The Talbot Brothers of Bermuda
Encyclopedia
The Talbot Brothers were a musical group based in Bermuda
that were among the most popular calypso
performers of the 1950s. They were brothers Archie (lead singer, acoustic guitar
, harmonica
), Austin (acoustic guitar
, harmonica
), Bryan, a.k.a. "Dick" (tipple, a large, 10-stringed ukulele), Ross, a.k.a. "Blackie" (electric guitar
) and Roy Talbot (bass
), and their cousin Cromwell "Mandy" Mandres (accordion
).
The Talbots were the first of Bermuda’s many notable singing groups. They performed a variation of Trinidad
ian calypso in a smooth melodic style influenced by popular music
. They performed and recorded cover version
s of calypso classics in addition to many of their own originals.
The Talbots organized in 1942 and became a popular attraction in local hotel
s. But it was an early recording they made in the United States
that made them even more popular in their homeland, and heralded fame beyond their shores. Bermuda Buggy Ride, according to the essay "Gombeys, Bands and Troubadours" on Bermuda’s official website...
Their popularity with American tourists
resulted in tour
s of the U.S. starting in the early 1950s. Notable in their instrumentation
was Roy Talbot’s home-made upright bass
dubbed the "doghouse
." Roy created the instrument out of a large meat-packing crate and a single fishing line
. This item was a particular curiosity, and during the Talbots’ tours many of their fellow performers and visiting celebrities would autograph
the crate.
The Talbots released 10" and 12" vinyl records on the small Audio Fidelity label in the mid-1950s before being signed to ABC Paramount Records
in 1957, where they made two LP
s that were more accessible in North America
.
They were frequent performers on television
in the 1950s, appearing on Ed Sullivan
's variety shows and other programs.
Archie Talbot composed the title song to the 1956
Columbia
motion picture Bermuda Affair. It is included on their first ABC Paramount LP.
Ross, the penultimate survivor of the group, died in 2000 at the age of 82. An avid golfer, there is an annual charity
golf tournament in Bermuda dedicated to him.
Bassist Roy Talbot, who died on May 15, 2009, was the last surviving brother.
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
that were among the most popular calypso
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
performers of the 1950s. They were brothers Archie (lead singer, acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
), Austin (acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
), Bryan, a.k.a. "Dick" (tipple, a large, 10-stringed ukulele), Ross, a.k.a. "Blackie" (electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
) and Roy Talbot (bass
Bass (instrument)
Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
), and their cousin Cromwell "Mandy" Mandres (accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
).
The Talbots were the first of Bermuda’s many notable singing groups. They performed a variation of Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
ian calypso in a smooth melodic style influenced by popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
. They performed and recorded cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of calypso classics in addition to many of their own originals.
The Talbots organized in 1942 and became a popular attraction in local hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
s. But it was an early recording they made in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that made them even more popular in their homeland, and heralded fame beyond their shores. Bermuda Buggy Ride, according to the essay "Gombeys, Bands and Troubadours" on Bermuda’s official website...
Their popularity with American tourists
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
resulted in tour
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s of the U.S. starting in the early 1950s. Notable in their instrumentation
Instrumentation (music)
In music, instrumentation refers to the particular combination of musical instruments employed in a composition, and to the properties of those instruments individually...
was Roy Talbot’s home-made upright bass
Bass (instrument)
Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
dubbed the "doghouse
Doghouse
A doghouse, known in British English as a kennel, is a small shed commonly built in the shape of a little house intended for a dog. It is a structure in which a dog is kept or can run into for shelter from the elements.-Architecture:...
." Roy created the instrument out of a large meat-packing crate and a single fishing line
Fishing line
A fishing line is a cord used or made for angling. Important parameters of a fishing line are its length, material, and weight...
