The Jolly Boys

(One of the troupes they typically performed with was led by Albert Minott, at that time an occasional Jolly Boys member and now its current lead singer.)

For example, the group auditioned for Jean Farduli, the proprietor of the Blue Angel Supper Club in Chicago (a venue famous for showcasing West Indian music) in 1964.

[4][5] In the 1970s, the Jolly Boys continued to perform in Port Antonio, but also took work elsewhere in Jamaica, most notably at the Round Hill Hotel in Montego Bay.

However, in 1969 Allan Swymmer moved to St. Ann's Bay and formed a second, concurrent "Jolly Boys" group composed of musicians local to that area.

[6] This group mainly performed in the parish, but they recorded two albums (Roots of Reggae: Music From Jamaica [1977] and Jolly Boys at Club Caribbean [1979]) and several 45s.

However, around 1980 Swymmer moved back to Port Antonio and, together with Deans, reformed the Jolly Boys with Joseph "Powda" Bennett on the rumba box.

These recordings led to several world tours, an appearance in the film The Mighty Quinn with Denzel Washington, and a level of international recognition few mento groups ever experience.

The quality of their performances–and particularly the strength and charisma of lead singer Albert Minott–led GeeJam's co-owner Jon Baker to co-produce an album of rock covers done in a "modern" mento style with in-house studio engineer Dale Dizzle Virgo.

[8] The album, called Great Expectation was released in late 2010, and yielded an international tour representing a new stage in Jolly Boys history.

Today, the "original" group consists of Albert Minott (lead vocals), Derrick "Johnny" Henry (rumba box), Allan Swymmer (percussion), and Egbert Watson (banjo).