Ep. 176: Boney M – Original Band Members
Intro
Hello and Welcome to this episode of the podcast, "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge.
I’m Jans your Mnemonic Man and today's episode is an odd one. One where most of my research started and finished with one man. A man that the general public probably wouldn’t have heard of, but one, where I would say, would have to be one of the biggest names in music history, in terms of what he produced and achieved. His name is Frank Farian and he is the man that created the band, Boney M. back in 1976.
He was born in Kirn, Germany on 18th July 1941. He trained to be a cook but discovered music after which he formed a band called “Frankie Boys Schatten.” This was not to last though and he went on to sign a recording contract as a solo performer.
Things then took a drastic turn when he recorded a dance song called “Baby Do You Wanna Bump” which was off genre for him, but when the song took off and the people wanted to see it performed Farian hired four artists with stage presence and appeal and thus began the band Boney M.
The next twist here is that only two of the band members sang, with the other two lip-syncing their way through performances. Further to this Farian would use his own studio enhanced voice to achieve the Boney M. sound.
From here Boney M. went from strength to strength selling millions of albums all around the world. Their blend of disco, funk, and reggae led to an avalanche of hits such as Ma Baker, Rivers of Babylon, Daddy Cool, Rasputin, Brown Girl in the Ring, and Sunny, which is just to name a few.
They were together for around ten years and left an indelible mark on the music industry along with spreading happiness and joy to millions of people around the world.
Today’s mnemonic will be on Boney M.'s original Band members
So, with that being said, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.
Wikipedia Summary
Boney M. are a reggae, funk and disco music group founded in 1974, who achieved popularity during the disco era of the second half of the 1970s.[1]
The band was created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary songwriter and singer. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the band's official line-up were Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett from Jamaica, Maizie Williams from Montserrat, and Bobby Farrell from Aruba. Since the 1980s, various line-ups of the band have performed with different members.
The band has sold millions of records worldwide and is known for international hits including "Daddy Cool", "Ma Baker", "Belfast", "Sunny", "Rasputin", "Rivers of Babylon/Brown Girl in the Ring", "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord" and "Gotta Go Home".[2]
1974–1976: Formation and early career
German singer-songwriter Frank Farian 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 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,[3] whose main character was named Napoleon Bonaparte. Farian said:
I turned on the TV one day and it was the end of a detective series. I just caught the credits and it said Boney. Nice name, I thought – Boney, Boney, Boney... Boney M. Boney, Boney, Boney M. Nice sound. Simple.[3]
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, originally from Montserrat, Bobby Farrell, a dancer from Aruba, and singer Marcia Barrett from Jamaica who brought in singer Liz Mitchell, also from Jamaica and a former member of the Les Humphries Singers.
Extracted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boney_M.]
Mnemonic
Boney M – Original Band Members Mnemonic – Boney M. Love Music
(Picture Boney M. performing for free; just for their love of music)
1. Bobby Farrell
2. Maizie Williams
3. Liz Mitchell
4. Marcia Barrett
Five Fun Facts
1. Boney M started in 1974 through one man, and that man was singer and songwriter Frank Farian. He was entrenched and known in the romantic and emotional genre otherwise known as schlager, however, he recorded a dance track called “Baby Do You Wanna Bump” which the label “Hansa” loved and wanted to release. Farian was reluctant as it was outside his genre and might confuse his fans. Thus, the Boney M name was established.
2. Boney M first song “Baby Do You Wanna Bump” became a hit and there was now pressure for live performances. Farian couldn’t do that because of his perceived image so he decided to form a band to represent his brand Boney M. So, he recruited model turned singer Maizie Williams from Monserrat, Bobby Farrell, a dancer from Aruba, and singers Marcia Barrett and Liz Mitchell from Jamaica.
3. Boney M first album “Take The Heat Off Me” which contained the songs “Daddy Cool” and “Sunny” was an international success and the band worked hard to promote through touring. Though Farian attempted to use the voices of both Maizie Williams and Bobby Farrell they were deemed unsuitable leaving the vocal responsibility to both Marcia Barrett, Liz Mitchell, and surprisingly Frank Farian who would enhance his voice in the studio.
