Boney M.
Created by record producer Frank Farian , Boney M. was a pop and disco group originally based in West Germany. The original four members of the group were Bobby Farrell (Aruba), Liz Mitchell (Jamaica), Marcia Barrett (Jamaica) and Maizie Williams (Montserrat).
They are perhaps best known for their hit singles “Rasputin” and “Baby Do You Wanna Bump”. Boney M. has been predominantly active from 1975 to 1985 , and then from 1986.
Frank Farian wasn’t happy with the choice of material his record company wanted him to sing. In December 1974 he recorded the single “Baby Do You Wanna Bump”, a monotonous dance track,. The record was credited to “Boney M.” Farin got the name from a the lead character of a Australian Detective Show and added the “M.” for Maher. After some time the song became a rage in the Netherlands and Belgium . Farian then decided to hire performers for the group a TV performance. Katja Wolfe , a agency found model/singer Maizie Williams and her friend Sheyla Bonnick for him, and a dancer known only as Mike for the first gigs. Soon Claudja Barry also joined the group. Later Sheyla Bonnick and Mike left . Maizie Williams then brought in an exotic dancer from Aruba, Bobby Farrell.
Singer Marcia Barrett reluctantly joined the group, which went through another change in line-up when Claudja Barry – tired of lip-synching – left in 1976 to pursue a solo career as a disco singer. Liz Mitchell, an out of work singer and former member of the Les Humphries Singers, stepped in. The finalized line-up consisted of Liz Mitchell, Maizie Williams, Marcia Barrett, and Bobby Farrell.
The commercial response to the first album was not very good. However, the group toured discos, clubs and even country fairs, to make a reputation Boney M. The group’s big break was when music producer Michael ‘Mike’ Leckebusch of Radio Bremen, requested the group for his show Musikladen. Boney M. appeared on the live music show of Musikladen on September 18, 1976, and performed “Daddy Cool” in their now trademark daring costumes.
Within a week the song was Number 1on German Charts. In 1977, Boney M. released their second album Love for Sale and in 1978; Boney M. had their new single, “Rivers of Babylon”, which became a huge hit all over Europe .It was the most successful single in North America amongst all their other hits.. “Rivers of Babylon” peaked at number 30 on the U.S. pop singles chart. Next was their biggest-selling album, Nightflight to Venus, which produced another hit single, “Rasputin”.
Later in the year, they released “Mary’s Boy Child/Oh My Lord”, which was the 1978 Christmas hit in the United Kingdom. In 1978, Boney M. made a famous publicized promotional visit to the Soviet Union, which was very rare in considering the Cold War. Although tracks like “Rasputin” were not officially unreleased in the Soviet Union, the visit resulted in an enormous popularity in the entire former Eastern Bloc that has lasted for more than three decades.
Boney M. has sold over 150 million records worldwide. Maize Williams continues to tour on her own performing some of her own compositions.
- Kevin Lobo
Tags: bobby farrell, boney m., boneym, disco group, frank farian, liz mitchell, maizie, marcia barrett, music, pop
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