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Boney M.
Background information
Origin Federation West Indies Federation/
Flag of Aruba Aruba
Genre(s) Pop, Disco, Dance-pop, Hi-NRG, Eurodance
Years active 1975–-
Members
Official Line-Up
Liz Mitchell (1976- )
Marcia Barrett (1976- )
Maizie Williams (1975- )
Bobby Farrell (1976-82, 1984- )
and
Reggie Tsiboe (1982-1986, 1989-1990)
Boney M. was a pop and disco group, comprised of four West Indian singers
and dancers 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.[1]
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 recorded the single "Baby Do You Wanna Bump?" in 1975,
performing the sparse vocals of the song himself. Released under the name
Boney M., it became a hit in the Netherlands and Belgium. It was then that
Farian decided to hire a team of dancers and vocalists to 'front' the group,
so it was created thereafter, and made up of four West Indian artists
working in London, Germany and the Netherlands: singers Marcia Barrett and
Liz Mitchell, model Maizie Williams, and dancer Bobby Farrell.
Bobby Farrell was recruited as a dancer since the true voice was that of
their producer.
The line-up of the group went through numerous changes, Maizie Williams
being the only original member that remained. Not satisfied with merely
miming to Farian's songs, one of the members, Claudja Barry, left on short
notice in February 1976 – days before the group was scheduled to appear on a
local television gig in Saarbrücken. Liz Mitchell, then an unemployed singer
and formerly a member of the Les Humphries Singers, was brought in as a
temporary replacement for the gig, under the recommendation of Marcia
Barrett. Farian was impressed with her performance, and she went on to
record Boney M.'s first LP, Take The Heat Off Me, along with Marcia Barrett,
who had already recorded some songs with Farian for the album; these were
the title track, and "Lovin' Or Leavin'".
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 Love for Sale, and this
contained further hits "Ma Baker" and "Belfast". Neither Love for Sale nor
Take The Heat Off Me did very well in the UK Albums Chart, most likely due
to their rather risqué covers. In 1978, Boney M. had their biggest year:
they released a new single, "Rivers of Babylon", 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, they were 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.
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".
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. American-born singer
Madeleine Davis, who was one of the group's recording backing vocalists,
replaced Liz Mitchell for live concerts, because Liz wished to promote her
solo career, rather than join Maizie, Marcia and Bobby on stage. She
appeared in the video, "The Summer Mega Mix" and became a member of Marcia /
Maizie and Bobby's Boney M. for the single release "Everybody Wants To Dance
Like Josephine Baker".
Despite his success with Boney M., controversy followed the group's founder,
Frank Farian, in what was to foreshadow his fakery involvement with Milli
Vanilli. Bobby Farrell – the male face of the group – and Maizie Williams
contributed to studio recordings, but, for reasons only known to Farian,
were apparently left off the final mixes, while their numerous and highly
competent live performances from 1977 onwards were never in any doubt.
Almost all of the male vocals, along with some of the choir sections in
songs such as "Dancing In The Streets" and "Bye Bye Bluebird", were
performed by Farian himself. Farrell, as Farian had finally admitted on
German television in 2003, had been chosen for his personality and
innovative dancing. However, in Germany, it was considered acceptable that
'producer music' just works this way.
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 which is not what Farian wants as he only allowed Liz
Mitchell to use the name Boney M. Bobby Farrell recorded his own Boney M.
tribute album in 2005, and Maizie Williams released her first solo album
Christmas 2006. Maizie Williams released her version of "Sunny" as a single
in February 2007, while Madeleine Davis is currently working on a solo jazz
CD to be released in 2007.
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 albums will be reissued to compact
disc in the United States. They will al 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
Bobby Farrell) renewed the copyright to the name Boney M. in Germany for a
10 year period.
Line-Ups
The Official Line-Up:
* Liz Mitchell, Lead and backing vocals (frontwoman of the group) (1976–)
* Marcia Barrett, Lead and backing vocals (1976–)
* Maizie Williams, Dancer, backing vocals (1975–)
* Bobby Farrell, Dancer, backing vocals (1976–82, 1984–)
* Reggie Tsiboe, Lead and backing vocals (1982–86, 1989-90)
Other members before and after the classic period of the group:
* Claudja Barry, Backing vocals (1975)
* Sheila Bonnick, Backing vocals (1975 and 1994-2003 as a member of Maizie
Williams' line-up)
* Madeleine Davis, Backing vocals (1982–86 and 1989-90)
* Patricia 'Lorna' Foster, Backing vocals (1992- as a member of Liz
Mitchell's official line-up)
* Carol Grey, Backing vocals (1992- as a member of Liz Mitchell's official
line-up)
* Tony 'Tony Tony' Ashcroft, Dancer, rap (1994- as a member of Liz
Mitchell's official line-up)
UK sales mark
In 1978, "Rivers of Babylon", a cover of a track by The Melodians with
lyrics partly based on Psalm 137[2], 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/O 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.
