THAT AIN'T COOL: Tribute to Boney M's Bobby Farrell (1949 -2010)

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THAT AIN'T COOL: Tribute to Boney M's Bobby Farrell (1949 -2010)
by Darius Kadivar
30-Dec-2010
 


Bobby Farrell, lead singer of the 1970s disco group Boney M, has died at the age of 61, in Saint Petersburg, Russia,

his agent has announced. Boney M was one of the emblematic bands of Disco's Golden Era.The original Boney M, known for such hits as Daddy Cool and Rivers of Babylon, disbanded in 1986. 

The singer was found dead in a hotel room in St Petersburg, Russia where he had been performing, John Seine said.

Farrell, he continued, had complained of breathing problems before and after the show on Wednesday. The cause of his death has yet to be established.

Farrell, the only male member of the popular four-piece, had been due to perform in Italy on New Year's Eve.

Born Alfonso Farrell in Aruba, he had been touring with three female backing singers under the name Bobby Farrell of Boney M.

The original Boney M, known for such hits as Daddy Cool and Rivers of Babylon, disbanded in 1986.

 Daddy Cool:
By the Rivers of Babylon (1976): Brown Girl In The Ring (1978)
  Ma Baker (1976) Sunny (1976)   Hooray ! Hooray !: Rasputin: Belfast: Boney M Singing Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry" (1976)
Ribbons of Blue: Gotta Go Home:
Dancing in the Streets:



Bobby Farrell Speech (Daddy Cool live - Boney M):
RIP !

      About Bobby Farrell:

Roberto "Bobby" Alfonso Farrell (Aruba, October 6, 1949 – Saint Petersburg, December 30, 2010) was a dancer and performer, best known as the male member of the successful 1970s pop and disco group Boney M.

Farrell left Aruba at age 15 to become a sailor. He lived in Norway and the Netherlands before moving to Germany. There, he worked mostly as a DJ until producer Frank Farian spotted him for his new Boney M. group. He became the sole male singer in the group, although Farian later revealed that Bobby made almost no vocal contributions to the group's records, with Farian himself performing the male parts on the songs in the studio. Liz Mitchell claimed that only she and Farian had sung on the hit recordings. Farrell did, however, perform live in some of the various incarnations of 'Boney M'.

He appeared as a dancer in late 2005 in the Roger Sanchez videoclip of Turn on the Music.

Farrell lived in Amsterdam Zuidoost, in the neighbourhood Gaasperdam. He died in the morning of December 30, 2010 in a hotel in Saint Petersburg, after performing with his band the evening before. The cause of death is still unknown.

 

Discography:

 

Singles

  • 1982: Polizei / A Fool In Love
  • 1985: King OF Dancing / I See You
  • 1987: Hoppa Hoppa / Hoppa Hoppa (Instrumental)
  • 1991: Tribute To Josephine Baker
  • 2004: Aruban Style (Mixes) S-Cream Featuring Bobby Farrell
  • 2006: The Bump EP

Bobby Farrell's Boney M. / Boney M. Featuring Bobby Farrell / Bobby Farrell Featuring Sandy Chambers

  • 2000: The Best Of Boney M. (DVMore)
  • 2001: Boney M. – I Successi (DVMore)
  • 2001: The Best Of Boney M. (II) (compilation)
  • 2001: The Best Of Boney M. (III) (compilation)
  • 2005: Boney M. – Remix 2005 (featuring Sandy Chambers) (compilation) (Crisler)
  • 2007: Boney M. – Disco Collection (compilation)

 

 

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more from Darius Kadivar
 
aynak

RIP

by aynak on Thu Dec 30, 2010 02:27 PM PST

 

So many good memories.   There were these two places we used to buy tapes in high quality.   Stereo Zand and ElCordobes.   I still have one of them.  When I came to U.S I was so shocked that people have not heard of BonyM or Cerrone.


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Darius Kadivar

Thanks Arthimis Jaan

by Darius Kadivar on Thu Dec 30, 2010 10:51 AM PST

Indeed Donna Summers was really one of the kind ...

Loved that Song in particular.

Thanks for sharing. 


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Arthimis

Mr. Kadivar, you brought

by Arthimis on Thu Dec 30, 2010 10:38 AM PST

Mr. Kadivar, you brought such great memories back, so I would like to share this cool and (funny) :-)) clip with you and all those cool cats who appreciated the "Disco" era!

PS. The dance of the guy! up front cracks me up every single time!!! :-)))

Happy New Year in advance! :-)

 

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1ArZEFwRsY


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Arthimis

Mr. Kadivar, Thanks for

by Arthimis on Thu Dec 30, 2010 10:28 AM PST

Mr. Kadivar,

Thanks for sharing all the "COOL" links of Bony M.! It Brought back so many nice and happy childhood memories...

Who cares about his personal life? Bands and songs like that made millions of people happy around the world and still does... If anyone/or a group can bring so much happiness and excitement to people like Bony M and Bobby Farrell did, they deserve nothing , but appreciation and praise...Those were the real happy times for so many people around the world and us Iranians! So Thanks Bony M and Bobby Farrell for all that... May he Rest In Peace.


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azadi5

Boney M was cool

by azadi5 on Thu Dec 30, 2010 09:54 AM PST

If you lived in Iran in 70s and 80s, you must have heard their songs. Sure their live performances were mostly lip synching, but they sounded good. I still see DJs play Rasputin in clubs here, and people go wild.

