maizie Williams brought in an exotic dancer from Aruba, Bobby Farrell . Singer Marcia Barrett (Jamaica) reluctantly joined the group which already went through another change in line-up when Claudja Barry - tired of merely lip-syncing - left in February 1976 to pursue a solo career as a successful disco singer in her own right. Finally Liz Mitchell , an unemployed singer and formerly a member of the Les Humphries Singers , stepped in - and the final line-up was found at last with Maizie Williams, Marcia Barrett, Liz Mitchell and Bobby Farrell. '' including breakthrough single "Daddy Cool" and "Sunny".]] Farian began recording Boney M.'s first LP, '' Take The Heat Off Me '', for which Marcia Barrett had already recorded some songs with Farian for the album; these were the title track, and "Lovin' Or Leavin'", both previously recorded in German by Gilla . While Maizie Williams' voice wasn't considered good enough for recording purposes, and a try-out with Bobby Farrell doing "No Woman No Cry" didn't work, Farian decided to use only Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett along with his own deep male voice and high falsetto voice to create the Boney M. sound. '' including "Ma Baker", "Still I'm Sad" and "Belfast".]] The commercial response to the album was lukewarm. However, the group rigorously toured discos, clubs and even country fairs, to earn a reputation for themselves. The group's big break came when, at the end of that summer, music-TV-producer Michael 'Mike' Leckebusch of Radio Bremen , requested the group for his show '' Musikladen ''. Boney M. appeared on the live music show on September 18 1976 , after 10pm, in their now trademark daring costumes; by the end of the following week, " Daddy Cool " became Germany's #1 single in the charts. The album was to follow the success of the single. In 1977, Boney M. released their second album ''", which became a massive-selling single all over Europe and #1 in the UK Singles Chart . It also became their most successful single in the United States of their five singles to make the Billboard Hot 100 . "Rivers of Babylon" peaked at number 30 on the U.S. Pop Singles Chart . Next came their biggest-selling album, '' Nightflight To Venus '', which spawned a further single " Rasputin ". Continuing with their success, they released " Mary's Boy Child /Oh My Lord", which was the 1978 Christmas Number One Single in the UK. Also during 1978, Boney M. made a much publicised promotional visit to the Soviet Union , which in the shadow of the Cold War made them one of the very few Western acts along with Elton John to do so. Although tracks like "Rasputin" were officially banned in the USSR because of their lyrical content, the band was still welcomed by the Soviet regime and this visit resulted in an enormous popularity in the entire former Eastern Bloc that has lasted for more than three decades. While it had been known all along that Bobby Farrell only mimed to Farian's vocals, it also became known during 1978 that Maizie Williams didn't sing "since her voice wasn't suited for this kind of music," as Farian put it in a Bravo interview. Since it was common practice in the disco genre of the late 70s, few people cared, unlike when Farian did the same thing with '' Milli Vanilli '' ten years later. . '' including classic hits "Rivers of Babylon", "Brown Girl In The Ring" , "Rasputin" and "Painter Man"]] The year 1979 saw Boney M. release their fourth album, '' Oceans Of Fantasy '', containing two hit singles – "El Lute"/"Gotta Go Home" and "I'm Born Again"/"Bahama Mama". The track "No More Chain Gang", one of a number of black freedom songs the group recorded, exemplified Boney M.'s mix of white and black music – the producer Farian is white, and the singers are black. They also released another hit single, "Hooray! Hooray! It's A Holi-Holiday", prior to the release of '' Oceans Of Fantasy '' though this single was not included on the album. The album also included a Lead- and Backing Vocals credit for the first time. In 1980, Boney M. released a greatest hits album, '' The Magic Of Boney M. - 20 Golden Hits '', which also contained two new songs, "My Friend Jack" and "I See A Boat On The River". This album made the #1 spot in the UK, and was their last big UK-seller until "Boney M. Megamix" in 1992. '' including hit singles "Gotta Go Home", "El Lute", "I'm Born Again" and "Bahama Mama"]] Boney M.'s fifth album had been scheduled for release in November 1980 but the recording sessions dragged on all through 1981, and when '' Boonoonoonoos '' was finally released by the end of the year, Bobby Farrell was fired from the group due to his unreliable working discipline. While still a healthy seller on the continent, "Boonoonoonoos" failed to crack the UK Top 75 after three consecutive #1 albums, leaving the group unable to promote it. Still, the group's ''Christmas Album'' - issued simultaneously - became a holiday favourite. Reggie Tsiboe was presented as the new male member of Boney M. in 1982 but the singles "The Carnival Is Over" and "Jambo" fared alarmingly poor, and the group's seventh album '' Ten Thousand Lightyears '' - issued in 1984 - marked another commercial low-point. The group, however, returned to the German Top 20 in the fall of 1984 with "Kalimba de Luna" and "Happy Song", the latter seeing Bobby Farrell return to the group, both songs being carbon-copies