. This item was a particular curiosity, and during the Talbots’ tours many of their fellow performers and visiting celebrities would autograph
Autograph
An autograph is a document transcribed entirely in the handwriting of its author, as opposed to a typeset document or one written by an amanuensis or a copyist; the meaning overlaps with that of the word holograph.Autograph also refers to a person's artistic signature...
the crate.
The Talbots released 10" and 12" vinyl records on the small Audio Fidelity label in the mid-1950s before being signed to ABC Paramount Records
ABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label, founded in New York City in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records. It originated as the main popular music label operated the Am-Par Record Corporation, the music subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Company . ABC-Paramount Records' first president was Samuel H....
in 1957, where they made two LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
s that were more accessible in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
They were frequent performers on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
in the 1950s, appearing on Ed Sullivan
Ed Sullivan
Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of the TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show. The show was broadcast from 1948 to 1971 , which made it one of the longest-running variety shows in U.S...
's variety shows and other programs.
Archie Talbot composed the title song to the 1956
1956 in film
The year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 5 - The Ten Commandments opens in cinemas and becomes one of the most successful and popular movies of all time, currently ranking 5th on the list of all time moneymakers * February 5 - First showing of documentary films by...
Columbia
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
motion picture Bermuda Affair. It is included on their first ABC Paramount LP.
Ross, the penultimate survivor of the group, died in 2000 at the age of 82. An avid golfer, there is an annual charity
Charity (practice)
The practice of charity means the voluntary giving of help to those in need who are not related to the giver.- Etymology :The word "charity" entered the English language through the Old French word "charité" which was derived from the Latin "caritas".Originally in Latin the word caritas meant...
golf tournament in Bermuda dedicated to him.
Bassist Roy Talbot, who died on May 15, 2009, was the last surviving brother.
Recordings
Notable songs recorded by The Talbot Brothers include:- "Atomic Nightmare" (Archie Talbot)
- "Back to Back (Zombie Jamboree)Jumbie JambereeJumbie Jamberee is a calypso song credited to Conrad Eugene Mauge Jr. In 1953 Lord Intruder released the song as the B-side to Disaster With Police. The song is also known as Zombie Jamboree and Back to Back...
" (Lord IntruderLord IntruderLord Intruder was a calypsonian from Tobago who was active in the 1950s.He is known to have performed with the Trinidadian calypso tent The Original Young Brigade , whose ranks included The Mighty Sparrow, Lord Melody and The Mighty Bomber .He is credited with originating one of the most famous...
) - "Bermuda Buggy Ride" (Archie Talbot)
- "Bermuda Affair" (Archie Talbot)
- "Bermuda’s Still Paradise" (Ross Talbot)
- "Give an Ugly Woman Matrimony" (Ross Talbot - F. Reid)
- "Gonna Cut You with the Razor" (Archie Talbot - F. Reid)
- "Is She Is or Is She Ain’t" (The CharmerLouis FarrakhanLouis Farrakhan Muhammad, Sr. is the leader of the African-American religious movement the Nation of Islam . He served as the minister of major mosques in Boston and Harlem, and was appointed by the longtime NOI leader, Elijah Muhammad, before his death in 1975, as the National Representative of...
) - "Last Train to San Fernando" (Mighty Dictator)
- "Nora, Nora" (Lord KitchenerLord Kitchener (calypsonian)Aldwyn Roberts , better known by the stage name Lord Kitchener , was one of the most internationally famous calypsonians. He was the son of a blacksmith, Stephen, and homemaker, Albertha.-Life:...
) - "You Can Go, But You’ll Return" (Archie Talbot - F. Reid)
Partial discography
- The Talbot Brothers Calypso ("Bermuda"); Audio Fidelity AFLP-903 (10”)
- Bermuda Calypso Party ("Bermuda, Vol. 3"); Audio Fidelity AFLP-1807; c.1957
- Calypsos; ABC-Paramount ABC-156; 1957
- Talbot Brothers of Bermuda; ABC-Paramount ABC-214
- Talbot Brothers of Bermuda (Volumes 1-3); Talman (reissue)