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Boney M. is a German
reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
,
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
and
disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
music group founded in 1974. It achieved popularity during the disco era in the second half of the 1970s. The band was created by German record producer
Frank Farian Franz Reuther (18 July 1941 – 23 January 2024), known professionally as Frank Farian, was a German record producer and singer who founded the 1970s disco-pop group Boney M., the pop band No Mercy, and the pop band Milli Vanilli. He frequent ...
, who was the group's primary songwriter and singer. Originally based in
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
, the four original members of the band's official line-up were
Liz Mitchell Elizabeth Rebecca Pemberton-Mitchell (born 12 July 1952) is a British singer, best known as one of the original singers of the 1970s disco and reggae band Boney M. Mitchell now lives in Reading, UK. Early life Mitchell was born in the paris ...
and
Marcia Barrett Marcia Barrett (born 14 October 1948) is a British singer and one of the original singers with the vocal group Boney M. Early years Barrett was born in Saint Catherine Parish, British Jamaica; her parents brought her to Croydon, England in ...
from
Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
,
Maizie Williams Maizie Ursula Williams (born 25 March 1951) is a British model, dancer and singer who became one of the original members of the successful 1970s disco music group Boney M. Though she did not sing on the studio recordings of their songs, she ...
from
Montserrat Montserrat ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, wit ...
, and
Bobby Farrell Roberto Alfonso Farrell (6 October 1949 – 30 December 2010) was an Aruban dancer, visual performer, singer and DJ. He was a member of the 1970s and 1980s R&B group Boney M. Biography Birth and early life Farrell was born and raised on ...
from
Aruba Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...
. Since the 1980s, various line-ups of the band have performed with different members. The band sold over 100 million records during their commercial heyday, and are known for hits including " Daddy Cool", " Ma Baker", "
Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
", " Sunny", "
Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin ( – ) was a Russian mystic and faith healer. He is best known for having befriended the imperial family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, through whom he gained considerable influence in the final ye ...
", "
Rivers of Babylon "Rivers of Babylon" is a Rastafari movement, Rastafari song written and recorded by Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton of the Jamaican reggae group the Melodians in 1970. The lyrics are adapted from the texts of Psalms Psalm 19, 19 and Psalm 137, ...
", " Brown Girl in the Ring", "
Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday" is a 1979 single by German Euro disco band Boney M. as an adaptation of the song, " Polly Wolly Doodle". Despite breaking their row of 7 consecutive German #1 singles, peaking at #4, the single was a big h ...
", " Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord" and " Gotta Go Home". They achieved eight number one singles in their native Germany, and two in the United Kingdom, both of which are among that country's all-time bestsellers.


History


1974–1976: Formation and early career

German singer-songwriter
Frank Farian Franz Reuther (18 July 1941 – 23 January 2024), known professionally as Frank Farian, was a German record producer and singer who founded the 1970s disco-pop group Boney M., the pop band No Mercy, and the pop band Milli Vanilli. He frequent ...
recorded the dance track " Baby Do You Wanna Bump" in December 1974. Farian sang the repeated line "Do you do you wanna bump?" in a deep voice, as well as performing the high
falsetto Falsetto ( , ; Italian language, Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ...
chorus. When the record was released as a single in early 1975, it was credited to "Boney M.". Farian had created this pseudonym for himself after watching the Australian television detective series '' Boney'',Boney M by John Shearlaw and David Brown, Hamlin Paperbacks, 1979 -page 35-6 whose main character was named Napoleon Bonaparte. Farian said: After a slow start, the song became a hit in the Netherlands and Belgium. It was then that Farian decided to hire performers to create a troupe for TV appearances. Farian found model-turned-singer
Maizie Williams Maizie Ursula Williams (born 25 March 1951) is a British model, dancer and singer who became one of the original members of the successful 1970s disco music group Boney M. Though she did not sing on the studio recordings of their songs, she ...
, originally from
Montserrat Montserrat ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, wit ...
,
Bobby Farrell Roberto Alfonso Farrell (6 October 1949 – 30 December 2010) was an Aruban dancer, visual performer, singer and DJ. He was a member of the 1970s and 1980s R&B group Boney M. Biography Birth and early life Farrell was born and raised on ...
, a dancer from
Aruba Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...
, and singer
Marcia Barrett Marcia Barrett (born 14 October 1948) is a British singer and one of the original singers with the vocal group Boney M. Early years Barrett was born in Saint Catherine Parish, British Jamaica; her parents brought her to Croydon, England in ...
from Jamaica, who brought in singer
Liz Mitchell Elizabeth Rebecca Pemberton-Mitchell (born 12 July 1952) is a British singer, best known as one of the original singers of the 1970s disco and reggae band Boney M. Mitchell now lives in Reading, UK. Early life Mitchell was born in the paris ...
, also from Jamaica, and a former member of the Les Humphries Singers.