I liked the intro for Italia Italia which was based on Ma Baker beats.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEaaqFBGCA8


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Rea

Lip-sync ?!

by Rea on Thu Dec 30, 2010 09:32 AM PST

In that case, frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.

Another figure of my teenage years gone with the wind, šmrc, šmrc.

Thx for sharing, DK.


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Darius Kadivar

Ha Ha bahram9821 Jaan ;0))

by Darius Kadivar on Thu Dec 30, 2010 08:50 AM PST

Indeed !


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Darius Kadivar

Rast Meeghy Red Wine Jaan

by Darius Kadivar on Thu Dec 30, 2010 08:48 AM PST

They would have certainly come for a Concert in Tehran if the Revolution had not happened. They were Very Popular by the mid 70's and I recall many new generation Iranian Pop Singers were copying the hair style. Remember Toofan ? Although a different style he had the black Pop Star looks and hair cut. Ramesh also had that hair cut too.

 

Toofan

 

2Fun - Toofan 


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bahram9821

Thanks DK

by bahram9821 on Thu Dec 30, 2010 08:50 AM PST

Thanks to Boney M music we had one of the most memorable opening of a TV show in Iran. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEaaqFBGCA8

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Red Wine

۱۹۷۷

by Red Wine on Thu Dec 30, 2010 08:16 AM PST

خدا لعنت کنه پدر پدرسوخته مواد رو که اگر به دامنت بنشینه،دیگه ولت نمیکنه ! به احتمال قوی به خاطر هروئین و یا قرص بوده که تا بشه...خانمش اجازه چاپ دلیل مرگش رو نخواهد داد !

بابی بعد از اینکه آن سری اسکاندال‌ها در مورد بانی‌ ‌ام به وجود آمد ،کامل از صحنه دیسکو‌ها کنار رفت اما با یک مدیر برنامه جدید دیگه به صحنه برگشت ولی‌ بدون فروغ گذشته و گروه بانی‌ ‌ام افتاد دست خانم لیز میچل که ایشان اجازه گرفت بدون بابی کنسرت بعده  و الان هم مشغول کنسرت هستند در اروپا !

اگر به انقلاب نخورده بود،اینها حتما به تهران میآمدند،باشگاه جوانان در فستیوال خودشان در سال ۱۳۵۷ دعوت کرده بود اما اینها نیامدند !

بابی رو چند سال پیش در بارسلون و سپس پاریس دیدم که اجرای خصوصی داشت و با گروه‌های دیگر همکاری میکرد و قبل از ما معمولان برنامه اجرا میکرد،خیلی‌ آدم با مزه و شوخی‌ بود،هنوز خاکش نکردند و اطلاع دادند که کجاها باید بریم به مراسمش !

خدا رحمتش کنه :( .


  •  
Sargord Pirouz

Huh, doesn't ring a bell.

by Sargord Pirouz on Thu Dec 30, 2010 07:54 AM PST

Huh, doesn't ring a bell. And I listened to disco/soul in the mid-70s. Maybe this was more of a East Coast thing?


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Darius Kadivar

Strange that Rasputin Caught Up on him ...

by Darius Kadivar on Thu Dec 30, 2010 07:47 AM PST

Died in Saint Petersburg, Russia ...

I wonder if it was a natural death or overdose ? ...

We still have to wait for the official announcement by the family and doctors autopsy. Apparently he was supposed to perform for a new European tour. 


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Parham

German and not American

by Parham on Thu Dec 30, 2010 07:41 AM PST

That was the idea. Boney M was actually one of the first "concept bands" (if not the first), where the people upfront didn't have much to do with the actual music, instrumentation, etc. They were there only to convey an image --that of perhaps a bunch from Harlem like your classmates imagined them-- and for the ladies, to sing on the tracks.
RIP Farrell nevertheless.


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Faramarz

علی، علی غول!

Faramarz
Thu Dec 30, 2010 07:40 AM PST

 

Thanks DK Jaan! He was a big part of my growing up, disco, strobe lights and the rest. Here is how we used to lip sync to this tune

She's Crazy Like a Fool

What about it Daddy Cool

علی، علی غول

علی، علی غول

علی، علی غول

همش اینقدر دول


  •  
Darius Kadivar

Thanks Parham Jaan for your feedbacks

by Darius Kadivar on Thu Dec 30, 2010 07:13 AM PST

Didn't know that. I had noticed the lip sync's though but always thought it was due to Playbacks which were often noticeable on TV in the 70's.

But he still caught all the attention with his dancing.

The Funniest thing most people don't know or did not realize at the time particularly my classmates in Shiraz was that the group was German and not American. Most of us thought they were genuine New Yorkers From Harlem ;0) 


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comrade

Lip synching or not!

by comrade on Thu Dec 30, 2010 07:08 AM PST

I miss him for the sake of Good Old Days when my chest hair was Daddy Cool, and sooooo fashionable!

Never increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything.

 


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Parham

You know, he wasn't actually

by Parham on Thu Dec 30, 2010 06:58 AM PST

You know, he wasn't actually the singer. The real singer was Frank Farian (the band/concept's producer). Farrell only lip-synced on the songs and danced!


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