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.
Monk Berry Moon Delight
Exuma Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the wind played a dreadful cantata
Sore was i from a crack of an enemy's hose
And the horrible sound of tomato
Ketchup, Soup and puree, Don't get left behind
Ketchup, Soup and puree, Don't get left behind
Don't get left behind, Don't get left behind
When a rattle of rats had awoken
The sinews, the nerves and the veins
My piano was boldly outspoken
In attempts to repeat this refrain
So i stood with a knot in my stomach,
And i gazed at that terrible sight,
Of two young sters concealed in a barrel,
Suckin' monkberry moon delight, ho!
Monkberry moon delight, Monkberry moon delight,
Monkberry moon delight, Monkberry moon delight
Oh -Oh-oh, oh-oh
Well, i know my banana is older than the rest
And my hair is a tangled beretta(beretta, beretta)
But i leave my pyjamas to billy budapest,
And i don't get the gist of your letter
Catch up, Catch some kittens,
Don't get left behind Catch up,
Catch kittens, Don't get left behind
Don't get left behind, Don't get left behind
Oh monkberry moon delight, yeah, Monkberry moon delight,
Monkberry moon delight, Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
Monkberry moon delight, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Monkberry moon delight, Oh, monkberry moon delight,
Oh, monkberry moon delight, Monkberry moon delight,
Oh-oh, Monkberry moon delight Suckin' monkberry moon
Delight,
Monkberry moon delight, Monkberry moon delight,
Monkberry moon delight, Ah, monkberry moon delight, yeah,
Yeah,
Monkberry moon delight, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh... Uh, monkberry moon delight.
"Try some of this, honey!"what is it?"
Monkberry moon delight,
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah...
(Ooh) monkberry moon delight, Uh, monkberry moon
Delight,
Monkberry moon delight, Monkberry moon delight, ...
The lyrics to Exuma's "Monkberry Moon Delight" are abstract and surreal, making it difficult to decipher a concrete meaning. The song tells a story of the singer sitting in an attic with a piano up their nose while listening to the wind play a dreadful cantata. They are sore from an enemy's hose crack and from the sound of tomato. As the sinews, nerves, and veins are awoken by a rattle of rats, the person's piano becomes boldly outspoken by repeating a refrain. They stand with a knot in their stomach gazing at two youngsters who are concealed in a barrel sucking monkberry moon delight.
The lyrics to this song mainly consist of surreal images and similes that don't seem to make any sense at first glance. However, the repetitive phrases such as "Ketchup, Soup, and puree" and "Monkberry Moon Delight" seem to indicate a focus on food. This song may be about the pleasures of indulging in food and sensory experiences, enjoying life's simple pleasures and not worrying about the world's problems.
Line by Line Meaning
So i sat in the attic, a piano up my nose,
I was in a weird place with a musical instrument really close to me.
And the wind played a dreadful cantata
The air sounded scary like a spooky song.
Sore was i from a crack of an enemy's hose
I was hurt from a hit by a foe’s hose.
And the horrible sound of tomato
I heard a nasty noise coming from a tomato.
Ketchup, Soup and puree, Don't get left behind
Don’t miss out on choices of toppings or dressings.
When a rattle of rats had awoken
I woke up because of a disturbance made by rodents.
The sinews, the nerves and the veins
My muscles, my sensations and my circulatory structures.
My piano was boldly outspoken
My musical instrument sounded loud and proud.
In attempts to repeat this refrain
It tried to play the same song again and again.
So i stood with a knot in my stomach,
I was worried and tense.
And i gazed at that terrible sight,
I looked at the awful view in front of me.
Of two young sters concealed in a barrel,
I saw two kids hiding in a container.
Suckin' monkberry moon delight, ho!
They were drinking a beverage called monkberry moon delight.
Monkberry moon delight, Monkberry moon delight,
They were consuming a drink called monkberry moon delight.
Well, i know my banana is older than the rest
I am aware that my banana is more mature than others.
And my hair is a tangled beretta(beretta, beretta)
My locks are messy and chaotic.
But i leave my pyjamas to billy budapest,
I don't care about what clothes I wear when I sleep.
And i don't get the gist of your letter
I don't understand the purpose of the message that you sent me.
Catch up, Catch some kittens,
Hurry up, get a move on!
Don't get left behind Catch up,
Don't lag or stay behind!
Don't get left behind, Don't get left behind
Don't fall back or miss out!
Oh monkberry moon delight, yeah, Monkberry moon delight,
The drink monkberry moon delight is amazing!
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
Excitedly expressing satisfaction.
Suckin' monkberry moon delight,
They are still drinking that delicious beverage.
Ah, monkberry moon delight, yeah, yeah,
That drink is really good!
Uh, monkberry moon delight.
Hmm, this monkberry moon delight is tasty!
"try some of this, honey!"what is it?"
"Taste this, my dear!" "What is it?"
Monkberry moon delight,
It's that great drink called monkberry moon delight!
Monkberry moon delight, ...
Monkberry moon delight is the best!
Writer(s): Mccartney Paul James, Mc Cartney Linda Louise
Contributed by Muhammad L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@gustavogaudio3370
Notas y letras que jamas olvidaremos........cuantos recuerdos.........muchos "hurras" por los 70
@pampap4287
Paul McCartney is good. His voice deserves praise for its abilities. But Exuma lived this voice everyday, and was a master. Unsurpassed deep soul resonance. Powerful, scary, commanding. I am honored to have been living when he sang to the world. As I also, of course, feel privileged to have been alive while Paul McCartney sang (and sings still.)
@amilcarf5714
recuerdo imborrable de mi infancia, me quedaba extasiado escuchando la interpretación de este vocalista impresionante, lastima que no trascendio mucho mas que un par de hits, es una aplanadora!
@marii179
Recuerdos!! Tiempos hermosos q nunca se olvidarán🤩
@rodychurrarin1431
Los que rondamos los 60 años, nos extaciamos con este tema y esta version.
@nicanorlorenzo5921
Acuerdo con los comentarios anteriores; este vocalista hizo de esta canción una obra maestra. Diría que mejor versión que la de Mc Cartney; muy rara vez los covers superan el original.
Gracias por compartir. PD; la letra parece tener un sentido oscuro; no se entiende muy bien.
@forevers1238
Amazing cover. The way he said nerves caught me off guard first time listening
@LeoGamesXD
Fazia parte da trilha sonora da novela "A Volta de Beto Rockfeller", da TV TUPI, EM 1973.
@folkpine
Caraca!
@DRAKORLCL
HERMOSOS RECUERDOS!...SALUDOS DESDE SANTA CRUZ BOLIVIA.