St. Lucia

 Ronald ‘Boo’ Hinkson is a Saint Lucian jazz guitarist & composer. Born in St. Lucia & raised on a diet of Ellington, Davis, & Coltrane, Boo's name is synonymous with St. Lucian music. His mother, who was also an accomplished guitarist, was his first teacher. Today, he is an exceptionally accomplished musician who has stayed true not only to his jazz roots, but also to his West Indian culture. Boo couples his appreciation of the old masters, with contemporary jazz & soca in his music & lyrics.

 

I was going to post up his album Beyond from 2003, but I see it is still available at various locations around the web, so I’ll just feature a few of the tracks with the best island sound & if you like it, go buy it. Underlined songs are in 4-track sampler.

 Ronald 'Boo' Hinkson – Beyond, Zephryn Records, 2003. 

decryption codes in comments

Tracklist –

That's What He Said

Song of Love

Love Everyday

Magic in Love

Simply Beautiful St. Lucia

King of My Jungle

Round the Corner

Peace of Mind

Prim

All Blues

The Comet

Second Look

Off the Blues

Hinkson’s musical career began with the band The Tru-Tones Combo, a group he started in St Lucia in the 1960s with his brother & some friends. They recorded five albums & several singles, most famously “Hungry Belly”, “Burning Eyes”, & “Sexy Thing” (a remake of the Hot Chocolate song). I know the Tru-Tones set the dancefloors on fire in St. Lucia's hotel nightclubs & cabaret venues. They commanded stages locally & internationally for two decades. Their eclectic blends of Caribbean & pop rhythms garnered them an appearance at Superbowl XIII.

For those of you not into American football, Super Bowl XIII was a game between the AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers & the NFC champion Dallas Cowboys to decide the NFL champion for the 1978 season. The game was played on January 21, 1979, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. It was the fifth & final time that the Super Bowl was played in that building. The Steelers defeated the Cowboys by the score of 35–31. The halftime show was "Carnival: A Salute to the Caribbean" with various Caribbean bands, The Tru-Tones Combo being one.

Cream of the Crop is an album of cover tunes done in the Tru-Tones own inimitable style. The Tru-Tones were: Ronald Boo Hinkson - band leader & guitar; Guy Frances - rhythm guitar; Basil Belizaire - organ; Cyril Mitchell - bass; Chester Hinkson - tumbales; Conrad Hinkson - guache; Denis Ishmael - tumbas; Joseph Narcisse - bongos; & Erwin Ishmael - drums.

The Tru-Tones Combo of St. Lucia - Cream of the Crop, Wirl W016, 197?

Side 1 –

Light My Fire
This Guy's in Love with You
Aquarius
California Dreaming

It Must be Him
Pan Man

Side 2 –

House of the Rising Sun
By the Time I Get to Phoenix
Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'
Sock it to Me
My Way

Enjoy,

NØ