McKay moved to New York City at the age of 17 to study architecture. In 1969 McKay launched the group "Exuma" with his then-partner and lifelong friend Sally O'Brien. He enlisted several musician friends, forming his backup band, the Junk Band. The band included O'Brien (as Princess Sally), Bogie, Lord Wellington, Villy, Spy Boy Thielheim, Mildred Vaney, Frankie Gearing, Diana Claudia Bunea (as Princess Diana), and his good friend Peppy Castro (Emil Thielhelm, lead singer of the Blues Magoos).
By the 1980s McKay had moved to New Orleans and was a regular at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
Over the years the group Exuma played and / or toured with Patti LaBelle, Curtis Mayfield, Rita Marley, Peter Tosh, Toots & the Maytals, Sly and the Family Stone, Steppenwolf, Black Flag and the Neville Brothers. Numerous artists performed on his recordings and in his stage shows.
After growing up on Cat Island, Tony McKay moved to New York City at the age of 17 to study architecture. However, he did not complete his studies and soon entered the music industry in a group called Tony McKay and the Islanders. In New York's 1960s Greenwich Village folk scene McKay often found himself performing with such greats as Bob Dylan, Richie Havens, Jimi Hendrix, and Barbra Streisand among others.
He soon gained the attention of Blues Magoos manager Bob Wyld. Wyld brought McKay to Mercury Records and convinced them to sign him. In 1970 McKay, now redubbed Exuma, released the albums Exuma and Exuma II. From those albums he released the singles "Exuma, The Obeah Man", "Junkanoo", "Damn Fool", and "Zandoo". Exuma also garnered recognition for his song "You Don't Know What's Going On", which was featured on the soundtrack to John G. Avilsen's 1970 film Joe starring Peter Boyle, Susan Sarandon, and Dennis Patrick.
Exuma left Mercury in 1971 to sign with the Kama Sutra label, where he released the albums Do Wah Nanny (1971), Snake (1972), Reincarnation (1972), and Life (1973). From these albums he released the singles "Do Wah Nanny", "The Bowery", "Brown Girl", "Rushing Through the Crowd", and a cover of Paul McCartney's "Monkberry Moon Delight". After low sales and seeking the freedom of independence, Exuma was no longer featured on a major record label for the rest of his career. He released Penny Sausage, Going to Cat Island, Universal Exuma and Street Life in the early 1980s, but none of these albums received much exposure.By this time, Exuma was enjoying his greatest recognition. In the Bahamas, he even scored two hit singles, "Shirlene" and "Rose Mary Smith." He had moved to New Orleans and was a regular at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival. He performed regularly at the Old Absinthe Bar. These nights could become jam sessions, as he had a habit of starting songs that were not in the set list and he still attracted great musicians, such as Bill Wyman and Bob Dylan's backing band. In 1986 under the ROIR label, Exuma released Rude Boy, which garnered slightly more attention and featured songs from some of his previous 1980s releases.
Over the years Exuma has played and/or toured with Patti LaBelle, Curtis Mayfield, Rita Marley, Peter Tosh, Toots & the Maytals, Sly and the Family Stone, Steppenwolf, Black Flag and the Neville Brothers. Exuma was even recognised by Queen Elizabeth II in 1978 when she awarded him the British Empire Medal for his contributions to Bahamian culture.
In the late 1980s, Exuma suffered a mild heart attack, and thus devoted much more of his time to painting, his other great talent. His paintings have been exhibited several times and collected by many art lovers. Never abandoning his music however, he still wrote and performed his original music. He continued to perform at the New Orleans Jazz Festival until 1991. The last years of his life saw him splitting his time between Miami, Florida and Nassau, in a house that his mother had left him. He died in his sleep in 1997.
Professor and fellow Bahamian Alfred M. Sears stated that Exuma was "A Bahamian visionary, humanistic philosopher and people's poet. Exuma gives expression to the beauty and power of the cultural life of the Bahamas - the people's every day experiences, folklore, myths, stories, junkanoo, rake and scrape, pain, joy, struggle and survival. His life and art reflect the wonderful cultural heritage and personality of Bahamians, drawing on the roots of Africa and the branches of the Amerindians, Europeans and Americans."[2]
Tony McKay had many children including Gavin, Kenyatta, Acklins and Jahleena. His first son, Shaw and his mother, "Sammy" were murdered in the early 1970s in New York's Lower East Side. Both Acklins and Kenyatta Alisha are vocal artists, carrying on the tradition of their father through their individual genres.