1976–1979: ''Take the Heat off Me'' and international success

Boney M.'s first album, '' Take the Heat off Me'', was released in 1976. It featured tracks that Marcia Barrett had already recorded with Farian, including the title track and "Lovin' or Leavin, both of which were previously recorded in German by another Farian act, Gilla. As Maizie Williams' voice was not considered suitable for recording purposes by Farian, and a try-out with Bobby Farrell performing " No Woman No Cry" did not work, Farian decided to use only Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett, along with his own studio-enhanced voice, to create the Boney M. sound. The album's commercial performance was initially lukewarm. However, the group rigorously toured discos, clubs, and even country fairs to earn a reputation for themselves. The group's big break came at the end of the summer of 1976 when West German television producer Michael "Mike" Leckebusch of
Radio Bremen Radio Bremen (), shortened to RB () is Germany's smallest Public broadcasting, public radio and television broadcaster and the legally mandated broadcaster for the city-state Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (which includes Bremerha ...
requested them for his show ''
Musikladen ''Der Musikladen'' () was a West German music television programme that ran from 13 December 1972 to 29 November 1984. The show continued the 1960s ''Beat-Club'' under a new name, and in turn was replaced by ''Extratour''. History Around 90 ep ...
''. Boney M. appeared on the live music show on 18 September 1976, after 10:00 p.m. and in their daring stage costumes, where they performed the song " Daddy Cool". The song quickly went to no.1 in
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
, with the album following the success of the single. Another single, " Sunny", a cover of the 1966 Bobby Hebb song, gave the group their second no.1 hit. The group's popularity had also grown throughout Europe, with "Daddy Cool" reaching no.1 in Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Spain, France, and Austria. Both singles were also Top 10 hits in the UK, which would become one of their biggest markets. In 1977, Boney M. released their second album, '' Love for Sale'', which contained the hits " Ma Baker" and "
Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
". The group embarked on their first major concert tours with a live band of musicians called The Black Beauty Circus, given their name after Maizie Williams' first band, Black Beautiful People. ''Love for Sale'' was certified Gold a year after its release in the UK. Both singles from the album reached no.1 in West Germany and the UK Top 10. 1978 was the group's biggest year. They released a new double A-sided single, "
Rivers of Babylon "Rivers of Babylon" is a Rastafari movement, Rastafari song written and recorded by Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton of the Jamaican reggae group the Melodians in 1970. The lyrics are adapted from the texts of Psalms Psalm 19, 19 and Psalm 137, ...
" / " Brown Girl in the Ring", which was a hit all over Europe, reaching no.1 in several countries as well as becoming one of the biggest selling singles of all time in the UK. It also became their most successful single in the United States, peaking at no.30 on the U.S. pop singles chart. Following this came their biggest-selling album, '' Nightflight to Venus'', which spawned further hit singles with "
Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin ( – ) was a Russian mystic and faith healer. He is best known for having befriended the imperial family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, through whom he gained considerable influence in the final ye ...
" and " Painter Man". Continuing with their success, they released " Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord", which was the 1978
Christmas number one single Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
in the United Kingdom and became another of the biggest selling singles of all time there. The same year, Boney M. made a much-publicised promotional visit to the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, one of the very few Western acts along with
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...
to do so, although tracks like "Rasputin" were not released in the Soviet Union due to their subject matter. While it had never been a secret that Bobby Farrell never sang on the group's records (Farian did the male vocals in the studio), in 1978 it became public knowledge that Maizie Williams did not sing on the studio recordings either, since "her voice wasn't suited for this kind of music" as Farian stated in an interview with German teen magazine ''
Bravo Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels * Bravo (band), a Russian rock band * Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984 * Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing compa ...
''. Because this had become common practice within the disco genre of the late 1970s, few people caredunlike when Farian repeated the practice to much more severe backlash with
Milli Vanilli Milli Vanilli ( ) was a German duo R&B music act from Munich. The act was created in 1988 by Frank Farian, founder of Boney M., and consisted of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus as the lip-syncing performers, with the two actual main studio sing ...
in the late 1980s. While only two of Boney M.'s official members actually contributed to the sound of the band's records, all four members of the group, including Williams and Farrell, performed the vocals live at Boney M. concerts. The band's live sound was also augmented by several
backing vocalist A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...
s, which served to mitigate any vocal deficiencies the group may have had compared with the studio productions. 1979 saw Boney M. release a brand new single, "
Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday" is a 1979 single by German Euro disco band Boney M. as an adaptation of the song, " Polly Wolly Doodle". Despite breaking their row of 7 consecutive German #1 singles, peaking at #4, the single was a big h ...
", which became another Top 10 hit across Europe. Later in the year they released their fourth album, ''
Oceans of Fantasy ''Oceans of Fantasy'' is the fourth studio album by Euro-Caribbean group Boney M. Released in September 1979, ''Oceans of Fantasy'' became the second Boney M. album to top the UK charts and features the hits " El Lute / Gotta Go Home" and " I'm B ...
'', featuring two hit singles – "Gotta Go Home" / "El Lute" and "I'm Born Again" / "Bahama Mama". The album also included lead and backing vocals credits for the first time. ''Oceans of Fantasy'' reached no.1 in the UK and was certified Platinum, though their run of Top 10 singles had now ended, with "Gotta Go Home" peaking at no.12 and "I'm Born Again" peaking at no.35.


