THE ALLNITERS
Montego Bay
(Jeff Barry - Bobby Bloom)
Australia 1983
#3 Sydney #15 Melbourne #8 Brisbane #19 Adelaide #24 Perth

Single on Powderworks by popular live ska band from Sydney featuring guitarist Martin Fabok and various line-ups. Montego Bay was the biggest of a handful of charting singles in Sydney 1982-1984.

Further reading: 1. The Allniters entry in Ian McFarlane's Encyclopedia of Australian Rock & Pop is the basis of the Allniters page at NostalgiaCentral.
2. The Wikipedia entry on The Allniters has a comprehensive line-up list and a discography.
Suggestion from Terry Stacey.
JON STEVENS
Montego Bay
(Jeff Barry - Bobby Bloom)
New Zealand 1980
#1 NZ

Single on CBS, also on album Jezebel, by New Zealand singer who, after a successful solo career at home, moved to Australia and became lead singer of popular rock band Noiseworks, formed 1986. He also sang with INXS 2000-2003.

Essential reading: For the full Jon Stevens story, before and after Noiseworks, see Bruce Sergent's NZ Music Site.
FREDDIE NOTES & THE RUDIES
Montego Bay
(Jeff Barry - Bobby Bloom)
UK 1970
#45 UK

The Rudies were a West Indian band who went on to form Greyhound (Black And White, 1971, #6 UK) with a new lead singer after Freddie Notes went solo.

Montego Bay was a single on Jamaican music label Trojan, formed in the UK 1968 around the rocksteady and reggae styles. First appearing briefly in 1967 as an Island label imprint featuring the productions of Duke Reid ("The Trojan King Of Sounds"), Trojan was relaunched in 1968 by Lee Gopthal in partnership with Island.

References: 1. Greyhound page at Trojanrecords.com. 2. Greyhound bio at All Music Guide. 3. Label history at Trojan official site. 4. Wikipedia entry on Trojan.

THE BAR-KAYS
Montego Bay
(Jeff Barry - Bobby Bloom)
USA 1970

Single on Volt by Stax-Volt backing band The Bar-Kays. They had a hit with Soul Finger (1967, #17 USA) and became soul star Otis Redding's regular band.

Four of the original Bar-Kays died in the air accident that claimed Otis Redding, but the band was re-formed by the two remaining members. The Bar-Kays worked on as the house band at Stax and moved into a funkier style in the 70s.

References: All Music Guide and Wikipedia entries on The Bar-Kays.
BOBBY BLOOM
Montego Bay
(Jeff Barry - Bobby Bloom)
Australia 1970
Original version
#8 USA #3 UK #12 Sydney #26 Melbourne #4 Brisbane #2 Adelaide #8 Perth #12 NZ

Single on Polydor, also on album Montego Bay, by Bobby Bloom (1946-1974), American singer, songwriter and recording engineer.

Montego Bay was written with Brill Building songwriting legend Jeff Barry with whom Bobby Bloom wrote a number of songs during this period. Both contributed songs to the final Monkees album, the Jeff Barry-produced Changes (1970), including two Barry-Bloom collaborations.



References: All Music Guide and Wikipedia entries on Bobby Bloom.
MEETING POINT
Montego Bay
1978
Red herring
#39 NZ

Same title but not the same song as 'Montego Bay' by The Allnighters.

This charted in New Zealand but it may be European: also released on French dance label Carrere and on German label Hana.

Reference: Post at New Zealand Music - The 60s and 70s Forum by NZ chart compiler Dean Scapolo who says it's not the same as the Bobby Bloom song. I've seen a tiny label shot: the composers' names were too small to read, but none of them looked like Bloom or Barry.
PEPE JARAMILLO
Montego Bay
(Malcolm Addey)
UK 1967
Red herring

Same title but not the same song as 'Montego Bay' by The Allnighters.

On Columbia album This is Pepe Jaramillo by the Mexican pianist, produced by Norman Newell.

Let's leave it at that for the Red herrings: BMI lists over 30 songs entitled Montego Bay.

Later versions:

AMAZULU
Montego Bay
(Jeff Barry - Bobby Bloom)
UK 1986
Later version
#16 UK

Single on Island by British ska band. Also a hit in Canada.

See Amazulu - Montego Bay video at YouTube.
Further reading: Amazulu entry at Wikipedia.

Corrections or comments? Contact the writer.