The Jamaicans were a Jamaican ska and rocksteady group formed in 1964, initially known as the Merricoles. The group originally consisted of Derrick Brown and Norris Weir, who were later joined by Martin Williams, Flats Hylton, I Kong, and Tommy Cowan. At the behest of Canadian shipping agent Aston McKeachron, they changed their name to increase international appeal. Under Duke Reid's Treasure Isle label, they released their first singles, “Pocket Full of Money” and “Diana”. After Kong and Brown departed in 1967, the group had a local hit with “Things You Say You Love” and won the Island's Festival Song Contest with the rocksteady classic “Ba Ba Boom”. Other notable recordings include a cover of Curtis Mayfield's “Dedicate My Song to You” and the original composition “Black Girl”, which was later covered by Boney M. The group disbanded in 1972, after which Weir relocated to the United States, became an ordained minister in 2010, and recorded ten Gospel albums. Weir died on November 16, 2018, and Williams passed away in May 2022.