of the original Italian hits by Tony Esposito and Baby's Gang respectively. In 1985, Farian clearly began losing interest in the group, and their final studio album '' Eye Dance '' was widely regarded as an uninspired, disappointing album with its anonymous cover. After celebrating 10 years Boney M. early 1986, the group officially disbanded. Late 1987, Bobby Farrell persuaded Maizie Williams and Liz Mitchell to do another tour. For reasons unknown, Marcia Barrett was not part of this. Furthermore, Bobby Farrell had set up a deal for a new Boney M. album to be recorded without Farian in Belgium - he never showed up for neither recording nor tour, so the album ended being released as Liz Mitchell's first solo album "No One Will Force You". Liz Mitchell and Maizie Williams did the tour during 1987-88, adding singer Celena Duncan and dancer Curt Dee Daran as substitutes. In October 1988, Boney M. reunited for the album '' Greatest Hits Of All Times - Remix '88 '' but tensions ran high between Liz Mitchell and the other three members and she left in the spring of 1989 to be replaced by '' Madeleine Davis ''. While Liz promoted her solo album, the group recorded the single "Everybody Wants to Dance Like Josephine Baker" without Farian who got furious that they released the song under the name Boney M. He withdrew the single and issued "Stories" with a competitive Boney M. line-up featuring Liz Mitchell, Reggie Tsiboe and two new members, Sharon Stevens and Patty Onoyewenjo while a second remix album sank like a stone. 1993 saw a huge rise in Boney M.'s popularity with the album "Gold" being a huge seller. While Marcia Barrett, now residing in Florida, was hit by several cancer attacks and unable to work, Liz Mitchell toured the world with Carol Grey, Patricia Lorna Foster and Curt Dee Daran (replaced by Tony Ashcroft in 1994). Maizie Williams assembled her own Boney M. line-up with her friend and short-time Boney M. member in the early days in 1975, Sheila Bonnick, and two others, while Bobby Farrell also toured with three ever-changing ladies. As of 2006, Liz Mitchell is currently touring the world with her line-up of Boney M., which is the only official line-up supported by Farian (the court ruling of 1990 stated that all four members are entitled to perform their own Boney M. shows), as well as releasing solo albums. Marcia Barrett has released two solo albums, and Maizie and Bobby are touring with their own Boney M. groups. Farrell has also issued a series of albums containing re-recordings of Boney M.'s classic hits. Maizie Williams released her first solo album Christmas 2006, and released her version of "Sunny" as a single in February 2007. This single will preceed a new studio album with Maizie, reportedly to contain a new recording with original Boney M. members Marcia Barrett and Bobby Farrell. A musical based on the music of Boney M., '' Daddy Cool '', is now open in London, with a second show opening in Berlin in April 2007. In October 2006, pop singer Peter Wilson , who during the mid-90's scored a couple of Top 40 hits in his native Australia, recorded a brand new song, co-written by Frank Farian , which is to be included on his forthcoming album, ''Follow Me'' – due for release in mid-2007. The song entitled "Doin' Fine" is described as paying tribute to the 'sound' of Boney M. and features the famous string arrangement from their number 1 hit, " Daddy Cool ". '']] In a sign of their continued popularity in South Asia, a concert by Boney M. (featuring Marcia Barrett) was a featured attraction at the 37th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which took place on 23 November 2006 in Panaji , the state capital of Goa , India. The group is also popular in the Vietnamese Diaspora, and was recently featured in Thuy Nga music productions. '']] In the UK, a new album of their greatest hits, entitled '' The Magic Of Boney M. '' was released via BMG on 27 November 2006 . Special additions to this release were a Mousse T. remix of " Sunny " and a brand new song from 2006, featuring Liz Mitchell, entitled "A Moment Of Love". On 10 April 2007 , Boney M.'s first four albums were reissued to Compact Disc with bonus tracks, again, this time also in the United States, which meant that for the first time these were available to the U.S. music market since their original releases in the 1970s. In September 2007 , Boney M.'s last four original albums, '' Boonoonoonoos '', '' Ten Thousand Lightyears , Kalimba De Luna - 16 Happy Songs '' and '' Eye Dance '' will be reissued to Compact Disc in Europe and the United States. They will all include bonus tracks. Bobby Farrell's Boney M. held a big concert before large crowds at the Amphi in Ra'anana, Israel in May 2007. On June 28, 2007, Boney M. featuring Liz Mitchell performed at "Oktiabrsky" concert hall in St. Petersburg, Russia, and celebrating their 30th anniversary will be doing a big concert tour in Germany in November of 2007. The legal rights to the name "Boney M." has been a matter of controversy and even court cases between the former members of the band and producer Frank Farian ever since the early 1990s. Farian, the man who in effect created the group, has continued to work with Liz Mitchell and her official line-up all through the 90s and 2000s, but as a strange twist of fate in the ongoing history of the band further Boney M. productions in Germany could be faced with legal proceedings. January 2007 was the date Zanillya Farrell (daughter of Bobby Farrell , original Boney M. dancer who was fired from the band by Farian at the height of their popularity) and Yasmina Ayad-Saban (ex-wife of Farrell) renewed the copyright to the name Boney M. in Germany for a 10 year period. Also, an upcoming case in the High Court in Berlin, Maizie Williams vs Frank Farian and Sony/BMG. LINE-UPS The Official Line-Up:
