Gramacks (or "Les Gramacks") was a

Cadence-lypso Cadence-lypso is a fusion of cadence rampa from Haiti and calypso from Trinidad and Tobago that has also spread to other English speaking countries of the Caribbean. Originated in the 1970s by the Dominican band Exile One on the island of ...

group from Dominica.

Biography

The band is from Saint-Joseph, a village from Dominica. The lead singer Jefferson "Jeff" Joseph and keyboard player McDonald "Markie" Prosper along with the other members were former students of the

Dominica Grammar School The Dominica Grammar School (DGS) is a public co-education secondary school in Roseau, Dominica, established in 1893, one of the oldest educational institutions on the island. Contrary to its name, the school no longer functions as a tradition ...

and St Mary's Academy, hence the name Gramacks. The band rose to fame in the early seventies and eighties with hits like “Mis Debaz”, and “Soukouyant”. Gramacks and

Exile One Exile One is a cadence musical group founded by Gordon Henderson in the 1970s with musicians invited over from Dominica, to be based in Guadeloupe. The band was influential in the development of Caribbean music. It became famous throughout the ...

were influential figures in the promotion of

cadence-lypso Cadence-lypso is a fusion of cadence rampa from Haiti and calypso from Trinidad and Tobago that has also spread to other English speaking countries of the Caribbean. Originated in the 1970s by the Dominican band Exile One on the island of ...

in the 1970s. They were an inspiration for the

French Antilles The French West Indies or French Antilles (french: Antilles françaises, ; gcf, label= Antillean Creole, Antiy fwansez) are the parts of France located in the Antilles islands of the Caribbean: * The two overseas departments of: ** Guadeloup ...

band

Kassav Kassav' is a French Caribbean band formed in Guadeloupe in 1979. The core members of the band are Jacob Desvarieux, Jocelyne Béroard, Jean-Philippe Marthély, Patrick St. Eloi, Jean-Claude Naimro, Claude Vamur, and Georges Décimus (who left t ...

and the emergence of

zouk Zouk is a musical movement pioneered by the French Antillean band Kassav' in the early 1980s. It was originally characterized by a fast tempo (120–145 bpm), a percussion-driven rhythm and a loud horn section. The fast zouk béton of Martini ...

in the 1980s. The full-

horn section A horn section is a group of musicians playing horns. In an orchestra or concert band, it refers to the musicians who play the "French" horn, and in a British-style brass band it is the tenor horn players. In many popular music genres, the te ...

kadans band Exile One led by Gordon Henderson, and Gramacks (led by Jeff Joseph) introduced the newly arrived synthesizers to their music that other young cadence or compas bands from Haiti (

mini-jazz Mini-jazz ( ht, mini-djaz) is a reduced méringue-compas band format of the mid-1960s characterized by the rock band formula of two guitars, one bass, and drum-conga-cowbell; some use an alto sax or a full horn section, while others use a keyb ...

) and the French Antilles emulated in the 1970s. Gramacks rose to prominence in the 1970s to the early 1980s with a Super Bowl performance. They headlined the first

World Creole Music Festival The World Creole Music Festival (WCMF) is an annual three-day music festival hosted on the island of Dominica during the final weekend in October, as a conclusion to Creole heritage month. WCMF is a noted festival of Dominica, and it provides ent ...

in Dominica in 1997. Creative differences and financial mismanagement caused the band to break up with members pursuing individual solo projects. Jeff Joseph later formed

Volt Face The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units (SI). It is named after the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta (1745–1827). Defini ...

and Gramacks New Generation.

Jefferson "Jeff Joe" Joseph

Jeff Joseph "Jeff Joe" of Saint Joseph, Dominica was the leader and founder of Dominica's

cadence In Western musical theory, a cadence (Latin ''cadentia'', "a falling") is the end of a phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don Michael Randel (199 ...

musical group "Gramacks". His musical career with Gramacks began in the early 1970s in Guadeloupe. The late Joseph will be remembered for his energetic performances of songs such as ‘Soucouyant’, ‘Soleil Trop Chaud’, and ‘Woy Mi Debas’. Many of his recordings were done in the Debs Studio in

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...

. Joseph is known for adding various Caribbean styles to his musical identity such as

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

, calypso and mostly cadence or compas music. Joseph was lead member Gramacks New Generation and a founding member of the Antillean group

along with Georges Decimus; one of the founders of

in the 1980s. Joseph was one of Dominica’s goodwill ambassadors and he played a part in the promotion and marketing of the

. At the 13th World Creole Music Festival in Dominica, compas musician " Sweet Mickey" (who would serve as Haiti's

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

between 2011 and 2016) gave tribute and recognition to Joseph on a Dominica source video interview for his influence on his music. At the 15th Annual WCMF, he was honored by Dominica's

bouyon music Bouyon (pronunciation: ''boo-yon'') is a genre of Dominican music that originated in Dominica in the late 1980s mainly with the group "WCK", with names such as Derek "Rah" Peters on vocals, Cornell Phillips keys and vocals among others, while ba ...

band " Triple Kay International" during their performance for his influence on the band.

Musicians

* Singer :

Jeff Joseph Jeff is a masculine name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the English given name Jefferson or Jeffrey, which comes from a medieval variant of Geoffrey. Music * DJ Jazzy Jeff, American DJ/turntablist record producer Jeffrey Allen Townes * ...

and Georges "Soul" Thomas * Guitarist : Anthony "Curvin" Serrant * Bassist : Anthony "Tepam" George * Drummers: Elon "Bolo" Rodney * keyboard player : Mc Donald "Mckie" Prosper * Trombone Player : Anthony "Bone" Pierre 1976-1980 * Trumpet Player : Bill "Billo" Thomas 1974-1976

Discography

Gramacks

* ''Gramacks'' * ''Symbol of determination in Paris'' * ''Gramacks international'' * ''Wooy midebar'' * ''African connection'' * ''Leurs derniers succès'' * ''Gramacks and Hippomène'' * ''Politik anthology'' * ''La vie disco'' * ''Ka allez haut'' * ''Paroles en bouche pas maître'' * ''Roots Caribbean Rock'' * ''The Gramacks featuring Jeff Joseph'' * ''Pa ka gadé douvan'' * ''Creole mix'' : maxi single * ''Party party / Hot music'' : 2 titres * ''Make you dance'' * ''The Gramacks'' * ''Gramacks 1974-1976'' * ''The very best of'' * ''Gramacks Best of'' * ''Gramacks New Collector'' * ''Get Up''

Gramacks new generation

* ''Gramacks New Generation'' * ''Jeff Joseph and Gramacks New Generation'' * ''Live'' * ''Best of Gramacks New Generation Live'' * ''Live à St Joseph'' * ''Gramacks forever'' * ''Get Up'' {{Authority control Dominica musical groups