Marcia Barrett
Encyclopedia
Marcia Barrett is one of the original singers with the vocal group, Boney M
.
and Rex Gildo
. In 1971, she signed to Metronome
and made her first record, "Could Be Love", written for her by Drafi Deutscher
. It sold poorly. She kept touring with songs such as "Son of a Preacher Man
", "Oh Happy Day
", "Big Spender
" and another Deutscher composition, "Londonderry", later a hit for Boney M. as "Belfast".
, Frank Farian
. The single sold in the Benelux
countries. When singer Claudja Barry
left in early 1976, Barrett suggested a fellow Jamaican, Liz Mitchell
, as replacement. Mitchell happened to be a singer and Farian tried her and Barrett for a follow-up. The recording was "Daddy Cool" and Boney M.'s first album Take the Heat Off Me
, in 1976. After an appearance on the German television program
me, Musikladen
in September, the group was in the charts all over Europe, and a series of hit singles and albums followed over the next decade.
Boney M. counted four official members, but only Barrett and Liz Mitchell
were in the recording studio
when Boney M.'s records were recorded. Frank Farian (and 1982-85 a new male member Reggie Tsiboe
) provided male vocals which Bobby Farrell
mimicked in performances. While Mitchell was regarded as the lead singer due to her larger number of vocals, Barrett contributed harmony on all the group's well-known songs and shared the lead with Mitchell on hits such as "Ma Baker", "Rasputin" and "Gotta Go Home". She also led on a couple of tracks on each of the group's studio albums up to Christmas Album
(1981) including the title of the first album Take the Heat Off Me
and "Lovin' or Leavin'". These were also released as a Barrett solo single in 1977. From the second album Love for Sale
, Barrett's "Belfast" from her solo years became the second single off the album, and a German #1 and a European Top 10 hit. On that album, she also performed "Silent Lover".
On Nightflight to Venus
, Barrett sang "Nightflight To Venus" and a cover of "King of the Road
" as well as the original "Never Change Lovers in the Middle of the Night" which became a standard during the group's performances. She sang the a capella intros of Boney M.'s 1978 Christmas hit, "Mary's Boy Child
/Oh My Lord", and "Ribbons of Blue", was lead singer of "No Time to Lose" on the group's 1979 album Oceans of Fantasy
and had a solo on the opening track "Let It All Be Music".
After an unsuccessful solo single "You" in the late 1980, written by Kelvin James, she abandoned her solo project. Farian took one of the songs written by James for her, "Breakaway", and used it on Boney M.'s next album Boonoonoonoos
- with his own vocals on verses. Barrett, however, became the lead singer of single "We Kill the World (Don't Kill the World)" in 1981. Although only a modest hit in the UK (#39), it topped the charts in Spain and South Africa. The group became less popular from 1982 onwards, when Bobby Farrell was replaced by Reggie Tsiboe.
During recordings of 1982-83, Barrett felt overlooked as she was offered no new lead vocals. In 1983, her future husband, Marcus James, introduced her to Eddy Grant
who produced demos with her for CBS
. Farian reminded her she was still contractually committed to Boney M. On their seventh album Ten Thousand Lightyears
, apart from a short solo part on "Wild Planet", she is only occasionally heard on backing vocals. On their final album Eye Dance
, she can barely be heard on other than "Got Cha Loco", and on the group's reunion remix album, Greatest Hits of All Times - Remix '88
, her vocals were toned down on most tracks.
After Liz Mitchell's departure during the 1989 tour, Madeleine Davis joined the group. When Farian announced he would not be making any new recordings, the group went to France to record "Everybody Wants to Dance Like Josephine Baker" with producer Barry Blue
. Barrett did all lead and backing vocals on the A-side
, but Farian withdrew the single, angry that the group used the name Boney M. After a court case in 1990, the group members went their separate ways.
" and a new track called "Seasons" were played on a Dutch radio show, but neither track was released. In 2003, a benefit EP No War! Peace and Love was released as a protest against the US military intervention in Iraq, and generated $295 for the War Child
charity.