4. Their big breakthrough came in 1976 when they appeared on the music show Music Laden where they performed “Daddy Cool” whose popularity swept right through Europe. This led to a second album in 1977 “Love For Sale” which contained the hits “Ma Baker” and “Belfast” which was followed by a concert tour. Their most successful album came in 1978 with “Night Flight To Venus” where the band was at the zenith of their success.
5. Bobby Farrell left the band in 1981 due to clashes with Farian and was replaced by Reggie Tsiboe. He attempted a solo career but then rejoined in 1984 before his final exit and the groups disbanding on their tenth anniversary in 1986.
6. Our bonus fact explains what happened to the band members following their disbanding.
Bobby Farrell continued on his own with three female backing singers under the name Bobby Farrell of Boney M before passing at 61 years old in 2010. It is also worth mentioning that after Boney M. he struggled to find work in Rotterdam and lived off welfare and was also in prison for a few weeks after attempting to set his wife on fire.
Maizie Williams also formed her own Boney M group, along with releasing her first solo record.
Marcia Barrett recorded rock tracks, dance tracks, and albums around being diagnosed with ovarian cancer which was followed by a recurrence.
Liz Mitchell released a solo album called “No One Will Force You” and like Bobby and Maizie also formed her own Boney M group called, “Boney M. featuring Liz Mitchell.”
Finally, Frank Farian who passed away at the age of 82 in 2024. But not before founding the Latin group “No Mercy,” and the pop band “Milli Vanilli.” By the end of his career, he had sold over 850 million records and earned 800 gold and platinum certifications. An absolutely mind-blowing feat!
Three Question Quiz
Q.1. Which two members did not have their voice on recordings because they were deemed unsuitable?
Q.2. Did Bobby Farrell die in Saint Petersburg, Russia exactly 94 years after Rasputin was killed in the same city? Is that True or False
Q.3. What was the title of Boney M.'s first major tour? Options are “Boney on Tour,” “The Black Beauty Circus,” or “Big M”
Bonus Q. Which Asian country did Boney M become extremely popular in, when their song “Rasputin” was played by local broadcasters during the waiting periods before games in the 1982 Spain FIFA World Cup? Hint: The country has a famous Bay
Mnemonic Recap
Boney M – Original Band Members – Boney M. Love Music
(Picture Boney M. performing for free; just for their love of music)
1. Bobby Farrell
2. Maizie Williams
3. Liz Mitchell
4. Marcia Barrett
Three Question Quiz Answers
Q.1. Which two members did not have their voice on recordings because they were deemed unsuitable?
A. Maizie Williams and Bobby Farrell
Q.2. Did Bobby Farrell die in Saint Petersburg, Russia exactly 94 years after Rasputin was killed in the same city? Is that True or False
A. True
Q.3. What was the title of the band’s first major tour? Options are “Boney on Tour,” “The Black Beauty Circus,” or “Big M”
A. “The Black Beauty Circus” which came from Maizie Williams’ first band, Black Beautiful People
Bonus Q. Which Asian country did Boney M become extremely popular in, when their song “Rasputin” was played by local broadcasters during the waiting periods before games in the 1982 Spain FIFA World Cup? Hint: The country has a famous Bay
A. The famous bay is Ha Long Bay and that country is Vietnam, where their songs are still played at weddings and other celebrations
Word of the Week
divulgate
[ dih-vuhl-geyt ]
verb
to make publicly known; publish
Example
Frank Farian probably should have chosen to divulgate that Milli Vanilli, which was Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus, were not the voices behind the songs when they won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1990.
Now, just by memory, I’m sure that was the same year that a computer also won a Grammy. Apparently, A Dell!
Extracted from: [https://www.dictionary.com/]
👉 Free Memory Mnemonics at:
https://www.themnemonictreepodcast.com
Listen on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-mnemonic-tree-podcast/id1591795132
Listen on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3T0LdIJ9PBQMXM3cdKd42Q?si=fqmaN2TNS8qqc7jOEVa-Cw
References
https://kids.kiddle.co/Boney_M.
https://medium.com/@chrisopera132/the-boney-m-story-and-exploitation-at-its-finest-6d501e0aa50d
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKxogOvSy8c
https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/5c81658e643c3d001a5f079e/boney-m