The Finnish folk metal band Turisas have played a cover of "Rasputin" at
several live events.
Their song "Boonoonoonoos-Medley" is a rewrite of the song Pop Muzik by M.
Placebo covered "Daddy Cool" in 2003 for the bonus disc of their Sleeping
with Ghosts album.
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.
Discography
Studio albums and main compilations
For detailed track information and timings see the respective albums.
* Take The Heat Off Me (1976)
* Love for Sale (1977)
* Nightflight to Venus (1978)
* Oceans Of Fantasy (1979)
* The Magic Of Boney M. - 20 Golden Hits (1980)
* Boonoonoonoos (1981)
* Christmas Album (1981)
* Ten Thousand Lightyears (1984)
* Kalimba de Luna - 16 Happy Songs (1984) - Boney M. with Bobby Farrell
* Eye Dance (1985) — Boney M. featuring Bobby Farrell
* The Best Of 10 Years - 32 Superhits (1986)
* Die 20 schönsten Weihnachtslieder der Welt (1986)
* The 20 Greatest Christmas Songs (1986)
* Greatest Hits Of All Times - Remix '88 (1988)
* Greatest Hits Of All Times - Remix '89 - Volume II (1989)
* The Collection (1991)
* Daddy Cool - Star Collection (1991)
* Gold - 20 Super Hits (1992)
* The Most Beautiful Christmas Songs of the World (1992)
* The Greatest Hits (1993)
* More Gold - 20 Super Hits Vol. II (1993)
* Sunny (1995)
* Happy Songs (1996)
* Daddy Cool (1996)
* Painter Man (1996)
* Hit Collection (1996)
* Best In Spain (1996)
* The Best Of Boney M. (1997)
* Norske Hits (1998)
* A Wonderful Christmas Time (1998)
* Christmas Party (1998)
* Ultimate (1999)
* 20th Century Hits (1999)
* 25 Jaar Na Daddy Cool (2000)
* The Ultimate Collection (2000)
* The Complete Collection (2000)
* Their Most Beautiful Ballads (2000)
* L'Essentiel (2001)
* Greatest Hits (2001)
* The Best Of Boney M. - Original Hits (2001)
* The Greatest Hits (2001)
* Christmas Party (2003)
* The Magic of Boney M. (2006)
* Hit Collection (2007)
Main Singles Discography
For detailed information on single releases in the UK, the US and Germany
see the respective studio albums.
* "Baby Do You Wanna Bump?" (1975)
* "Daddy Cool"/"No Woman No Cry" (1976)
* "Sunny" (1976)
* "Ma Baker"/"Still I'm Sad" (1977)
* "Belfast"/"Plantation Boy" (1977)
* "Rivers of Babylon"/"Brown Girl in the Ring" (double A-side) (1978)
* "Rasputin"/"Painter Man" (1978)
* "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord"/"Dancing In The Streets" (1978)
* "Painter Man" (1979)
* "Hooray Hooray It's A Holi-Holiday"/"Ribbons Of Blue" (1979)
* "El Lute"/"Gotta Go Home" (1979)
* "I'm Born Again"/"Bahama Mama" (1979)
* "I See A Boat On The River"/"My Friend Jack" (1980)
* "Children Of Paradise"/"Gadda-Da-Vida" (1980)
* "Felicidad (Margherita)"/"Strange" (1980)
* "Malaika / Consuela Biaz" (1981)
* "We Kill The World (Don't Kill The World)"/"Boonoonoonoos" (1981)
* "Little Drummer Boy"/"Boney M. On 45" (1981)
* "The Carnival Is Over (Goodbye True Lover)" / "Going Back West" (1982)
* "Zion's Daughter" (1982)
* "Jambo - Hakuna Matata (No Problems)" (1983)
* "Somewhere In The World" (1984)
* "Kalimba De Luna" (1984)
* "Happy Song" - Boney M. Feat. Bobby Farrell & The School Rebels (1985)
* "My Cherie Amor" (1985)
* "Young Free And Single" - Boney M. Feat. Bobby Farrell (1985)
