B a h a m i a n    M u s i c Sample the Music of the Bahamas Just remember AbacoTunes.com From Sandy Estabrook's Guide to the Abacos, Bahamas The purpose of this page is to provide a short sampling (about 1:20 min. at 32kbps) of primarily Bahamian recording artists. Hopefully it will inspire you to go out and buy some CD's of your own. If your not going to be near a Bahamian gift shop any time soon, see the information listed below. This site is being updated all the time. Note: In 2008 we've enhanced the Caribbean samplings where indicated in the text. THE CARIBBEAN Calypso: For me it all started back in the late 60' as an unexpected consequence of my first Caribbean trip, I fell in love with the music. I remember thinking, "It was where rock should have gone - simple lyrics with a great beat"". Now I had a dilemma, where to buy the music. Luckily I stumbled on a NYC radio station, WLIB 1190, that broadcast the "Caribbean Top Ten" every saturday morning to the large West Indian audience living in Queens and Brooklyn. And of course many of the shows sponsors were record shops. This meant a fifty mile trek every now and then. Anyway, the king then was Trinidadian Calypsonian, Slinger Francisco, affectionately known as the Mighty Sparrow. Those were the days of big band percussion. The only thing electronic was amplification. The horns you heard were the real thing not a key board, and a drum was a drum. I remember dancing to Sparrow's “Miss Mary” (on a 45) being played on Miss Emily's juke box on Green Turtle Cay in Abaco. And that was back in '74. Other Calypsonians of those days of note and deserving of no less honorable mention here are: Lord Kitchener, and the late Lord Shorty. The mid 70's infused electronic percussion and changed Calypso to it's modern day counterpart called Soca, sometime referred to as Soul Calypso. The calypso beat remained only more "galloping" exaggerated and electronically precise. The horns, an integral part of the Caribbean sound, still remained only now produced by a keyboard. Here is a collection of nine. During those times, the only way was to listen to music was by LP or Radio. Some of us will remember listening to a late night music being broadcast over long distance (1000+ miles). The resulting sound would pulsate due to atmospheric conditions. That same pulsating sound was captured unbeknownst by Jamaicans in what we have come to know as Ska. A few samples are here. It was during that first trip to Jamaica that Reggae was just appearing as an offshoot of Ska. The early groups, names we've come to know, were the Wailers, Maytals and the Hepptones with the pioneers of the genre being Toots Hibbert, Peter Tosh, Desmond Decker, Jimmy Cliff, Gregory Issacs and Bob Marly A few early samples. A little later chronologically, the French Islands of Haiti, Martinique and Guadeloupe started producing music of their own which we've come to know as the “hi stepping” Zouk sample. In the French Antilles, Zouk means "party," but it also means a kind of dance music developed for partying. It is light and lively, blending modern technology with traditional instruments, rhythms, and melodies. It goes without saying, the Spanish speaking Caribbean islands and nations also went through an evolution of their own. Suffice it to say, that subject would be too much to cover here with its myriad's of music from Rhumba and Samba to Meringue, Salsa, Cumbia to today's pop music Reggaeton. Another time maybe. THE BAHAMAS During the evolution of Caribbean music the Bahamas under went a metamorphose of its own but first some background. The traditional Music of the Bahamas is Goombay, which combines the musical traditions from Africa with that of the European colonial influence. Goombay, also refers to the type of goatskin drum used to produce the rhythm of this type of music. Of Goombay there were primarily two types: First, Rake ‘n Scrape (sample) which features musicians playing a goombay drum and scraping a carpenters saw while playing melodious tunes on the concertina (a small hexagonal accordion with bellows and with buttons for keys.). A second type, louder and more boisterous is commonly called Junkanoo (sample) generally associated with the parade of the same name. Junkanoo is also a primitive music of tom toms, cowbells and whistles. Think of Junkanoo as the music of the event. A whistle or horn is sounded in cadence with the percussion. There is no melody in its purest sense. Of those two primitive types, rake and scrape dominated and its influence is not uncommon in today's music combined with Caribbean and U.S. influences as you will hear in some of the songs sampled here. In this writer's opinion, the biggest obstacle to Bahamian music is, unfortunately it has no name. Just “Bahamian Music”. Yes it can loosely be called Rake & Scrape but no genre to be recognized or marketed by like Calypso, Soca, Ska, Reggae, Zouk and the many latin rhythms. The early Bahamian king in the music department is Ronnie Butler. He is one of the Bahamian's cultural icons. His songs border on folk with with his distinctive Rake & Scrape background beat and most tell a story of life in the Bahamas like My Bahamian Thing and his 70's classic Burma Road, both sampled here. Ronnie has been no less of an influence on Bahamian Music than the Mighty Sparrow was on Caribbean music and he is still going strong today. He draws big crowds