Exuma (musician)
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| Exuma | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | McFarlane Anthony McKay | |
| Born | 1940s Cat Island, Bahamas |
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| Origin | New York City | |
| Died | January 25, 1997 Nassau, Bahamas |
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| Genre(s) | Reggae African Folk |
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| Instrument(s) | Vocals Acoustic guitar |
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| Years active | 1962-1986 | |
| Label(s) | Mercury Kama Sutra ROIR |
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| Associated acts |
Tony McKay and the Islanders | |
McFarlane Anthony McKay, who recorded as Exuma, was born in the early 1940s on Cat Island in the Bahamas and died in Nassau in the Bahamas on January 25, 1997.
Exuma was known for his almost unclassifiable music in which he recorded several albums starting with Exuma in 1970 and ending with Rude Boy in 1986. His songs envoke influences from reggae, African and folk music with his lyrics dealing heavily with Voodoo mysticism. His backing band known only as the Junk Band have included names such as Mildred Vaney, Frankie Gearing, Diana Claudia Bunea, Sally O'Brien and his good friend Peppy Castro.
[edit] Life and recordings
After growing up on Cat Island, Tony McKay moved to New York City at age 17 to study architecture. However he did not complete his studies and soon entered the music industry in a group called Tony McKay and the Islanders. In New York's 1960s Greenwich Village folk scene McKay often found himself performing with such greats as Bob Dylan, Richie Havens, Jimi Hendrix and Barbra Streisand among others.
He soon gained the attention of Blues Magoos manager Bob Wyld. Wyld brought MacKay to Mercury Records and convinced them to sign him. In 1970 McKay, now redubbed Exuma, released the albums Exuma and Exuma II. From those albums he released the singles "Exuma, The Obeah Man", "Junkanoo", "Damn Fool", and "Zandoo". Exuma also garnered recognition for his song "You Don't Know What's Going On" which was featured on the soundtrack to John G. Avilsen's 1970 film Joe starring Peter Boyle, Susan Sarandon and Dennis Patrick.
Exuma left Mercury in 1971 to sign with the Kama Sutra label, where he released the albums Do Wah Nanny (1971), Snake (1972), Reincarnation (1972) and Life (1973). From these albums he released the singles "Do Wah Nanny", "The Bowery", "Brown Girl", "Rushing Through the Crowd", and a cover of Paul McCartney's "Monkberry Moon Delight". After low sales and seeking the freedom of independence, Exuma was no longer featured on a major record label for the rest of his career. He released Penny Sausage, Going to Cat Island, Universal Exuma and Street Life in the early 1980s, but none of these albums received much exposure. In 1986 under the ROIR label, Exuma released Rude Boy, which garnered slightly more attention and featured songs from some of his previous 1980s releases.
Over the years Exuma has played and/or toured with Patti LaBelle, Curtis Mayfield, Rita Marley, Peter Tosh, Toots and the Maytals, Sly and the Family Stone, Steppenwolf, Black Flag and the Neville Brothers. Exuma was even recognised by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1978 when she awarded him the British Empire Medal for his contributions to Bahamian culture.
In the late 80s, Exuma suffered a mild heart attack, and thus devoted much more of his time to painting, his other great talent. His paintings have been exhibited several times and collected by many art lovers. Away from the Bahamas he spent much time in Florida living a life without luxury. He died in his sleep in the late nineties just as he was shopping around for a label to release a supposed new album. Perhaps Alfred M. Sears said it best when stated that Exuma was, "A Bahamian visionary, humanistic philosopher and people's poet. Exuma gives expression to the beauty and power of the cultural life of the Bahamas - the people's every day experiences, folklore, myths, stories, junkanoo, rake and scrape, pain, joy, struggle and survival. His life and art reflect the wonderful cultural heritage and personality of Bahamians, drawing on the roots of Africa and the branches of the Amerindians, Europeans and Americans."[citation needed]
[edit] Discography
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- In the early 1980s Exuma also released several very rare albums entitled Going to Cat Island, Universal Exuma and Street Life. Tracks from these albums were later included in ROIR's release of Exuma's Rude Boy Album.