", a new version of "Belfast", as well as original recordings written by her and her husband Marcus. in addition a cover of Fleetwood Mac
's instrumental "Albatross
", for which Barrett had been allowed to add her own lyrics by its composer Peter Green
, and the song "Rip It Up" were also part of the tracklisting. She now tours with her own version of Boney M. She reunited with Liz Mitchell and Frank Farian at the London and Berlin premières of the Daddy Cool
musical, although she did not sing on the new recording "A Moment of Love", added to the group's compilation The Magic of Boney M.
.
In October 2007, Barrett turned down a song for the album Disco 2008, a project by UK producer Ian Levine
. In October, she and her Boney M. were invited by President Mikhail Saakashvili to perform in South Ossetia
in Georgia
.
On 8 March 2008, Barrett performed with her band at the palace grounds in Bangalore
, India
as "Boney M. featuring Marcia Barrett". In
2009 she started Xoah Records; the first release being a remix of her Survival track "Seeing Is Believing", released on 6 March 2009, followed by "I Don't Know Why". While her third solo album Strange Rumours had been announced to follow, the album was put on hold when she was hit by another bout of cancer.
Barett is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy
.
Boney M
Boney M. is a Eurodisco group created by German record producer Frank Farian. Originally based in Germany, the four original members of the group's official line-up were Jamaicans Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett, Maizie Williams from Montserrat and Bobby Farrell from Aruba...
.
The early years
She was brought up in England and in the late 1960s moved to Germany. She joined a band and toured with Karel GottKarel Gott
Karel Gott is a Czech Schlager singer, and an amateur painter. He is considered as the most successful male singer in former Czechoslovakia and currently in the Czech Republic; he has being voted the Most Favorite Male Singer in the annual national pool Český slavík in total thirty-six times...
and Rex Gildo
Rex Gildo
Rex Gildo was a German singer of Schlager ballads who reached the height of his popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, selling over 25 million records and starring in film and television roles....
. In 1971, she signed to Metronome
Metronome
A metronome is any device that produces regular, metrical ticks — settable in beats per minute. These ticks represent a fixed, regular aural pulse; some metronomes also include synchronized visual motion...
and made her first record, "Could Be Love", written for her by Drafi Deutscher
Drafi Deutscher
Drafi Deutscher was a German singer and composer of Sinti origin.-Biography:He was born Drafi Franz Richard Deutscher in Berlin. His best known song was the 1965 Schlager "Marmor, Stein und Eisen bricht" which sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc...
. It sold poorly. She kept touring with songs such as "Son of a Preacher Man
Son of a Preacher Man
"Son of a Preacher Man" is a song recorded by Dusty Springfield in September 1968 and featured on the album, Dusty in Memphis. It was written by John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins. The rights to cover "Son of a Preacher Man" were originally offered to Aretha Franklin, who turned it down...
", "Oh Happy Day
Oh Happy Day
"Oh Happy Day" is a 1967 gospel music arrangement of an 18th century hymn. Recorded by the Edwin Hawkins Singers, it became an international hit in 1969, reaching US #4 and UK #2 on the pop charts...
", "Big Spender
Big Spender
"Big Spender" is a song written by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields for the musical Sweet Charity, first performed in 1966. It is sung, in the musical, by the dance hostess "girls"; it was choreographed by Bob Fosse for the Broadway musical and the film...
" and another Deutscher composition, "Londonderry", later a hit for Boney M. as "Belfast".
The Boney M. years
In 1975, she joined Boney M. a group of models and dancers to make discothèque and telelvison performances of "Baby Do You Wanna Bump", a song recorded by the record producerRecord producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, Frank Farian
Frank Farian
Frank Farian , is a German record producer and songwriter. He started out as a trained cook before moving into the music industry...
