MBE honour for singer Liz Mitchell

LONDON:

Liz Mitchell, lead singer of R&B and reggae band Boney M has been named a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for service to music and charity. The presentation was made last month by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle in Berkshire.

The 72-year-old singer arrived in England from Jamaica at 11 years old and went on to experience fame with the 1970s band.

Between 1976 and 1981, the group enjoyed two number-one hits in the UK charts and an additional seven singles that made the top ten. The group sold over 100 million records during the five periods to 1981.

The singles Rivers of Babylon and Mary’s Boy Child – Oh My Lord both generated platinum sales while Rasputin went gold. The album Night Flight to Venus also went platinum.

REFUTES PRECONCEPTIONS

Speaking exclusively to The Weekly Gleaner, Mitchell said:“Receiving the MBE stands out as one of my most satisfying achievements.”

She added: “Jamaicans emigrated to the UK on the Windrush ship, and it was felt that we wouldn’t achieve anything worthwhile.

“To receive an MBE refutes these preconceptions. Some of my songs have been in all-time top ten charts and the Guiness Book of Records for both the fastest and longest growing songs of all time.”

The artiste described why her music achieved widespread popularity. She said: “I was blessed with a voice and songs that resonated with people, and sales have been more than I could have anticipated. Most people from the UK and Germany knew of our songs, but so did our fans in the Middle East and Africa.”

The Oxfordshire-based musician is proud to be the second person in her family to receive an MBE. Her late father received the same award in May at the age of 103 for services to the community.

Norman Mitchell arrived in the UK in 1955 and founded the West Indian Senior Citizen Organisation in 1980 to help the elderly Windrush generation.

Mitchell said that for two members of her family to receive an MBE was a real achievement.

She said: “The Windrush generation tried really hard to give their best in this country (UK).”

She added: “I heard I was going to get the MBE while I was burying my father in Jamaica.

“I arrived in Jamaica in June, because he died in May, and I travelled to Jamaica for his second funeral. It was because my father had received the award as well for his community services that ones were saying, ‘It’s like a message from your dad.’”

Reminiscing on how her father helped members of the community, she said: “He was the champion for senior citizens. He was older than some of them,” she added.

“He was also like a nurse. When the people were too old to move, my dad was one of those people who would go and help them. It wasn’t just the people he knew. He would help the mayor, the MP, the pastors.

“He was very proud of his MBE. I think he wore his badge everywhere.”

CULTURAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMME

Boney M R&B music group were created by controversial German record producer Frank Farian in the mid-1970s. Mitchell performed alongside fellow lead vocalist Marcia Barrett and dancers Maizie Williams and Bobby Farrell.

When asked what financial advice she would give to aspiring musicians, the singer said: “It’s always having the right people to provide advice and the best investment opportunities.

The advice I received during my earlier years was so different compared with today. Musicians today can have more access to loyalties. While performing with BoneyM I was living in Germany, and I wasn’t registered with the right bodies, and we lost out financially.

The Jamaican believes her MBE will inspire younger members of her family and community. She added: “My grandson said to me when he saw it (MBE medal), ‘Oh! dDoes it mean if I work hard, I can get one?’ I said, ‘Yes, of course. If you do great charity work, you can receive one,’”

“It is not just members of my family feeling that they can achieve this award. This award goes across the community. It shows all people within the community that they can achieve.”

In 1989, Mitchell established a charity, the Let It Be Foundation, which provides a cultural exchange programme for African-Caribbean children in the UK.

Describing the benefits of her programme, the community leader said: “We have helped over 100 kids visit Gambia, and they all returned home with a better understanding of their identities and existence.”

In her late teens, Mitchell moved to Berlin to perform with the German cast of the musical Hair before joining pop group the Les Humphries Singers. The Jamaican moved back to the UK and joined Boney M in 1976.

Boney M’s long connection with Eastern Europe started in 1978 when Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev invited them to play in Moscow.