1980–1986: ''The Magic of Boney M.''; departure of Farrell and split

In 1980, Boney M. released a greatest hits album, '' The Magic of Boney M. – 20 Golden Hits'', which also featured two new songs, "My Friend Jack" and "I See a Boat on the River". It made the no.1 spot in the UK, reaching Gold status within six weeks of release, though it was their last big-selling album in the UK. Boney M.'s fifth album had been scheduled for release in November 1980, but the recording sessions dragged on through 1981. When '' Boonoonoonoos'' was finally released by the end of that year, Bobby Farrell departed from the group due to issues with Frank Farian. While still a healthy seller in continental Europe, ''Boonoonoonoos'' failed to crack the UK Top 100 after three consecutive no.1 albums, due to the group being unable to promote it without Farrell. Following this, the group released ''Christmas Album''. In 1982, "Rasputin" was played by local broadcasters in Vietnam during the waiting periods before live games of the España 82 – the 1982
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...
. This led to the popularity of the band in Vietnam for decades following.
Reggie Tsiboe Reggie Tsiboe (born 7 September 1950) is a Ghanaian-British entertainer, dancer and one of the singers of the disco group Boney M. between 1982 and 1986 and later between 1989 and 1990. Career During the 1970s, Tsiboe was a member of the group ...
was hired to replace Farrell as the new male member of Boney M. in 1982, but the singles "
The Carnival is Over "The Carnival Is Over" is a song written by Tom Springfield, for the Australian folk pop group the Seekers. It is based on a Russian traditional music, Russian folk song from about 1883, adapted with original English-language lyrics. The song ...
" and "Jambo" fared poorly, and the group's seventh album '' Ten Thousand Lightyears'', issued in 1984, marked another commercial low point, peaking at number 23 in the German album charts. However, they returned to the German Top 20 in the autumn of 1984 with " Kalimba de Luna" (a Top 10 hit in France) and " Happy Song", the latter seeing Farrell return to the group. Both songs were carbon-copies of the original Italian hits by Tony Esposito and Baby's Gang respectively. By 1985, Farian clearly began losing interest in the group, and their eighth and final studio album '' Eye Dance'' was widely regarded as uninspired and disappointing. After celebrating Boney M.'s 10th anniversary in early 1986, the group officially disbanded after the release of the commercially unsuccessful single " Young, Free and Single", which peaked at no.48 in West Germany.


