Goombay Dance Band

Founded in 1979 by German singer Oliver Bendt, the Goombay Dance Band is a pop outfit that blends dance and pop music with soca, calypso, and other Caribbean styles. They are best known for their European hits “Sun of Jamaica,” “Aloha-Oe, Until We Meet Again,” and “Seven Tears.” The group’s first single, “Ring Ting Ting,” was released in 1979 but failed to chart. However, their second single, “Sun of Jamaica,” was a massive hit, selling 11 million copies, and reached the Number 1 spot in Germany, Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands. It was a Top 20 hit in Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand, and Ireland but failed to crack the Top 40 in the US. The next single, “Aloha-Oe, Until We Meet Again,” hit Number 1 in Austria and reached the Top 5 in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium. The Goombay Dance Band released their debut album, Zauber der Karibik (released internationally as Sun of Jamaica), in 1980. Their next album, Land of Gold (1980), didn’t fare as well although the singles “Eldorado” and “Rain” reached the Top 10 in Germany. 1981’s Holiday in Paradise featured the single “Seven Tears,” which reached Number 1 in England and Ireland. The group’s streak of hits ended rather quickly with subsequent albums – Born To Win (1982), Von Hawaii bis Tome (1990), Christmas Album (1994) and Caribbean Beach Party (1995) – failing to chart. The group released quite a few compilations over the years but only three of them charted: Tropical Dreams (1982), Seven Tears (1982), and Island of Dreams (1995). The Goombay Dance Band has resurfaced from time to time with new singles, but they haven’t achieved significant chart success.

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