Monyaka is an American

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 ...

band formed in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

that was most active during the 1980s and early 1990s.

History

Monyaka was founded in 1974 by guitarist/singer Errol Moore as the Soul Supersonics, the members originally from

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

.Larkin, Colin (1998) "Monyaka" in ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, , p. 202 The band spent most of their time backing up visiting reggae stars before setting up their own record label, Hevyaka, in 1977 and releasing single " Rocking Time" and album '' Classical Roots''. It took five years for further releases to come out of the group, by which time the group had renamed to Monyaka ( Swahili for "good luck"); in 1982, they released " Stand Up Strong". This itself was not particularly successful, however follow-up single " Go Deh Yaka" was a No. 14 hit in the UK, with then current bass player Paul 'Computer Paul' Henton and #48 on the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Dance Music/Club Play Singles Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...

. They then released '' Reggaenomics'', which, while unsuccessful, spawned Monyaka's final appearance on any chart; "

Reggaematic Funk Reggaematic Funk is a 1983 single by Monyaka. It made #83 on the UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Officia ...

", which made No. 83 in the UK. Monyaka is highly respected as one of the promulgators of the Brooklyn reggae sound and during the late 1970s and early 1980s were the most requested backing band, backing the likes of

Dennis Brown Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD (1 February 1957 – 1 July 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of l ...

Burning Spear Winston Rodney OD (born 1 March 1945), better known by the stage name Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer-songwriter, vocalist and musician. Burning Spear is a Rastafarian and one of the most influential and long-standing roots ar ...

Black Uhuru Black Uhuru is a Jamaican reggae group formed in 1972, initially as Uhuru ( Swahili for 'freedom'). The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years, with Derrick "Duckie" Simpson as the mainstay. They had their most successful per ...

Marcia Griffiths Marcia Llyneth Griffiths (born 23 November 1949) is a Jamaican singer. One reviewer described her by noting "she is known primarily for her strong, smooth-as-mousse love songs and captivating live performances". Biography Born in West Kingst ...

The Mighty Diamonds The Mighty Diamonds were a Jamaican harmony trio, recording roots reggae with a strong Rastafarian influence. The group was formed in 1969 and were best known for their 1976 debut album, ''Right Time'', produced by Joseph Hoo Kim, and the 1979 ...

Culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

The Meditations The Meditations are a reggae vocal harmony group from Jamaica formed in late 1974. They have released several studio albums and are still performing in the 2000s and today. History The Meditations were formed in late 1974, when Danny Clarke le ...

Ken Boothe Kenneth George Boothe OD (born 22 March 1948) is a Jamaican vocalist known for his distinctive vibrato and timbre. Boothe achieved an international reputation as one of Jamaica's finest vocalists through a series of crossover hits that appeal ...

Steel Pulse Steel Pulse are a roots reggae band from the Handsworth area of Birmingham, England. They originally formed at Handsworth Wood Boys School, and were composed of David Hinds (lead vocals, guitar), Basil Gabbidon (lead guitar, vocals), and Ron ...

Peter Tosh Winston Hubert McIntosh, OM (19 October 1944 – 11 September 1987), professionally known as Peter Tosh, was a Jamaican reggae musician. Along with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer, he was one of the core members of the band the Wailers (1963� ...

and

Jimmy Cliff James Chambers OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hold the Order of Merit, t ...

Discography

Albums

*''Classical Roots'' (1983), Hevyaka *''Reggaenomics'' (1984),

Easy Street Easy Street may refer to: Film * ''Easy Street'' (1917 film), a Charlie Chaplin comedy * Easy Street (1930 film), by Oscar Micheaux, US * ''Easy Street'' (TV series), 1986–87 US sitcom Music *Easy Street (band), UK, 1970s **''Easy Street'', ...

Singles

*"Rocking Time" (1977), May Dawn *"Dread for Some" (1977), Hevyaka *"Another Love" (1981), Medious - B-side of "Never Love Another" by Nagasa feat. Mill Henry *"Stand Up Strong" (1982), Mutiny Shadow International *"Go Deh Yaka (Go To the Top)" (1983), Easy Street/

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

/BCM - UK no. 14, ''

'' Dance Music/Club Play Singles no. 48Monyaka Awards
,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. Retrieved August 18, 2013 *"Reggaematic Funk" (1983), Easy Street - UK no. 83 *"Go Deh Yaka" (1984), Taxi *"Got The Beat For Christmas" (1985), A&M - Monyaka presents deejays Hollywood And Tango *"Round the Corner" (1985), Kaya *"Street People (It Ain't Easy)" (1985), A&M *"Do You Know" (198?), High Steppers

References

{{Authority control American reggae musical groups