where ever he appears. The ‘90's took Bahamian music to a new level where it is today and featured in most of the songs in the column to the right. Recently a group that brought Bahamian Music to the U.S. was the Baha Men and their number one hit worldwide “Who let the Dogs Out”. It put them and the Bahamas on the musical map. Just the same, I wouldn't call that song Bahamian. It's more of a novelty song as compared to their first Bahamian hit, Mash de Roach which is more true to the Bahamian flavor. It too is one of their songs sampled here. Recent hits have featured songs for “group dance”, Mash the Roach and Hold Your Head and the Pineapple Song, featured in the 2005 movie “After the Sunset” with Pierce Brosnan and others. Since this page is part of my Abaco Guide, I should mention the Abaco bands. Well, I'm often asked where one might find a band especially from folks planning a wedding in the Abacos. My standard reply is the Gully Roosters. They perform primarily on Green Turtle Cay and have been around since I can remember. Sadly they have never produced a CD like other out island groups (Avvy - Inagua, The Brilanders - Eleuthera etc), yet their trade mark song will most assuredly be heard by any visitor; "Let's Go Go to Abaco". It is sampled here and can sometimes be found as a homemade CD single in the Abaco gift shops. The good news is, as of 2006 another band sprang up which we had the pleasure of hearing at the Sea Spray Resort on Elbow Cay. The Hope Town Islanders as they are called, are quite spectacular and are written about in our 2007 update. Finally, there is another category I'd call Tropical Folk or Country Tropic. It is personified in the Bahamas by a fellow who goes by the name of the Barefoot Man. His CD's are in every gift shop in the Abacos. He once lived and worked in the Abacos on Green Turtle Cay although nowadays he hangs his hat in Grand Cayman. He shows up regularly and does a lively concert annually at Nippers on Great Guana Cay which is webcasted around the world. His island hopping life story is featured on out book page. Barefoot's music is more Buffett than Bahamian, yet his songs about the Abacos and the Caribbean in general are terrific. However, to fully appreciate the Bahamian side of his clever lyrics and music, you have to have been to the Abacos and the places mentioned in his music and in my website. Each song will trigger a nerve or memory of a good time. A selection of his songs are featured on this page. - - Sandy A great site for all sorts of Bahamian Music just remember Janice & Bob Camis' BahamaIslandMusic.com. They have a large selection of primarily Bahamian Music. I use them regularly and they ship from Florida so delivery is fast. Still another on line store with stateside shipping is Lew & Kathy's TheMusicMeister.com. They feature many genres of music including quite a large selection of Bahamian music in their Caribbean section. Lastly the Barefoot Man has his own site linked above and the Baha Men's music can additionally be found at Apples' iTunes music store. And as a last resort, just key in the name of an artist, title and the word Bahama in your browser and you'll hit on a Bahamian music outlet for sure. ABACO GUIDE | 2007 Update | Green Turtle Slide Show | Hope Town Slide Show | Boat Rentals | Air Carriers Flotsam & Jetsam | Trip Stories & Fun Sites | Sandy's Solution Inquiries? sandy@motuiti.com

- Songs added 2008 - CD-Best of the Best Vol. 7 4 samplings - - - - - Ø - - - - - CD- A V V Y - Best Kept Secret 3 samplings - - - - - Ø - - - - - CD- Brilanders Getting by on Sunshine 3 samplings - - - - - Ø - - - - - CD- F u n k y   D. Gimmie Da Bahamian Ting 4 samplings - - - - - Ø - - - - - CD- S p i c e Harder Than That 3 samplings - - - - - Ø - - - - - - Songs added 2007 - CD-K.B.'s Bahama Hits Vol. 3 4 samplings. - - - - - Ø - - - - - Rake and Scrape Party by Spank Band - - - - - Ø - - - - - E N E R G Y   B y   V I S A G E (Bahamian Soca) - - - - - Ø - - - - - Bull Frog Song by Eddie Minnis - - - - - Ø - - - - - The Ole Fashioned Way by Phil Stubbs - - - - - Ø - - - - - Paper Doll Sidney Dariling - - - - - Ø - - - - - Moma No Like No Rake 'N Scrape Lassie Doe Boys - - - - - Ø - - - - - I Aint Askin Fa Much Ancient Man - Popular Favorites - CD-Best of the Best Vol. 5 4 samplings - - - - - Ø - - - - - CD-Keep The Vibe Alive 4 samplings - - - - - Ø - - - - - Home Sweet Home By the Baha Men - - - - - Ø - - - - - The Pineapple Song by Dr. Good Size - - - - - Ø - - - - - Let's Go To Abaco by Green Turtles Own, The Gully Roosters - - - - - Ø - - - - - Da Crabs by Stevie S. - - - - - Ø - - - - - My Bahamian Thing by Ronnie Butler - - - - - Ø - - - - - Da Junkanoo by Vissage - - - - - Ø - - - - - Drunk Again Geno D. - - - - - Ø - - - - - Hold Ya Head - Prev #1 Hit by Stevie S. - - - - - Ø - - - - - Lookin' Pretty and Smilein' by Ronnie Butler - - - - - Ø - - - - - Mash De Roach - Prev #1 Hit by The Baha Men - - - - - Ø - - - - - Rock Your Body by Gino D - - - - - Ø - - - - - Stick and Move by Nita - - - - - Ø - - - - - Sugar Apple Guinep by Ira Storr - - - - - Ø - - - - - In the Bahamas checkin out Momas* by Country Gib Guilbeau - - - - - Ø - - - - - Barefoot Man Thong Gone Wrong ('07) If they cut you off at Nippers ('07) If You See Kay Island Jamboree Conched Out at the Conch Inn She's Got Freckles Margarita Daze On Guana Cay Live and Direct the Dancin Fool's in Action