. The single sold in the Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
countries. When singer Claudja Barry
Claudja Barry
Claudja Barry, is a singer and actress who has performed in the European versions of the stage musicals Hair and Catch My Soul.-Early music career:...
left in early 1976, Barrett suggested a fellow Jamaican, Liz Mitchell
Liz Mitchell
Liz Mitchell is a singer, best known as the former lead singer of the 1970s disco/pop band, Boney M.-Early life:...
, as replacement. Mitchell happened to be a singer and Farian tried her and Barrett for a follow-up. The recording was "Daddy Cool" and Boney M.'s first album Take the Heat Off Me
Take the Heat Off Me
Take The Heat Off Me is the debut album by Boney M.. The album became a major seller outside of the United States, where the album just missed making the chart. Includes the hits "Daddy Cool" , "Sunny" and "Baby Do You Wanna Bump"...
, in 1976. After an appearance on the German television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
me, Musikladen
Musikladen
Der Musikladen was a West German music television programme that ran from December 13, 1972 to November 29, 1984. The show continued the 1960s Beat-Club under a new name, and in turn was replaced by Extratour.-History:...
in September, the group was in the charts all over Europe, and a series of hit singles and albums followed over the next decade.
Boney M. counted four official members, but only Barrett and Liz Mitchell
Liz Mitchell
Liz Mitchell is a singer, best known as the former lead singer of the 1970s disco/pop band, Boney M.-Early life:...
were in the recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
when Boney M.'s records were recorded. Frank Farian (and 1982-85 a new male member Reggie Tsiboe
Reggie Tsiboe
Reggie Tsiboe was born on 7 September 1950 in Kumasi was one of the lead singers of the disco group Boney M. between 1982-1986 and later between 1989-1990....
) provided male vocals which Bobby Farrell
Bobby Farrell
Roberto "Bobby" Alfonso Farrell was an Aruban dancer and performer, best known as the male member of the successful 1970s pop and disco group Boney M.-Early years:...
mimicked in performances. While Mitchell was regarded as the lead singer due to her larger number of vocals, Barrett contributed harmony on all the group's well-known songs and shared the lead with Mitchell on hits such as "Ma Baker", "Rasputin" and "Gotta Go Home". She also led on a couple of tracks on each of the group's studio albums up to Christmas Album
Christmas Album (Boney M. album)
Germany7"* "Little Drummer Boy" - 4:27 / "6 Years Of Boney M. Hits " - 4:48 * "Zion's Daughter" - 3:50 / "White Christmas" - 3:15 12"* "6 Years Of Boney M Hits Germany7"* "Little Drummer Boy" - 4:27 / "6 Years Of Boney M. Hits (Boney M. on 45)" (7" Edit) - 4:48 (Hansa Records 103 777-100, 1981)*...
(1981) including the title of the first album Take the Heat Off Me
Take the Heat Off Me
Take The Heat Off Me is the debut album by Boney M.. The album became a major seller outside of the United States, where the album just missed making the chart. Includes the hits "Daddy Cool" , "Sunny" and "Baby Do You Wanna Bump"...
and "Lovin' or Leavin'". These were also released as a Barrett solo single in 1977. From the second album Love for Sale
Love for Sale (Boney M. album)
Love for Sale is the second album by Boney M. The album includes the hits "Ma Baker" , and "Belfast"...
, Barrett's "Belfast" from her solo years became the second single off the album, and a German #1 and a European Top 10 hit. On that album, she also performed "Silent Lover".
On Nightflight to Venus
Nightflight to Venus
Nightflight to Venus is the third album by the band Boney M, and was released in July 1978.The album became a major success in continental Europe, Scandinavia, and Canada, topping most of the album charts during the second half of 1978 and also became their first UK number one album...
, Barrett sang "Nightflight To Venus" and a cover of "King of the Road
King of the Road (song)
"King of the Road" is a 1964 song written and originally recorded by country singer Roger Miller.The lyrics tell of a hobo who despite being poor revels in his freedom, describing himself humorously as the "king of the road"...
