OF the flood of harmony groups that ruled the rocksteady era, The Melodians is among the few still active. In late June, the trio performed at the June 24-25 This Is Ska Festival, in Rosslau, Germany.
The current Melodians has one original member in Trevor McNaughton. Like the other members, Winston Dias and Taurus Alphonso, he lives in South Florida.
This Is Ska is the group’s their biggest gig since Dias and Alphonso officially joined in 2014, one year after original member Tony Brevett’s death. Brent Dowe, who started the group with McNaughton and Dowe in 1963, died in 2006. Alphonso said This Is Ska showed The Melodians are still in demand.
“Even when the rain came down the fans stood and sang every song. They were shouting, ‘more, more, more!’,” he told the Jamaica Observer.
Dias — who had a minor hit song with Cericy Tea as a member of The Movers in the 1960’s — was also encouraged by the response.
“One fan said he travelled 900 miles to see us. But what struck me was the number of young people in the audience,” he said.
The Melodians is known for classic songs, including Swing And Dine, Sweet Sensation, Little Nut Tree, and Rivers Of Babylon. While McNaughton, Dias and Alphonso have re-recorded some of those hits with producer Willie Lindo, they are working on new material with Danny Breakenridge of Fort Lauderdale’s Upstairs Music.
— By Howard Campbell
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