Goombay Dance Band

Operating from a base in Germany, this theatrical ensemble pursued a style akin to the more prominent Boney M. Fronted by Olivier Bendt, the lineup incorporated his spouse Alicia, their children Danny and Yasmin, along with Dorothy Hellings, Wendy Doorsen, and Mario Slijngaard. A professional fire-eater by trade, Olivier mastered his craft in St. Lucia in the West Indies. The Goombay Dance Band had established itself among Germany’s leading acts by 1980, when the group broke into the UK charts via ‘7 Tears’. Although first recorded that same year, the track received its UK release only in 1982; after repeated earlier failures, its breakthrough arrived unexpectedly. The single ultimately reached number 1, becoming merely the second chart-topping hit by a German act in the UK following Kraftwerk’s ‘The Model’. Its successor ‘Sun Of Jamaica’ enjoyed weaker results, prompting the band to return to Germany and resume its domestic prominence. Even so, selected later singles continued to surface in the UK, among them 1986’s ‘A Typical Jamaican Mess’.