Bobby Farrell

Roberto Alfonso "Bobby" Farrell (6 October 1949 – 30 December 2010) was an Aruban dancer, singer and DJ. He was a member of the 1970s and 1980s disco group Boney M.

Farrell was born and raised on the Caribbean island of Aruba, in the Dutch colony of Curaçao and Dependencies (later known as the Netherlands Antilles). He left after having finished school at the age of 15, and was a sailor for two years, before moving to Norway. He then went to the Netherlands, where he found occasional work as a DJ, before moving to Germany for better opportunities.

In Germany, Farrell mostly worked as a DJ, until producer Frank Farian spotted him for his new group, Boney M., and made Farrell the lone male singer in the group. In 1978, however, Farian confirmed existing rumours that Farrell made no vocal contributions to the group's records, and Farian had performed the male parts in the studio. Liz Mitchell said this was true; only she, Marcia Barrett and Farian had sung on the hit recordings, adding that Farrell limited himself vocally to "growling" when performing live in some of the various incarnations of Boney M., including the main 1970s incarnation. After Farrell left the group in 1981, due to clashes with Farian, his voice was genuinely recorded for the first time on the double A-side single "We Kill the World" / "Boonoonoonoos". He was replaced by Reggie Tsiboe, while Farrell attempted a solo career; however, he rejoined in 1984, and continued as a member until the final split in 1986.

In 1988, Farrell and the three original female members reunited. Two remix albums were released, and they performed on several television shows; in France, one of their singles reached no. 1. Despite this, the reunion did not last more than a year. Soon after, Farrell started to tour with his own group, performing the band's hits under the name Bobby Farrell's Boney M.

He appeared as a dancer in the late 2005 Roger Sanchez music video for "Turn on the Music".

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.