" as well as the original "Never Change Lovers in the Middle of the Night" which became a standard during the group's performances. She sang the a capella intros of Boney M.'s 1978 Christmas hit, "Mary's Boy Child
Mary's Boy Child
"Mary's Boy Child" is a 1956 Christmas song, written by Jester Hairston. With its religious content, it is also widely performed as a Christmas carol....
/Oh My Lord", and "Ribbons of Blue", was lead singer of "No Time to Lose" on the group's 1979 album Oceans of Fantasy
Oceans of Fantasy
Oceans of Fantasy is the fourth studio album by Boney M. Released in September 1979, Oceans Of Fantasy became the second Boney M. album to top the UK charts and features hits "El Lute" based on Eleuterio Sánchez life, "I'm Born Again", "Bahama Mama" and "Gotta Go Home"...
and had a solo on the opening track "Let It All Be Music".
After an unsuccessful solo single "You" in the late 1980, written by Kelvin James, she abandoned her solo project. Farian took one of the songs written by James for her, "Breakaway", and used it on Boney M.'s next album Boonoonoonoos
Boonoonoonoos
Boonoonoonoos is the fifth studio album by Boney M. It was released on November 1, 1981.Despite producer Frank Farian having announced that Boney M...
- with his own vocals on verses. Barrett, however, became the lead singer of single "We Kill the World (Don't Kill the World)" in 1981. Although only a modest hit in the UK (#39), it topped the charts in Spain and South Africa. The group became less popular from 1982 onwards, when Bobby Farrell was replaced by Reggie Tsiboe.
During recordings of 1982-83, Barrett felt overlooked as she was offered no new lead vocals. In 1983, her future husband, Marcus James, introduced her to Eddy Grant
Eddy Grant
Edmond Montague "Eddy" Grant is a musician, born in Plaisance, Guyana.- Life and career :When he was still a young boy, his parents emigrated to London, UK, where he settled. He lived in Kentish Town and went to school at the Acland Burghley Secondary Modern at Tufnell Park...
who produced demos with her for CBS
CBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
. Farian reminded her she was still contractually committed to Boney M. On their seventh album Ten Thousand Lightyears
Ten Thousand Lightyears
Ten Thousand Lightyears is the seventh studio album by Boney M. and the first to feature new member Reggie Tsiboe who had taken over Bobby Farrell's role as the band's leading man in early 1982...
, apart from a short solo part on "Wild Planet", she is only occasionally heard on backing vocals. On their final album Eye Dance
Eye Dance
Eye Dance is the eighth and final studio album released under the Boney M. moniker and was released in the autumn of 1985. The cover artwork was significant of the state the group was in at that time : neither the famous "Boney M." logo nor the "singers" photograph did appear, replaced by an...
, she can barely be heard on other than "Got Cha Loco", and on the group's reunion remix album, Greatest Hits of All Times - Remix '88
Greatest Hits of All Times - Remix '88
Greatest Hits of All Times - Remix '88 is a remix album by Boney M. released in 1988. Boney M.'s new manager at the time, Simon Napier-Bell, succeeded in persuading the four original members to briefly reunite and promote this remix album...
, her vocals were toned down on most tracks.
After Liz Mitchell's departure during the 1989 tour, Madeleine Davis joined the group. When Farian announced he would not be making any new recordings, the group went to France to record "Everybody Wants to Dance Like Josephine Baker" with producer Barry Blue
Barry Blue
Barry Blue is a singer / producer / songwriter from the United Kingdom. He is best known for his hit songs, "Dancin' " , which he co-wrote with Lynsey de Paul, and "Do You Wanna Dance" .At 14 he signed to record producer Norrie Paramor whose erstwhile assistant was one Tim Rice - the producer of...
. Barrett did all lead and backing vocals on the A-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
, but Farian withdrew the single, angry that the group used the name Boney M. After a court case in 1990, the group members went their separate ways.
Life after Boney M.
