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lead singer.) In 1962, the group competed and was a finalist in a national mento band competition held at the Ward
Theater in Kingston. The national renown that followed probably also led to international attention. For example, the group auditioned for Jean Farduli, the proprietor of the Blue Angel Supper Club in Chicago (a venue famous for showcasing West Indian music) in 1964. Although it is unclear whether the Jolly Boys passed Farduli's audition, they did travel to
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Minott, who was born on 14 September 1938, was 78 years old. He had suffered from respiratory problems for some time. Derrick "Jonny" Henry (Rumba Box) died on March 13, 2019. Henry, who was born on 5 July 1939, was 79 years old. He died quietly at his home in Port
Antonio. Banjo player Lenford "Brutus" Richards passed away suddenly in May 2023.
108:) and several 45s. Although the St. Ann's-based Jolly Boys existed only during the 1970s, its seeming lack of relationship to the group led by Moses Deans created considerable confusion about whether the two groups were related. The two did co-exist, neither, it seems, to the detriment of the other.
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After Moses Deans died in 1998, the group carried on, playing mainly in Port
Antonio. In the early 2000s, a rift developed between band members and the group again split into two different "Jolly Boys" bands, one led by Swymmer (which was sometimes called "Allan Swymmer's Mento Band), and the other
195:
Although its core group has remained fairly stable over the past sixty years, a full list of the Jolly Boys members would include a large number of official but transient members. Today, the "original" group consists of Albert Minott (lead vocals), Derrick "Johnny" Henry (rumba box), Allan
Swymmer
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In the early 1960s, the Jolly Boys' reputation grew substantially. It performed at hotels and for private parties, often alongside a floorshow/dance troupe. (One of the troupes they typically performed with was led by Albert Minott, at that time an occasional Jolly Boys member and now its current
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on drums & percussions; and Harold
Dawkins "Jah T" on guitar). Long time member Joseph "Powda" Bennett died on 20 August 2014 after a respiratory illness, aged 76. Albert Minott, lead singer of the band from 2009, died on 30 June 2017. He died peacefully sitting on his veranda in Port Antonio.
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and drum, Martell Brown on guitar, and David "Sonny" Martin on guitar. One of the group's regular substitutes in this period was percussionist Allan
Swymmer, who joined the group as a full member in the 1960s. This group was very popular throughout Port Antonio and earned the reputation of being
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saw the band during a visit to the
Trident Hotel in 1989, he decided to produce an album of the group's music. This was the first of four albums the group released between 1989 and 1997. (Many of these albums have been subsequently reissued.) These recordings led to several world tours, an
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The rift between the two bands lasted until 2006 or 2007. When GeeJam opened as a hotel in 2008, the again-reunited Jolly Boys became its house band. The quality of their performances–and particularly the strength and charisma of lead singer Albert Minott–led GeeJam's co-owner
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Because several of the Jolly Boys' original members had died by the end of the 1970s, the group foundered for a short period. However, around 1980 Swymmer moved back to Port
Antonio and, together with Deans, reformed the Jolly Boys with Joseph "Powda" Bennett on the rumba box.
124:, The Jolly Boys were filmed performing the song Sarah. They can be seen performing in orange shirts with "The Jolly Boys" written across the front. While they were not credited, both the song and the band appear.
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and formed a second, concurrent "Jolly Boys" group composed of musicians local to that area. This group mainly performed in the parish, but they recorded two albums (
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196:(percussion), and Egbert Watson (banjo). The current touring band mixes three of the original members (Minott, Bennett and Henry) with three younger members (
66:. After this group split in 1955, Deans and Brown formed The Jolly Boys (a name Errol Flynn is said to have coined) with Derrick "Johnny" Henry on
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183:. In November 2009, ethnomusicologist Daniel Neely was brought to play banjo and act as the project's music director. The album, called
241:(6 cd box set of previously unreleased material, including live recordings from their 1990 WOMAD festival appearance in Reading.(JB)
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led by
Bennett. It was during this time that the Jolly Boys–both groups, depending on availability–were first hired to play at
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In the 1970s, the Jolly Boys continued to perform in Port
Antonio, but also took work elsewhere in Jamaica, most notably at the
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The group found quick work at all the major hotels and was in great demand locally. When singer-songwriter and producer
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The Jolly Boys grew out of a group called the Navy Island Swamp Boys that formed on 11 April 1945, and often played at
155:–then a residential recording studio–to entertain the artists working there. (Over the years, this list has included
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was released in late 2010, and yielded an international tour representing a new stage in Jolly Boys history.