1990 and on: failed reunions and public interest

From this point, different versions of the group were formed by members, some with the cooperation of Farian, others without, for example by independently obtaining the rights to use the Boney M. name in a different country. One version began touring in the first half of 1987 with Marilyn Scharbaai (Carrilho) taking Liz Mitchell's place. Mitchell returned for a second leg of the tour late 1987, and Marcia Barrett soon left the band. At the same time, Bobby Farrell had set up a deal for a new Boney M. album to be recorded without Farian in Belgium. When Farrell failed to show up for either recording or tour, and as Maizie Williams had never sung on record, the album ended up being released as Liz Mitchell's first solo album, ''No One Will Force You''. Mitchell and Williams completed a tour during 1987–88, adding singer Celena Duncan and Ron Gale as replacements for Barrett and Farrell. Carol Grey later replaced Celena Duncan and Curt De Daran later replaced Ron Gale. In October 1988, the classic Boney M. line-up reunited without producer Frank Farian for the album '' Greatest Hits of All Times – Remix '88'', but tensions ran high between the members, and Mitchell left in the spring of 1989, to be replaced by Madeleine Davis. While Mitchell promoted her solo album, the group recorded the single " Everybody Wants to Dance Like Josephine Baker", without Farian's knowledge or approval. Threatened with legal action by the producer over the use of the Boney M. name, the single was subsequently withdrawn and Farian issued "Stories" with his own new Boney M. line-up featuring Mitchell, Reggie Tsiboe and two new members, Sharon Stevens and Patty Onoyewenjo. "Stories" peaked at number 11 in the Swiss charts, and a second remix album, ''Greatest Hits of All Times – Remix '89 – Volume II'', was released, but fared poorly. 1992 saw a renewed interest in Boney M.'s music with the "Boney M. Megamix" single returning the group to the UK Top 10 for the first time since 1980, and a subsequent greatest hits album, '' Gold – 20 Super Hits'', reaching the UK Top 20 in 1993. While Marcia Barrett, by then living in
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
, had cancer and was unable to perform, Boney M. toured the world with a line-up of Liz Mitchell, Carol Grey, Patricia Lorna Foster and Curt Dee Daran (replaced by Tony Ashcroft in 1994). They released the single " Papa Chico", but it failed to chart. Maizie Williams assembled her own Boney M., with an ever-changing line-up. Bobby Farrell also toured with varying trios of female performers. Mitchell was touring the world with her line-up of Boney M., which was the only line-up officially supported by Farian; a court ruling in 1990 stated that all four members are entitled to perform their own Boney M. shows. Farrell and Mitchell have released solo albums featuring their own re-recordings of Boney M.'s classic hits. Williams released her first solo album in 2006, and her own single version of "Sunny". In 2007, her rendition of "Daddy Cool" with Melo-M hit the number one spot in the Latvian (LMK) Charts. Marcia Barrett has released two solo albums, with a third scheduled for release in 2010. A musical based on the music of Boney M., '' Daddy Cool'', opened in London in August 2006 to mixed reviews and sluggish ticket sales, causing it to close in February 2007. From April to July 2007, the show played in a mobile theatre in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, which was specially designed for it. In April 2007, Australian pop singer Peter Wilson released a song co-written by
Frank Farian Franz Reuther (18 July 1941 – 23 January 2024), known professionally as Frank Farian, was a German record producer and singer who founded the 1970s disco-pop group Boney M., the pop band No Mercy, and the pop band Milli Vanilli. He frequent ...
entitled " Doin' Fine". It was described as "paying tribute to the sound of Boney M." and features the famous string arrangement from their first number 1 hit, "Daddy Cool". Boney M. (featuring Marcia Barrett) made a live appearance at the 37th
International Film Festival of India The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is an annual film festival currently held in Goa, on the western coast of India. The festival aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excel ...
(IFFI), which took place on 23 November 2006 in
Panaji Panaji (; , , )also known as Panjim, is the capital of the Indian state of Goa and the headquarters of North Goa district. Previously, it was the territorial capital of the former Portuguese India. It lies on the banks of the Mandovi river est ...
, the state capital of
Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...
, India. 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 on compact disc with bonus tracks, this time also in the United States (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'' were reissued on compact disc in Europe and the United States, all including bonus tracks. In November 2007, a new Christmas compilation was scheduled for release, as well as the DVD ''Fantastic Boney M. – On Stage and on the Road'', featuring a live performance recorded in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
on 1 November 1977 (the DVD cover erroneously states it to be a live show from
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
), and a film from the band's 1981 visit to
Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
(made to promote the ''Boonoonoonoos'' album that year). Bobby Farrell's Boney M. performed a concert at the Amphi in
Ra'anana Ra'anana () is an affluent city in the southern Sharon, Israel, Sharon Plain of the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel. It was founded in 1922 as an American-Jewish settlement, 1 km south of the village of Tabsur, where a ...
, Israel, in May 2007. On 28 June 2007 Boney M. featuring Matthew Felsenfeld and Liz Mitchell performed at the Oktiabrsky concert hall in
St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...
, Russia. In September 2007, Maizie Williams' Boney M. line-up performed live at the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