UK SALES MARK In 1978, " in the Bible (King James), became (at the time) the second highest-selling single of all time in the UK . After "Rivers Of Babylon" slipped back down the chart, the B-side "Brown Girl in the Ring" was given extensive airplay on the Radio , and the single climbed back up the chart to #2. It eventually sold 500 copies short of two million. The group also achieved a second UK million-seller with their version of the Calypso classic " Mary's Boy Child /Oh My Lord", which was previously a million-seller for Harry Belafonte . On the list of the All-time Best Selling Singles In The United Kingdom , Boney M. appear in fifth place (with "Rivers Of Babylon") and tenth place (with "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord"). Paul McCartney is the only other artist to appear twice (once with The Beatles , once with Wings ) in the Top 10 of that list. BACK CATALOGUE Compared to other best-selling artists of the 1970s like ABBA , Donna Summer , and the Bee Gees the Boney M. discography is quite unusual - while the greater part of the band's back catalogue has been remixed, remade, remodeled and reissued all through the 80s, 90s and 2000s by producer Frank Farian and record company BMG-Ariola (now Sony BMG ), most of the original 7" and 12" versions issued on vinyl in the 70s and early 80s remain unavailable on CD. Titles include some of their best-known hits like "Rasputin", "Hooray! Hooray! It's A Holi-Holiday", "Gotta Go Home", "Malaika", "Consuela Biaz", "Going Back West" and the prime example is the original unedited 1978 7" version of million-selling single " Mary's Boy Child /Oh My Lord" which only saw its CD debut as a bonus track on the 2007 edition of album '' Nightflight To Venus ''. COVERS OF BONEY M. SONGS Shortly after the worldwide success of the '' Nightflight To Venus '' album, Disco / Soul Singer-songwriter , Millie Jackson covered "Never Change Lovers In The Middle of The Night'" for her 1979 album, '' A Moment's Pleasure .'' It was released as a single and became a Top 40 R&B chart hit for Jackson, peaking at #33. "Silent Lover" (a Marcia Barrett solo) was covered in 1980 by disco project El Coco for the album "Revolución". The Finnish Folk Metal band Turisas have played a cover of " Rasputin " at several live events. They released this cover as their debut single August 2007. UK Punk Rock band Belisha have also been covering " Rasputin " for about 2 years, and riotous live performances at festivals across Europe in 2007 have seen the entire crowd joining in with Russian style dancing, both on stage with the band, and in the audience. Placebo covered " Daddy Cool " in 2003 for the bonus disc of their '' Sleeping With Ghosts '' album. Liz Mitchell and Alexander Buynov covered " Rasputin " in 1996 for a Russian compilation album. Marcia Barrett did a solo version of "Rivers Of Babylon" in 2001 which was aired on Dutch Radio but ultimately never released. Bobby Farrell released his own version of 'Baby Do You Wanna Bump' in 2006 on 'The Bump' EP. The Latvian Cello Trio Melo-M covered " Daddy Cool " in 2007, featuring Maizie Williams on vocals. The Spanish group Fangoria recorded a cover version of "Rasputin" in 1996 which was also included on BMG-Ariola compilation '' Best In Spain ''. Their song " Ma Baker " has been widely covered. One of the most "weird" covers is definitely Knorkator 's one, which changes the disco/pop tunes for heavy guitar rifts. SONGS THAT WERE RE-WORKED INTO BONEY M. TITLES Frank Farian's right hand Hans-Jörg Mayer (aka Georg Reyam) sought out songs from all over the world and rewrote them for Boney M. The first Boney M. recording "Baby Do You Wanna Bump" was reworked from Prince Buster 's "Al Capone". "Ma Baker" features the melody line of a Tunesian folk melody. "Rasputin" features elements of a Turkish traditional. "Nightflight to Venus" with its characteristic drums, the rock guitar theme, and the march interludes, was rewritten from Cozy Powell 's 1974 #1 hit "Dance With the Devil". Their song "Train to Skaville / That's Boonoonoonoos" (rec. 1980, released 1981) is partly inspired by the 1980 #1 hit Pop Muzik by M (the walking bass, the rap parts, and "Bo Bo Bo Boonoonoonoos" >< "Pop Pop Pop Muzik"). "Exodus (Noah's Ark 2001)" (1984) features a guitar theme borrowed from The Temptations ' '' Papa Was A Rolling Stone '' while the chorus borrows from Bob Marley 's "Exodus". "Sample City" (1985) features the same chord pattern as '' I Can't Stand The Rain '', the Ann Peebles classic and a 1977 hit single for Farian's soul band Eruption. DISCOGRAPHY Studio albums
Compilations
Main Singles Discography
Video / DVD / VCD releases
CHART POSITIONS Albums Singles Singles chart peaking in various countries. Includes U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart entries. "-" means chart peak is unknown or the single did not chart on a particular chart.
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