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Boney M.
Boney M. in 1981
Background information
Origin	West Germany
Genres	Eurodisco, R&B, Pop Rock
Years active	1975–present
Labels	Hansa, Atlantic, Sony Music
Members
Liz Mitchell Maizie Williams Marcia Barrett
Past members
Bobby Farrell Reggie Tsiboe

Boney M. is a vocal group created by German record producer Frank Farian. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the group's official line-up were Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett from Jamaica, Maizie Williams from Montserrat and Bobby Farrell from Aruba. The group was formed in 1975 and achieved popularity during the disco era of the late 1970s.

History[link]

German singer-songwriter Frank Farian (real name Franz) recorded the dance track "Baby Do You Wanna Bump" in December 1974. Farian sang the repeated line "Do you do you wanna bump?" in a deep voice (entirely studio created) as well as performing the high falsetto chorus. When the record was released as a single, it was credited to "Boney M.", a pseudonym Farian had created for himself after watching the Australian detective show Boney. After a slow start, the song became a hit in the Netherlands and Belgium. It was then that Farian decided to hire performers to 'front' the group for TV performances. The Katja Wolfe booking agency found model-turned-singer Maizie Williams (originally from Montserrat) and her Jamaican singer friend [[Sheyla Bonnick]] for him, along with a dancer known only as "Mike" for the first gigs. Also during 1975, a girl named Nathalie joined but was soon replaced by Claudja Barry. Then Bonnick and Mike left, and Maizie Williams brought in Bobby Farrell, an exotic male dancer from Aruba. Singer Marcia Barrett (also from Jamaica) joined the group, which then went through another change in line-up when Claudja Barry – tired of merely lip-synching – left in February 1976 to pursue a solo career as a disco singer. Finally Liz Mitchell, former member of the Les Humphries Singers, stepped in. The line-up was finalised with Liz Mitchell, Maizie Williams, Marcia Barrett, and Bobby Farrell.

[edit] Take the Heat Off Me

Boney M.'s first album, Take the Heat Off Me, was released in 1976. It contained tracks that Marcia Barrett had already recorded with Farian, including the title track and "Lovin' or Leavin'", both of which were previously recorded in German by another Farian act, Gilla. As Maizie Williams' voice wasn't considered suitable for recording purposes by Farian, and a try-out with Bobby Farrell performing "No Woman No Cry" didn't work, Farian decided to use only Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett along with his own studio-enhanced voice to create the Boney M. sound.

Liz Mitchell claimed that only she and Farian had sung on the hit recordings, but that Farrell did, however, perform live in some of the various later touring incarnations of 'Boney M'.^[1]

The album's commercial performance was initially lukewarm. However, the group rigorously toured discos, clubs and even country fairs to earn a reputation for themselves. The group's big break came when, at the end of summer 1976, German television producer Michael 'Mike' Leckebusch (of Radio Bremen) requested the group for his show Musikladen. Boney M. appeared on the live music show on September 18, 1976, after 10 pm and in their daring stage costumes, where they performed the song "Daddy Cool". The song quickly went to no.1 in Germany, with the album following the success of the single. Another single, "Sunny" (a cover of the 1966 Bobby Hebb song) gave the group their second no.1 hit. The group's popularity had also grown throughout Europe, with "Daddy Cool" reaching no.1 in Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, and Austria. Both singles were also Top 10 hits in the UK which would become one of their biggest markets.

[edit] Love for Sale

In 1977, Boney M. released their second album, Love for Sale, which contained the hits "Ma Baker" and "Belfast". The group embarked on their first major concert tours with a live band of musicians called 'The Black Beautiful Circus' (given their name after Maizie Williams' first band, 'Black Beautiful People'). Though slow to start Love for Sale was certified Gold a year after its release in the UK. Both singles from the album reached no.1 in Germany and the UK Top 10. By this time, sales had also slowly increased for their first album which had peaked at no.13 in the UK and was certified Gold.^[2]

[edit] Nightflight to Venus

1978 was the group's biggest year. They released a new double A-sided single, "Rivers of Babylon/Brown Girl in the Ring", which became a massive hit all over Europe, reaching #1 in several countries as well as becoming one of the biggest selling singles of all time in the UK. It also became their most successful single in the United States, peaking at #30 on the U.S. pop singles chart. Following this came their biggest-selling album, Nightflight to Venus, which spawned another hit single, "Rasputin". Continuing with their success, they released "Mary's Boy Child - Oh My Lord", which was the 1978 Christmas number one single in the United Kingdom and became another of the biggest selling singles of all time there. Also during 1978, Boney M. made a much publicized promotional visit to the Soviet Union, one of the very few Western acts along with Elton John to do so, although tracks like "Rasputin" were not released in the Soviet Union due to their lyrics.^[3]

While it had never been a secret that Bobby Farrell never was in the studio providing vocals for the studio recordings (Farian did the male vocals in the studio), in 1978 it became public knowledge that Maizie Williams did not sing on the studio recordings either "since her voice wasn't suited for this kind of music", as Farian stated in an interview with German teen magazine Bravo. Since this had become common practice within the disco genre of the late '70s, few people cared – unlike when Farian did the same thing with Milli Vanilli in the late 1980s. While only two of Boney M.'s official members actually contributed to the band's records, all four members of the group, including Maizie Williams and Bobby Farrell, performed the vocals live at Boney M. concerts.^[4] The band's live sound was also augmented by several backing vocalists, which served to enhance any vocal deficiencies the group may have had compared with the studio productions.

