The Bahamas has a vibrant musical identity built from African and Caribbean roots, with rake-and-scrape, calypso, goombay, and the spectacular rhythms of Junkanoo at its center.
The music of the Bahamas is associated primarily with junkanoo, a celebration which occurs on Boxing Day and again on New Year's Day. Parades and other celebrations mark the ceremony. Groups like The Baha Men, Ronnie Butler and Kirkland Bodie have gained massive popularity in Japan, the United States and elsewhere.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia’s “Music of the Bahamas” article.
Ronnie Butler’s warm, rhythmic style made him one of the most enduring voices in Bahamian popular music.
A Junkanoo parade brings music, dance, costume, and community together through driving goatskin drums, cowbells, whistles, and brass.
This additional performance offers another glimpse of the rhythmic, participatory character of Bahamian musical culture.