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62:'s parties. This group included Moses Deans on banjo and guitar, Noel Lynch on Guitar and "Papa" Brown on
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to co-produce an album of rock covers done in a "modern" mento style with in-house studio engineer
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27:. It was formed in 1945 and had great commercial success in the late 1980s and 1990s among
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388:'Mento, Jamaica's Original Music': Development, Tourism and the Nationalist Frame
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in 1966 for what was the first of several six-month engagements.
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390:(PhD Dissertation). New York University. pp. 293–294.
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in Montego Bay. However, in 1969 Allan Swymmer moved to
503:"Jolly Boys musician 'Brutus' dies suddenly in Portland"
273:UK Release (Geejam Recordings/Wall of Sound/PIAS)
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477:"Jolly Boys' lead singer Albert Minott is dead"
35:fans. They released a new album in 2010
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341:"Jolly Boys Calypso Group for Chicago".
239:Quake with fear, The Jolly Boys are here
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71:the finest mento band in the parish.
356:"The World and his Wife: Portland".
326:"Calypso Band Contest Grand Final".
120:During the 1983 filming of the film
39:and are currently the house band at
212:Roots of Reggae: Music From Jamaica
102:Roots of Reggae: Music From Jamaica
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448:Brooks, Sadeke (24 August 2014).
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285:Classic Mento from Port Antonio
450:"For He's A Jolly Good Fellow"
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402:"Mento Music: The Jolly Boys"
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278:Great Expectation US Edition
219:Jolly Boys at Club Caribbean
106:Jolly Boys at Club Caribbean
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43:, a hotel in Port Antonio.
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537: (archived 2016-01-14)
360:. 5 June 1966. p. 21.
345:. 3 March 1964. p. 6.
330:. 17 July 1962. p. 7.
253:Beer Joint & Tailoring
386:Neely, Daniel T. (2008).
371:Aspinall, Gloria (2001).
280:(Geejam Recordings/EOne)
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563:Jamaican musical groups
132:appearance in the film
305:"About The Jolly Boys"
122:Zombie Island Massacre
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257:First Warning Records
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25:Port Antonio, Jamaica
373:Cast The First Stone
507:jamaica-gleaner.com
315:on 15 January 2016.
437:on 26 August 2014.
309:jollyboysmusic.com
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549:at MentoMusic.com
271:Great Expectation
266:(Respect Records)
246:Sunshine N' Water
198:Dale Dizzle Virgo
185:Great Expectation
181:Dale Dizzle Virgo
140:Denzel Washington
37:Great Expectation
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531:Official website
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427:"The Jolly Boys"
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94:Round Hill Hotel
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547:The Jolly Boys
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541:The Jolly Boys
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483:. 30 June 2017
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191:Current Lineup
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17:The Jolly Boys
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511:. Retrieved
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214:(Lyrichord)
205:Discography
129:Jules Shear
60:Errol Flynn
33:world music
557:Categories
292:References
248:(Rykodisc)
21:mento band
461:24 August
177:Jon Baker
64:rumba box
232:Rykodisc
161:Gorillaz
157:No Doubt
533:at the
513:30 July
68:maracas
283:2014
276:2011
269:2010
262:1997
251:1991
244:1991
237:1990
224:1989
217:1979
210:1977
159:, the
153:GeeJam
41:GeeJam
29:reggae
19:are a
568:Mento
165:Drake
146:2000s
138:with
88:1970s
75:1960s
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489:2017
463:2014
413:2017
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