in London to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in Africa, performing her own renditions of "Brown Girl in the Ring" and "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday". The legal rights to the name "Boney M." have been a matter of controversy, and even court cases, between the former members of the band and producer Frank Farian ever since the late 1980s. Farian, the man who in effect created the group, continued to work with Liz Mitchell and her line-up all through the 1990s and 2000s. In January 2007, Bobby Farrell's daughter Zanillya Farrell and his ex-wife Yasmina Ayad-Saban renewed the trademark to the name Boney M. in Germany for a 10-year period. In January 2009, Farian released the single "Felicidad America (Obama Obama)", a version of the 1980 Boney M. song "
Felicidad (Margherita) "Felicidad (Margherita)" is a 1980 single by German band Boney M., not included in any original album by the group. It returned the group to the German Top 10, peaking at #6 but was not released in either the UK or Spain. In the Netherlands, the A ...
" with new lyrics about newly elected U.S. president
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
. The song was recorded with two new vocalists, and credited to "Boney M. feat. Sherita O. & Yulee B." In July 2010, Maizie Williams headlined a Boney M. performance at
Ramallah Ramallah ( , ; ) is a Palestinians, Palestinian city in the central West Bank, that serves as the administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusalem, at an average elevation of abov ...
's Cultural Palace, in the
West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
, as part of the Palestine International Festival. The band played "Daddy Cool", "Ma Baker" and "Brown Girl in the Ring", but refrained from playing "Rivers of Babylon", rumoured to be at the event organisers' request because of its description of the Jewish yearning for Zion. Bobby Farrell died at the age of 61 from heart failure on 30 December 2010. His agent said Farrell was complaining of breathing problems after performing with his band the evening before. Farrell lived in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
until his death. His final performance was in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the city where
Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin ( – ) was a Russian mystic and faith healer. He is best known for having befriended the imperial family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, through whom he gained considerable influence in the final ye ...
first became famous and was later killed. Farrell died in a hotel room there, 94 years to the day after Rasputin. Maizie Williams' line-up of Boney M. toured Australia in June 2014. They sang at Guilfest,
Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The nam ...
, UK, on 20 July 2014, and Watchet Live music festival UK, on 24 August 2014. In March 2015, Farian released ''Diamonds'', a three-CD box celebrating the 40th anniversary of Boney M. It featured re-mastered versions of the original hit singles or of previously unreleased versions, a remix disc and the new digital single "Song of Joy", featuring Liz Mitchell. A major DVD set was also released. In February 2017, the group performed at the closing ceremony of Patras Carnival in
Patras Patras (; ; Katharevousa and ; ) is Greece's List of cities in Greece, third-largest city and the regional capital and largest city of Western Greece, in the northern Peloponnese, west of Athens. The city is built at the foot of Mount Panachaiko ...
, Greece. At the end of 2017, the album ''World Music for Christmas'' was released under the name Boney M. and Friends, with Mitchell singing on three songs, along with the single and video "Like Diamonds in the Sky" featuring Mitchell, based on the song "
El Cóndor Pasa EL, El or el may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * El, a List of Shugo Chara! characters#El, character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit * Eleven (Stranger Things), Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fiction ...
". In 2021, a remix of "Rasputin" by house music producer and Kiss FM DJ Kevin Christie was released by
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
's
Ministry of Sound Ministry of Sound or Ministry of Sound Group is a multimedia entertainment business based in London with a nightclub, shared workspace and private members' club, worldwide events operation, music publisher (popular music), music publishing busin ...
label. Credited to Majestic & Boney M (with the former being the DJ alias of Christie), the record reached number 11 on the UK singles chart and was released with a video featuring
Bimini Bon-Boulash Thomas George Graeme Hibbitts (born 12 May 1993), better known by the stage name Bimini Bon-Boulash or Bimini, is an English drag queen, author, recording artist and model based in East London, and born in Great Yarmouth, England. They are be ...
from '' RuPaul's Drag Race UK''. In December 2021, Mitchell was one of the contributors to the Channel 5 music programme ''Britain's Biggest 70s Hits'', alongside other musicians from the era such as
Dean Friedman Dean Friedman (born May 23, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter who plays piano, keyboard, guitar, and harmonica. Although considered a one-hit wonder in the US, he has had multiple singles chart in other territories and continues to write, ...
and
Barry Blue Barry Blue (born Barry Ian Green; 4 December 1950) is an English singer, producer, and songwriter. As an artist, he is best known for his hit songs "Dancin' (on a Saturday Night)" and "Do You Wanna Dance" (both 1973). Blue has also been a pr ...
, and radio presenters like David Hamilton. In August 2023, Boney M., headed by Mitchell, embarked on a multi-city US tour, along with
Samantha Fox Samantha Karen Fox (born 15 April 1966) is an English pop singer and former glamour model from Crouch End in North London. She has appeared on reality television shows and has occasionally worked as a television presenter and actress. Fox beg ...
and
Bad Boys Blue Bad Boys Blue are a Pop music, pop group formed in Cologne in 1984. The group performed many international hits including "You're a Woman", "Pretty Young Girl (Bad Boys Blue song), Pretty Young Girl", "I Wanna Hear Your Heartbeat (Sunday Girl) ...
, which included stops in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
,
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, New York City and San Jose. The shows were put together by Los Angeles-based promoters LA Concert Group. In January 2024, the group's producer and main founder Frank Farian died, aged 82. The group were scheduled for a farewell tour in Australia in June and July, 2024.


