Valentine's Day is winding down in Barbados, so I'm writing from Barbados with love💘. As usual, I greet some who visited the page over the last month - hello to you from Qatar, Ukraine and Portugal.
So, in recognition of the "love month", I feature some of Barbados' vintage ballads. These bring back memories from my childhood and youth.
Much of contemporary local music in Barbados is soca (the party version of calypso); during my childhood, most local artistes were singing more soulful music - and the quality at the time was as good as anything playing on radio stations overseas.
I Only Have Eyes For You
This rendition by the Merry Boys is one such. Imagine my surprise when I was old enough to learn this is a local song:
THE MERRY BOYS - I Only Have Eyes for You [Source: Bajanbloom Bloom, June 2010]
I hope you enjoy the lovely scenes of Barbados to which the song is set. Many of our vintage songs were played on record players - I'm sure most of my readers have never even heard of that device - and that was the age before videos unless it was a live performance as with the following Sheryl Hackett rendition:
Beautiful and Unspoilt
Barbados' Music "Beautiful and Unspoilt [Source: Cheyne Jones, September 2016]The late vocalist left this melodious ballad for generations to enjoy.
Flamingo
Another of the "big" balladeer voices from the 1960-70s was Rudy Boyce. His "Flamingo" is a beloved classic for many and it was still popular on radio during my childhood.
Flamingo - Rudy Boyce [Source: Bajanbloom Bloom, November 2010]The Clock
Carlyn Leacock was another of the beautiful female voices on radio when I was growing up. This rendition is somewhat later than those above - and she sings in it in both English and Spanish.
The Clock - Carlyn Leacock [ Source: bajanmusicfan, February 2017]