* "Daddy Cool (Anniversary Remix)" (1986)
* "Bang Bang Lulu" (1986)
* "Rivers Of Babylon´88" (1988)
* "Megamix" (1988)
* "The Summer Megamix" (1989)
* "Malaika (Lambada Mix)" (1989)
* "Everybody Wants To Dance Like Josephine Baker" (1990) (withdrawn)
* "Stories" - Boney M. Feat. Liz Mitchell (1990)
* "Boney M. Megamix" (1992)
* "Christmas Megamix" (1992)
* "Brown Girl in the Ring (Remix '93)" (1993)
* "Ma Baker (Remix '93)" (1993)
* "Papa Chico" - Boney M. Feat. Liz Mitchell (1994)
* "Ma Baker '99" - Boney M. vs. Sash! (1999)
* "Daddy Cool '99" - Boney M. 2000 featuring Mobi T. (1999)
* "Caribbean Night Fever" - Boney M. 2000 (1999)
* "Sunny" - Boney M. 2000 (2000)
* "Daddy Cool 2001" (2001)
* "Sunny" (Mousse T. Remix) (2006)
Video / DVD / VCD releases
* Gold - Video / VCD (in Hong Kong) (1993)
* Gold - DVD (2001 Europe)
* Greatest Hits (2001 UK)
* Special Edition (2002 South Korea)
* Special Edition EP (2003 UK)
* The Magic Of Boney M. (2006)
Chart positions
Albums
Year Title Chart positions
UK AUT SWE CHE US
1976 Take The Heat Off Me 40 6 1 - -
1977 Love for Sale - 1 1 - -
1978 Nightflight to Venus 1 1 1 - 134
1979 Oceans Of Fantasy 1 1 5 - -
1980 The Magic Of Boney M. - 20 Golden Hits 1 5 30 - -
1981 Boonoonoonoos - 14 31 - -
1986 The Best of 10 Years - 32 Superhits 35 - - - -
1993 Gold - 20 Super Hits 14 6 14 5 -
More Gold - 20 Super Hits Vol. II - 36 - - -
1999 20th Century Hits - - 8 37 -
2006 The Magic of Boney M. 45 13 - 39 -
Singles
Singles chart peaking in various countries. Includes U.S. Hot Dance Club
Play chart entries.
Year Title Chart positions
GER UK AUT SWE CH US US Hot Dance Club Play IRE
1976 "Daddy Cool" 1 6 1 1 1 65 11 -
1977 "Sunny" 1 3 1 11 2 - - 4
"Still I'm Sad" - - - 17 - - - -
"Ma Baker" 1 2 1 1 - 96 31 4
"Belfast" 1 8 2 - 1 - - 1
1978 "Rivers of Babylon"/"Brown Girl In The Ring" 1 1 1 1 1 30 - 1
"Rasputin" 1 2 1 - 2 - - 3
"Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord" 1 1 3 1 1 85 - 1
1979 "Painter Man" - 10 - - - - - 5
"Hooray Hooray It's A Holi-Holiday" 4 3 3 11 4 - - 5
"Gotta Go Home/El Lute" 1 12 1 10 2 - - 11
"I'm Born Again" 7 35 9 17 6 - - 12
1980 "I See A Boat On The River" 5 - 3 - 9 - - -
"My Friend Jack" - 57 - - - - - -
1981 "Felicidad (Margherita)" 6 - 6 - 3 - - -
"Consuela Biaz" 13 - 7 - - - - -
"Children Of Paradise" - 66 - - - - - -
"We Kill The World (Don't Kill The World)" 16 39 - - 3 - - -
1984 "Kalimba de luna" 17 - 11 - 23 - 49 -
1985 "Happy Song" 7 - 15 - 21 - - -
1988 "Mary's Boy Child (Megamix)" - 52 - - - - - -
1989 "Summer Megamix" - 92 - - - - - -
1990 "Stories" - 94 - - - - - -
1992 "Boney M. Megamix" 26 7 11 - - - - 3
1993 "Brown Girl In The Ring (remix)" - 38 - - - - - 25
1999 "Ma Baker" versus Sash! 28 22 32 10 21 - - -
2001 "Daddy Cool 2001" - 47 - - - - - -
"-" means chart peak is unknown or the single did not chart on a particular
chart.
Preceded by
Wings
Mull of Kintyre
UK Christmas Number One single
Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord 1978
Succeeded by
Pink Floyd
Another Brick in the Wall, Part II
References
1. ^ [1] BONEY M. BIOGRAFIE
2. ^ Psalm 137 in the Bible (King James)
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