UK record sales achievements

In 1978, "Rivers of Babylon", a cover of a track by
The Melodians The Melodians are a rocksteady band formed in the Greenwich Town area of Kingston, Jamaica, in 1963, by Tony Brevett (born 1949, nephew of The Skatalites bassist, Lloyd Brevett), Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton.
with lyrics partly based on Psalm 137 and partly on Psalm 19, became (at the time) the second highest-selling single of all time in the UK. After remaining at no.1 for five weeks, "Rivers of Babylon" began dropping down the chart, at which point the
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
"Brown Girl in the Ring" was given extensive radio airplay, and the single ascended to no.2. The single spent six months in the UK Top 40, including 19 weeks in the Top 10. It eventually sold more than two million copies, the second single to do so, and is still one of only seven to achieve this feat. The group achieved a second UK million-seller with their version of the calypso song "
Mary's Boy Child "Mary's Boy Child", also known as "Mary's Little Boy Child", is a 1956 Christmas song written by Jester Hairston. It is widely performed as a Christmas carol. History The song had its genesis when Hairston was sharing a room with a friend. The fr ...
", released as a medley, "Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord", the first title having previously been a million-seller for
Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte ( ; born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor, and civil rights activist who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s and 1960s. Belafonte ...
. The single sold more than 1.8 million copies, 1.6 million of which were in the four weeks the song was at No. 1 in December 1978. Boney M. is the only artist to appear twice in the top 12 best selling singles of all time in the UK, with "Rivers of Babylon" in seventh place and "Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord" at number 11. They are also one of six artists to sell a million copies with two singles in the same year.


Back catalogue

Compared to other best-selling artists of the 1970s, like
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,
Donna Summer Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...
, and the
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, the Boney M. discography is quite unusual, in that while the greater part of the band's back catalogue has been remixed, remade, remodeled and reissued all through the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s by producer Frank Farian and record company BMG-Ariola (now
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
), most of the original 7" and 12" versions issued on vinyl in the 1970s and early 1980s remained unavailable on CD until 2007, when they were released on various compilations, most notably ''The Collection'' (2008), the ''Ultimate Boney M.'' series (2008), ''Let It All Be Music: The Party Album'' (2009), ''Hit Story'' (2010) and ''Diamonds'' (2015). Some of these CDs were compiled by Frank Eberlein, who had also been interviewed on a fansite called "Fantastic Boney M." about the compiling process. "Greatest hits" collections containing edited and/or overdubbed versions of the original recordings are still being released, such as ''Boney M. & Friends (Their Ultimate Top 40 Collection)'' (2017), ''Rasputin – Big And Strong: The Greatest Hits of Boney M.'' (2021) and the 2022 re-issue of the 2006 compilation '' The Magic of Boney M.''


