Goombay: The Folk Songs of the Bahamas, by George Symonette

Goombay: The Folk Songs of the Bahamas

by George Symonette

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1.	Peas and Rice 02:49	buy track
2.	Sponger Money 02:37	buy track
3.	Delia Gone 02:42	buy track
4.	Eight Babies to Mind 02:44	buy track
5.	Uncle Lou - Lazy Man 02:34	buy track
6.	Sloop John B 02:31	buy track
7.	Maryanne 01:58	buy track
8.	Love Alone 02:34	buy track
9.	J.P. Morgan 02:49	buy track
10.	Goombay 02:50	buy track
11.	Dreams 02:57	buy track
12.	Boat Pull Out - Bahama Mama 02:32	buy track
13.	The Crow [alternate version] 02:34	buy track
14.	Man O' War 02:41	buy track
15.	Can't Get No Sweetness Out of Me [alternate version] 02:28	buy track

about

George Symonette is a jaunty, spirited singer, a fine songwriter, and a splendid pianist. Born in 1912 or 1913, Symonette recorded a number of sides for the Harold E. Doane-owned Art and Bahama Records labels from 1955 to 1961. Goombay - Folk Songs of the Bahamas was originally released on Bahama in 1957. This neglected treasure (by a neglected and worthy artist) has been digitally restored from clean vinyl. If you're a fan of midcentury calypso—"goombay" is a derivation indigenous to the Bahamas—all Symonette recordings are worth hearing.

From the 1957 LP liner notes:

"Visitors to Nassau invariably hear George Symonette, Nassau's foremost nightclub entertainer, and having once heard him, they keep calling for his versions of well-known goombay music. For them, this album will fill a long-felt need and, to those who have yet to make his acquaintance, it will prove that he well deserves the title 'King of Calypso' bestowed by an ever-widening group of fans. Unlike most goombay singers, George prefers a piano on which to play his own accompaniment. His clear enunciation with a British accent and a hint of his jovial good nature make his recordings most enjoyable entertainment."

We'll continue to consider The Mighty Sparrow the ranking "King of Calypso," but Symonette is one of our favorites. There's a lot of variety in his arrangements, and the vocals are well-recorded. "Dreams" proves he can handle a ballad, and "Eight Babies to Mind" is rendered as a waltz.

credits

released November 1, 2020

The songs were either newly composed by Symonette or adapted from traditional tunes. The liner notes are contradictory about authorship. The album title—The Folk Songs of the Bahamas—indicates that these are traditional, well-circulated tunes. In fact, emblazoned across the top of the back cover it says: "The Most Popular Bahamian Folk Songs.""Maryanne" and "Sloop John B," certainly, are widely covered by calypso singers, with each artist claiming authorship (as is legal with public domain works). However, the album track notes refer to some titles as Symonette compositions, and "Goombay" is credited to Alice Simms and Charles Lofthouse. Regardless, Symonette's charismatic delivery adds a flair of originality to these recordings.

Digitally restored from vinyl by Irwin Chusid, 2020

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Cosmic Spy Music Hoboken, New Jersey

Finding things on the scrapheap of history that we know don't belong there, and salvaging them.

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