On the Cover: Bonny M

Boney M. is a Eurodisco group created by German record producer Frank Farian. Originally based in Germany, the four original members of the groups official line-up were Jamaicans Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett, Maizie Williams from Montserrat and Bobby Farrell from Aruba. The group was formed in 1975 and achieved popularity during the disco era of the late 1970sGerman singer-songwriter Frank Farian (real name Franz) 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 (entirely studio created) as well as performing the high falsetto chorus. When the record was released as a single, it was credited to Boney M., a pseudonym Farian had created for himself after watching the Australian detective show Boney. After a slow start, the song became a hit in the Netherlands and Belgium. It was then that Farian decided to hire performers to front the group for TV performances. The Katja Wolfe booking agency found model-turned-singer Maizie Williams and her Jamaican singer friend Sheyla Bonnick for him, along with a dancer known only as Mike for the first gigs. Also during 1975, a girl named Nathalie joined but was soon replaced by Claudja Barry. 1978 was the groups biggest year. They released a new double A-sided single, Rivers of Babylon/Brown Girl in the Ring, which became a massive hit all over Europe, reaching number 1 in several countries as well as becoming one of the biggest selling singles of all time in the UK. Following this, came their biggest-selling album, Night flight to Venus, which spawned another hit single, Rasputin. Continuing with their success, they released Marys Boy Child/Oh My Lord, which was the 1978 Christmas number one single in the United Kingdom and became another of the biggest selling singles of all time there. Sadly, Boney Ms Bobby Farrell died late last year .The front man died in St Petersburg on same date and in the exact same town as mad Russian monk Rasputin - who was the subject of the bands 1978 top three single. The eccentric front man was found dead in his hotel room aged just 61 just hours after a performance in the city where the band rose to stardom in the Soviet era. Ends