VETERAN GROUP THE MELODIANS, BOOSTED BY ITS BILLBOARD CHART ENTRY!

Shortly after officially joining The Melodians three years ago, Winston Dias made a bold prediction to his colleagues, Trevor McNaughton and Taurus Alphonso. He said they would enter the Billboard chart.

“I predicted it two years ago and everybody laughed at me. It’s the ultimate for me…it’s my Grammy,” said the 70-year-old Dias.

‘The Return Of The Melodians’, a 2011 set recorded by the trio, entered the Billboard Reggae Album Chart in early January. It was the first time the legendary vocal group made any of that publication’s tables.

Produced by Willie Lindo, ‘The Return Of The Melodians’ contains fresh versions of songs that made them famous over 50 years ago — ‘Little Nut Tree’, ‘Sweet Sensation’ and ‘You Don’t Need Me’. There is also a reggae version of The Drifters’ ‘I’ll Take You Where The Music’s Playing’ and ‘Cerasee Tea’, a ska ditty Dias recorded for Prince Buster in the early 1960’s.

McNaughton is the sole original member of The Melodians. Brent Dowe and Tony Brevett, who were also members of the classic lineup that recorded mainly for producer Duke Reid, died in 2006 and 2013, respectively.

The current lineup has been together since 2015 and are based in Miami and Fort Lauderdale where they perform in mainly intimate settings for mature audiences. They have also done shows in Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain.

Dias, who operated successful nightclubs in South Florida before resuming his vocal career, hopes the Billboard entry will see an increase in live dates.

“We sing for the family, not just about love, but family life. That’s something missing from the music today and people want to hear more positive stuff,” he said.

McNaughton formed The Melodians in the early 1960’s. They hit their stride in the rocksteady era with Reid, becoming one of the genre’s leading acts alongside The Paragons and The Heptones.

Working with producer Leslie Kong at the dawn of roots-reggae in the early 1970’s, The Melodians scored their biggest hit with the spiritual ‘Rivers of Babylon’. The song was covered by Boney M in 1978 and made the British national chart.