The Jamaican BB King and The Westerners were hired by the Grand Lido hotel in Negril, Jamaica to play Mento music on their company yacht (formerly owned by Aristotle Onnasis). The yacht ferried guests on daily cruises out of Bloody Bay for an hour or so and for the main part of that time guests could experience this true Mento trio. These brothers were joyous in their performing of music that went back fifty or more years. When DJZigZag and Mrs. ZigZag (that's her in the head scarf) went back for a second stay a few years later Mr. King and his group were no longer there and neither was the talented piano bar host. This Rhythm 'n' Blues / Pop singer with the golden voice, who was a friend of Canadian acting legend Bruno Gerussi (while living in Toronto, Ontario) was made redundant by a karaoke machine. Sad. Two reasons I originally found the Grand Lido such a great place to visit were gone. But not to diss the place too much, to its credit I must say it still is a great resort to spend a lazy all-inclusive vacation.
Try Couples Negril. We just returned from there (Feb 2012)and were lucky to have seen BB and his band now a quartet 2 giutars, maracas plus BB and his bass box. Had a great visit with BB after the show. Not only is he a talanted musician, his stories and love of Mento are heartwarming.
mikefowfow 1 week ago