Goombay Dance Band is a German band created in 1979 by Oliver Bendt, named after a small bay on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. Their music (somewhat similar to Boney M.), is a mixture of soca, calypso and western pop. The group enjoyed their greatest commercial success at the beginning of the 1980s, with number one hits Sun of Jamaica, Seven Tears and Aloha-Oe, Until We Meet Again. Goombay Dance Band were popular in South Africa too, where Sun of Jamaica and Aloha-Oe entered the charts.
History The band released the song "Sun of Jamaica" at the end of 1979. It topped the German single charts for nine weeks in 1980. Their next single was "Aloha-Oe, Until We Meet Again", based on a Liliuokalani composition "Aloha ʻOe". The song reached the top 5 in the European charts, including the number 1 spot in Austria. The group's debut album Zauber der Karibik, internationally known as Sun of Jamaica, was met with commercial success, reaching the top 5 in several countries. The second album, Land of Gold, performed poorly, not reaching the German top 40, but spawned hits "Eldorado" and "Rain".
In 1981, the band released the album Holiday in Paradise, which featured the song "Seven Tears". When released in the UK next year, "Seven Tears" became the band's breakthrough hit on the British market, where it topped the singles chart for three weeks and was also a million-seller. This success was followed by the release of the compilation Seven Tears, which was well received in the UK, while in mainland Europe, the band released the retrospective Tropical Dreams to a modest success.
However, the group's subsequent releases did not draw as much attention. The next studio album, Born to Win, failed to chart and did not produce any impactful hits. In 1984 and 1985, Goombay Dance Band released several non-album singles, which were commercial failures. In the 1990s, the band released several albums, including the Christmas Album and the compilation Island of Dreams, which was met with moderate chart success and featured a new version of "Sun of Jamaica". The band celebrated their 30th anniversary with a collection of new songs and re-recorded hits in 2009. The following year, they recorded "Is This the Way to the World Cup" to celebrate the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Oliver Bendt toured with the Goombay Dance Band until the end of 2016, when he retired shortly after his 70th birthday.
Band members
Oliver Bendt Alicia Bendt Dorothy Hellings Wendy Doorsen Dizzy Daniel Moorehead Mario Slijngaard Kátia Waléria Ferreira Ernest Clinton Diana Hoogdorp
Discography Studio albums YearTitlePeak chart positionsGERAUTNLDNORSWE1980Sun of Jamaica[A]31417151980Land of Gold41————1981Holiday in Paradise17————1982Born to Win—————1990Von Hawaii bis Tomé[B]—————1994Christmas Album[C]—————1995Caribbean Beach Party—————
A^ In German speaking countries, the album Sun of Jamaica was released as Zauber der Karibik, and in Spain, as Sol de Jamaica. B^ Von Hawaii bis Tomé was re-released as Sommer, Sonne, Strand and Montego Bay in 1993. C^ Christmas Album was re-released as Christmas by the Sea in 1997.
Compilations YearTitlePeak chart positionsGERNLDUK1982Tropical Dreams928—1982Seven Tears——161983The Best of Goombay Dance Band———1986Karibische Träume———1988Sun of Jamaica———1995Island of Dreams57——1995Sun of Jamaica———200930th Anniversary Collection———2011Golden Hits – Reloaded———
Singles YearTitlePeak chart positionsCertificationsAlbumGERAUTBELFRAIRENLDNZLSWESWIUK1979"Ring Ting Ting"——————————"Sun of Jamaica"11138141195350 GER: PlatinumSun of Jamaica1980"Aloha-Oe, Until We Meet Again"513164758—"Bang Bang Lulu"——————————"Eldorado"41486139357—Land of Gold"Rain"9————5—5——1981"Seven Tears"1315691728741 UK: GoldHoliday in Paradise"Christmas at Sea"22—————————1982"My Bonnie"50—————————Tropical Dreams"Robinson Crusoe"——————————"Santorini Goodbye"——————————Born to Win"Born to Win"——————————1983"If You Ever Fall in Love"——————————1984"Don't You Cry, Caroline"——————————rowspan="3" 1985"Marlena"——————————"A Typical Jamaican Mess"——————————1995"I Love the Melody"——————————Caribbean Beach Party"Sun of Jamaica '95 Version"(Goombay Dance Band & Cool Summer Cuts)——————————Island of Dreams2005"Sun of Jamaica"(Antibazz & Sunstarz feat. Goombay Dance Band)—————62———— 2009"Over the Oceans"——————————30th Anniversary Collection"In My Dreams"——————————2010"Is This the Way to the World Cup"——————————Golden Hits – Reloaded2012"Traum von Jamaica"——————————rowspan="4" 2013"Come Back 2 Jamaica"——————————"Aloha-Oe (Bis wir uns wiedersehen)"——————————2014"Life"—————————— She's a Dynamite Single 2017 1 Song, 3 Min. 42 Sec. One Love 2020 1 Song, 2:55
See also Goombay – a form of Bahamian music and a drum used to create it
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