Popularity outside the West

Boney M. was hugely popular in the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
in the 1970s, although the song "Rasputin" was banned by the Soviet authorities from being played at the group's concert in Moscow in December 1978. The song has been used in several films and television shows, including '' Johnny English Strikes Again'', ''
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'', ''
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'' and in the ''
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'' special ''
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'', in which The Master dances to the song while disguised as Rasputin himself. In the Soviet film ''
Repentance Repentance is reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition or regret for past or present wrongdoings, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show and prove a change for the better. In modern times, it is generally seen ...
'' (1984, released 1987), "Sunny" is played at a party attended by high-ranked communist officials. The song is also played during a few parts of the successful Korean film of the same name, '' Sunny''. During the 2002 presidential election campaign of South Korea, then-candidate
Roh Moo-hyun Roh Moo-hyun (, ; 1 September 1946 – 23 May 2009) was a South Korean politician and lawyer who served as the ninth president of South Korea from 2003 to 2008. Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for ...
, who eventually won the presidency at that event, used "Bahama Mama" to promote his aim of positive political reform. The 2005 Chinese film '' Shanghai Dreams'' features a scene depicting a rural Chinese disco in 1983, with teenagers dancing to "Rivers of Babylon" and "Gotta Go Home". In the 2008 Kazakh film '' Tulpan'', the tractor driver Boni continually plays a cassette of "Rivers of Babylon", an example of his fascination for all things Western. In the 2008 Chinese film '' Cheung Gong 7 hou'' (English title: '' CJ7''), "Sunny" is a vital part of the soundtrack. "Sunny" is the theme song of the 2011 Taiwanese drama, '' Sunny Girl''. The song has also appeared in ''
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'' and ''
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''. Boney M. was immensely popular in India throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Liz Mitchell recalled her visits to India in the 1980s in a 2015 interview with ''
Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media Limited, an entity controlled by the Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia, the daughter o ...
'': "It was amazing. We've had the most-wonderful tours here. We even went out shopping to so many places. We met several Bollywood stars and had dinners with them."


Personnel

*
Liz Mitchell Elizabeth Rebecca Pemberton-Mitchell (born 12 July 1952) is a British singer, best known as one of the original singers of the 1970s disco and reggae band Boney M. Mitchell now lives in Reading, UK. Early life Mitchell was born in the paris ...
– lead and backing vocals (1976–1986, 1988–1989, 1990, 1992–present) *
Marcia Barrett Marcia Barrett (born 14 October 1948) is a British singer and one of the original singers with the vocal group Boney M. Early years Barrett was born in Saint Catherine Parish, British Jamaica; her parents brought her to Croydon, England in ...
– lead and backing vocals (1975–1986, 1988–1989) *
Maizie Williams Maizie Ursula Williams (born 25 March 1951) is a British model, dancer and singer who became one of the original members of the successful 1970s disco music group Boney M. Though she did not sing on the studio recordings of their songs, she ...
– dancer, live vocals (1975–1986, 1988–1989) *
Bobby Farrell Roberto Alfonso Farrell (6 October 1949 – 30 December 2010) was an Aruban dancer, visual performer, singer and DJ. He was a member of the 1970s and 1980s R&B group Boney M. Biography Birth and early life Farrell was born and raised on ...
– dancer, live vocals (1975–1981, 1984–1986, 1988–1989; died 2010) *
Reggie Tsiboe Reggie Tsiboe (born 7 September 1950) is a Ghanaian-British entertainer, dancer and one of the singers of the disco group Boney M. between 1982 and 1986 and later between 1989 and 1990. Career During the 1970s, Tsiboe was a member of the group ...
– lead and backing vocals (1982–1986, 1990)


Discography

Albums *'' Take the Heat off Me'' (1976) *'' Love for Sale'' (1977) *'' Nightflight to Venus'' (1978) *''
Oceans of Fantasy ''Oceans of Fantasy'' is the fourth studio album by Euro-Caribbean group Boney M. Released in September 1979, ''Oceans of Fantasy'' became the second Boney M. album to top the UK charts and features the hits " El Lute / Gotta Go Home" and " I'm B ...
'' (1979) *'' Boonoonoonoos'' (1981) *'' Christmas Album'' (1981) *'' Ten Thousand Lightyears'' (1984) *'' Eye Dance'' (1985)


References


External links


Fantastic Boney M. – The Story of Boney M.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boney M Musical groups established in 1975 German disco groups German Eurodisco groups German pop music groups 1975 establishments in West Germany Atlantic Records artists German musical quartets 1986 disestablishments in West Germany Musical groups disestablished in 1986 Hansa Records artists English-language musical groups from Germany