Boney M

Boney M. were a hugely successful disco-music phenomenon in the '70s. The group was originally made up of four Caribbean singers and dancers, directed by German record producer Frank Farian, the main author of the group's songs, who often provided his own voice for some tracks. The first line-up included Maizie Williams, Sheila Bonnick, Nathalie and Mike. After a few departures, the definitive line-up was made up of Marcia Barrett, Liz Mitchell, Maizie Williams and Bobby Farrell. In reality, Marcia Barrett and Liz Mitchell remained the main voices, while the other vocal parts were recorded by Farian himself, leaving Maizie Williams and Bobby Farrell with only secondary parts.

Officially formed in 1976, the group achieved popularity during the disco-music era in the late '70s.

The infectious single "Daddy Cool" reached the UK Top Ten in February 1977, followed in April by a remake of "Sunny". In July, "Ma Baker" narrowly missed the number one spot in the UK, and "Belfast" entered the Top Ten in December. In 1978, Boney M. were at the height of their popularity with "Rivers Of Babylon"/"Brown Girl In The Ring", which became the second best-selling single in UK chart history; "Rivers Of Babylon" was also Boney M.'s only US Top 40 hit. Riding this string of hits, the album "Nightflight To Venus" topped the UK charts.

In October 1978, another smash single, "Rasputin", climbed up the UK Top Ten, followed by "Mary's Boy Child"/"Oh My Lord", which became the fifth best-selling single in UK history. In March 1979, "Painter Man" entered the UK Top Ten, an achievement repeated in May by "Hooray! Hooray! It's A Holi-Holiday". In September, the album "Oceans Of Fantasy" reached number one.

By the late '70s, Boney M., alongside ABBA, had become the most famous pop act of the moment across Europe, Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Arab countries. In 1978, the group was also extraordinarily granted the opportunity to perform on a tour of the Soviet Union.

Starting in the '80s, the band performed in various line-ups with different members. Their music continued to find a warm reception in Europe, with a compilation reaching the UK Top Ten in 1994. In 2017, under the name Boney M., they released the concept album "World Music For Christmas", which blended world hits with Christmas lyrics.

The 2010s saw the death of Bobby Farrell on 30 December 2010 from heart failure in Saint Petersburg, after performing with his band the night before. Both the Mazie Williams line-up and the Farian/Liz Mitchell line-up carried on performing. Williams, with her version of Boney M., toured Australia in 2014, while in 2015 Farian produced a 3-CD box set celebrating Boney M.'s 40th anniversary, featuring a new single with Liz Mitchell's vocals, and a new Boney M. album featuring Liz Mitchell was released in 2017.