The Jamaicans

The Jamaicans were a ska/rocksteady group formed in Jamaica in 1967, consisting of members Tommy Cowan, Norris Weir, Derrick Brown and Martin Williams.

Career

The Jamaicans originally started out in 1964 as the Merricoles, consisting of Derrick Brown and childhood friend Norris Weir, joined later by Martin Williams (deceased), Flats Hylton, and I Kong. Then Tommy Cowan joined the group to make them a six-piece band. The group soon changed their name to The Jamaicans, at the behest of Canadian shipping agent Aston McKeachron, to increase the group's international appeal, cutting two singles for Duke Reid at Treasure Isle - "Pocket Full of Money" and "Diana". Kong and Brown left in 1967.

They had their first hit in 1967 with "Things You Say You Love". They would also take first place in the Island's Festival Song Contest in 1967 with the rocksteady classic "Ba Ba Boom" (by this time without Brown in the group), written by Cowan and Weir about the Jamaica Independence Festival. "Ba Ba Boom" was entered in the 1967 Independence Festival Song Competition (now known as the Popular Song Competition), which had been inaugurated by Festival organizers the previous year, and the Jamaicans...

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