Damn Fool
Exuma Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Damn fool, you're married, they call him damn fool
Damn fool, you're married, they call him damn fool
Damn fool, you're married, they call him damn fool
You thought you married a woman
You married a big black bird
You thought you married a woman
When she got her obeah power
She's a woman for an hour
Exuma says the word
You'll turn into a big black bird
Damn fool, you're married, they call him damn fool
Damn fool, you're married, they call him damn fool
Damn fool, you're married, they call him damn fool
Damn fool, you're married, they call him damn fool
Exuma ain't got no teeth
Exuma ain't got no feet
Exuma ain't got no leg
He walk with a wooden peg
Exuma he don't eat
Exuma he don't sleep
When he goes to St. Marshall's [?] graveyard
You better have obeah hard
Na na nanana, na na na na
Na na nanana, na na na na
Na na nanana, na na na na, oh yeah
Na na nanana, na na na na
Na na nanana, na na nanana na
Waaa, hey, hey, hey, all right
Exuma been in heaven
Exuma been in hell
Spirits, spirits are running
When they see Exuma coming
Exuma got a cap
He bite her on her neck
Na na na nana, na na na na
Na na na nana, na na na na
Damn fool, you're married, they call him damn fool
Damn fool, you're married, they call him damn fool
Damn fool, you're married, they call him damn fool
Damn fool, you're married, they call him damn fool
You thought you married a woman
You married a big black bird
You thought you married a woman
You married a big black bird
When she got her obeah power
She's a woman for an hour
Exuma says the word
You'll turn into a big black bird
Na na nanana, na na na na
Na na nanana, na na na na
Na na nanana, na na na na
Na na nanana, na na na na
When you goes to St. Marshall's [?] graveyard
You better have your obeah hard
Exuma ain't got no teeth
Exuma ain't got no teeth
Exuma ain't got no leg
He walk with a wooden peg
Na na nanana, na na na na, hey, wow
The lyrics to Exuma's "Damn Fool" are an ode to the dangers of marriage and the consequences of not being careful who you marry. The repetition of the line "Damn fool, you're married, they call him damn fool" adds to the cautionary nature of the song, warning people not to make foolish decisions when it comes to choosing a spouse.
The song also highlights the belief in African-Caribbean spirituality and the power of obeah, a type of folk magic practiced in the Caribbean. The lyrics warn that if you marry someone who has mastered the power of obeah, they can turn you into a big black bird at will. This is a metaphor for being trapped in a bad marriage, unable to escape or be yourself.
Exuma, the songwriter and performer of the song, is known for his unique style of music that blends African, Caribbean, and folk influences. He sings about his own experiences with spirituality and mysticism, and his songs often contain veiled references to these themes. "Damn Fool" is a testament to his brilliant and insightful songwriting that merges traditional and contemporary styles to create something entirely unique.
Line by Line Meaning
Damn fool, you're married, they call him damn fool
The man is foolish for marrying someone with dangerous occult powers, and people refer to him as a 'damn fool' for making this mistake.
You thought you married a woman, you married a big black bird
The man was deceived into thinking he was marrying a woman, but in reality, he married a bird with magical powers.
When she got her obeah power, she's a woman for an hour, Exuma says the word, you'll turn into a big black bird
The man's wife can transform him into a big black bird using her magical powers if she says the right word.
Exuma ain't got no teeth, Exuma ain't got no feet, Exuma ain't got no leg, he walk with a wooden peg, Exuma he don't eat, Exuma he don't sleep
Exuma, a character in the song, is a supernatural being that doesn't require food or sleep to survive. He also has several physical handicaps and walks with a wooden peg.
When he goes to St. Marshall's [?] graveyard, you better have obeah hard
If Exuma visits the graveyard at St. Marshall's, you need to have strong occult protection to avoid being harmed by him.
Exuma been in heaven, Exuma been in hell, spirits, spirits are running, when they see Exuma coming
Exuma is a powerful spirit that has been to both heaven and hell. Other spirits are afraid of him and flee when they see him.
Exuma got a cap, he bite her on her neck
Exuma has a special power where he can bite people on the neck with his cap and turn them into supernatural creatures like himself.
Writer(s): EXUMA
Contributed by Grace K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@marshalldevinejr.8078
I'm fifty-six years old, and am basically a metal head. I also like stuff off the "beaten path." This album came out when I was nine years old. Man. What a treasure. I am officially blown away.
@SecretSoundSociety
I'm 22 and this has been one of my go-to Lucy trip tunes since I was 16 lmao, I hope life has given you some interesting experiences!!!!
@keithpalmer1998
Exuma the Obeah Man . Introduced to him and his music in 1970 with the release of his first album . Thanks to KQRS . In a family Scrabble game , I pulled out a thrilling victory with the winning last word . The word was Obeah !
@hughbrennen6253
Wow
@tanl7756
I have all his records and my fave songs on casettes, heh. You need SERIOUS SUBwoofer to hear this. When it came out, I blew out my woofers listening to it. Went and got bigger ones.
@rita6355
It really feels like the music is actually the Obeah man visiting you
@pote31
I have been looking for this song for 30 years. this goes all the way back to the early days of clubbing. thank you so much for posting
@MsGrimfandango
Esteban Quinones you're welcome! :)
@Umbrella2
Esteban Quinones You heard this in a club!? Wow cool club! lol
@lehtinen21
Find That Music! This was called disco music too cos this was played in a disco.