"Life after Boney M. - my dear, I've been through hell and back," Barrett said in a radio interview in November 2001. After the group split in 1990, Barrett was recording rock tracks in Munich when she was struck by cancer in her ovaries. She had a second attack and was unable to work. Finally by 1997, she began working with producer Scott Christina on dance tracks. The resulting album, Survival, appeared in November 1999. Two new tracks, a solo of Boney M.'s #1 hit "Rivers of BabylonRivers of Babylon
"Rivers of Babylon" is a rastafarian song written and recorded by Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton of the Jamaican reggae group The Melodians in 1970. The Melodians' original versions of the song appeared in the sound track to the 1972 movie The Harder They Come and the 1999 Nicolas Cage movie...
" and a new track called "Seasons" were played on a Dutch radio show, but neither track was released. In 2003, a benefit EP No War! Peace and Love was released as a protest against the US military intervention in Iraq, and generated $295 for the War Child
War Child (charity)
War Child is a non-governmental organisation founded in the UK 1993, which focuses on providing assistance to children in areas of conflict and post-conflict. They use their film and entertainment background to raise money for aid agencies operating in former Yugoslavia...
charity.
Present day
Barrett made her second album, Come Into My Life, in 2005. It included a cover of "Hey JoeHey Joe
"Hey Joe" is an American popular song from the 1960s that has become a rock standard and as such, has been performed in a multitude of musical styles by hundreds of different artists since it was first written. "Hey Joe" tells the story of a man who is on the run and planning to head to Mexico...
", a new version of "Belfast", as well as original recordings written by her and her husband Marcus. in addition a cover of Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
's instrumental "Albatross
Albatross (composition)
"Albatross" is a guitar-based instrumental by Fleetwood Mac, released as a single in 1969, later featuring on the compilation albums The Pious Bird of Good Omen and English Rose...
", for which Barrett had been allowed to add her own lyrics by its composer Peter Green
Peter Green (musician)
Peter Green is a British blues-rock guitarist and the founder of the band Fleetwood Mac...
, and the song "Rip It Up" were also part of the tracklisting. She now tours with her own version of Boney M. She reunited with Liz Mitchell and Frank Farian at the London and Berlin premières of the Daddy Cool
Daddy Cool (musical)
Daddy Cool is a musical based upon the works of Boney M and other Frank Farian produced artists. It premiered in the West End in 2006, followed by UK and international tours.The musical tells the story of Sunny, a young man who lives for his music...
musical, although she did not sing on the new recording "A Moment of Love", added to the group's compilation The Magic of Boney M.
The Magic of Boney M.
The Magic of Boney M. is a greatest hits album of recordings by Boney M. released by Sony BMG in October 2006.The compilation which is an updated version of 1993's Gold - 20 Super Hits and 2001's The Greatest Hits includes eighteen of Boney M's best known hits from the 70s and 80s, a new remix of...
.
In October 2007, Barrett turned down a song for the album Disco 2008, a project by UK producer Ian Levine
Ian Levine
Ian Levine is an English songwriter, producer, and DJ. He is also a well-known fan of the long-running television show Doctor Who.Levine attended Arnold School in Blackpool from 1963 to 1970...
. In October, she and her Boney M. were invited by President Mikhail Saakashvili to perform in South Ossetia
South Ossetia
South Ossetia or Tskhinvali Region is a disputed region and partly recognized state in the South Caucasus, located in the territory of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the former Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic....
in Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
.
On 8 March 2008, Barrett performed with her band at the palace grounds in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
as "Boney M. featuring Marcia Barrett". In
2009 she started Xoah Records; the first release being a remix of her Survival track "Seeing Is Believing", released on 6 March 2009, followed by "I Don't Know Why". While her third solo album Strange Rumours had been announced to follow, the album was put on hold when she was hit by another bout of cancer.
Barett is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy
Institute for Cultural Diplomacy
The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy is an international, not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation based in Berlin. Founded in 1999 by Mark Donfried, its activities focus on promoting and developing the field of cultural diplomacy by conducting research, initiatives and programs, holding...
.