[edit] Oceans of Fantasy

1979 saw Boney M. release a brand new single, "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday", which became another Top 10 hit across Europe. Later in the year they released their fourth album, Oceans of Fantasy, containing two hit singles – "Gotta Go Home"/"El Lute" and "I'm Born Again"/"Bahama Mama". The album also included a "Lead" and "Backing Vocals" credit for the first time. Oceans of Fantasy reached no.1 in the UK and was certified Platinum, though their run of Top 10 singles had now ended with "Gotta Go Home" peaking at no.12 and "I'm Born Again" peaking at 35.

The 1980s[link]

In 1980, Boney M. released a greatest hits album, The Magic of Boney M. - 20 Golden Hits, which also contained two new songs, "My Friend Jack" and "I See a Boat on the River". It made the #1 spot in the UK, reaching Gold status within six weeks of release, though it was their last big-selling album in the UK.

Boney M.'s fifth album had been scheduled for release in November 1980 but the recording sessions dragged on all through 1981. When Boonoonoonoos was finally released by the end of that year, Bobby Farrell was fired from the group due to his unreliability. While still a healthy seller in continental Europe, "Boonoonoonoos" failed to crack the UK Top 100 after three consecutive #1 albums, and Farrell's departure left the group unable to promote it. Following this, the group released a Christmas Album.

Reggie Tsiboe was hired to replace Farrell as the new male member of Boney M. in 1982 but the singles "The Carnival Is Over" and "Jambo" fared poorly, and the group's seventh album Ten Thousand Lightyears, issued in 1984, marked another commercial low point. The group, however, returned to the German Top 20 in the autumn of 1984 with "Kalimba de Luna" and "Happy Song", the latter seeing Bobby Farrell return to the group. Both songs were carbon-copies of the original Italian hits by Tony Esposito and Baby's Gang respectively.

By 1985, Farian clearly began losing interest in the group, and their final and eighth studio album Eye Dance was widely regarded as uninspired and disappointing. After celebrating Boney M.'s 10-year anniversary in early 1986, the group officially disbanded after the release of the commercially unsuccessful single 'Young, Free and Single'.

From this point, different versions of the group were formed. One version began touring in the first half of 1987 with Marilyn Carrillo taking Liz Mitchell's place. Mitchell returned for a second leg of the tour late 1987, and Marcia Barrett soon left the band again. At the same time, Bobby Farrell had set up a deal for a new Boney M. album to be recorded without Farian in Belgium. When Farrell failed to show up for either recording or tour, and Maizie Williams had never sung on record, the album ended up being released as Liz Mitchell's first solo album No One Will Force You. Mitchell and Williams completed a tour during 1987-88, adding singer Celena Duncan and Curt De Daran as replacements for Barrett and Farrell. Carol Grey later replaced Celena Duncan.

In October 1988, the classic Boney M. line-up reunited without producer Frank Farian for the album Greatest Hits of All Times - Remix '88 but tensions ran high between the members, and Liz Mitchell left in the spring of 1989 to be replaced by Madeleine Davis. While Mitchell promoted her solo album, the group recorded the single "Everybody Wants to Dance Like Josephine Baker", without Farian's knowledge or approval. Threatened with legal action by the producer over the use of the Boney M. name, the single was subsequently withdrawn and Farian issued "Stories" with his own new Boney M. line-up featuring Liz Mitchell, Reggie Tsiboe and two new members, Sharon Stevens and Patty Onoyewenjo. A second remix album Greatest Hits of All Times - Remix '89 - Volume II was released but fared poorly.

The 1990s[link]

1992 saw a renewed interest in Boney M.'s music with the "Boney M. Megamix" single returning the group to the UK Top 10 for the first time since 1980, and a subsequent Greatest Hits album reaching the UK Top 20 in 1993. While Marcia Barrett, now residing in Florida, was battling cancer and unable to perform, Boney M. toured the world with a line-up of Liz Mitchell, Carol Grey, Patricia Lorna Foster and Curt Dee Daran (replaced by Tony Ashcroft in 1994). Maizie Williams assembled her own Boney M. line-up with her friend and short-time Boney M. member in the early days in 1975, Sheila Bonnick, and two others. Bobby Farrell also toured with three ever-changing female performers.

2000s[link]

Boney M. featuring Maizie Williams performing at a concert

Liz Mitchell was touring the world with her line-up of Boney M., which is the only line-up officially supported by Farian (the court ruling of 1990 stated that all four members are entitled to perform their own Boney M. shows). Bobby Farrell and Liz Mitchell have released solo albums containing their own re-recordings of Boney M.'s classic hits. Maizie Williams released her first solo album in 2006 and her own single version of Boney M.'s "Sunny". In 2007 her rendition of 'Daddy Cool' with Melo-M hit the number one spot in the Latvian (LMK) Charts.^{[citation needed]} Marcia Barrett has released two solo albums with a third scheduled for release in 2010.^[5]

As recounted in his 2004 book Touching the Void, the British climber Joe Simpson was subsequently to find the catchy tune of "Brown Girl in the Ring" haunting him in the final hours of his struggle to survive the descent of Siula Grande in the Andes, and the song was later used in the film of Touching the Void made by Kevin Macdonald. Simpson recalls: "I remember thinking, bloody hell, I'm going to die to Boney M".

A musical based on the music of Boney M., Daddy Cool, opened in London in August 2006 to mixed reviews and sluggish ticket sales, causing it to close again in February 2007. From April to July, 2007, the show played in a mobile theatre in Berlin, which was specially designed for it.

In April 2007, pop singer Peter Wilson^{[disambiguation needed ]}, who during the mid-90s scored a couple of Top 40 hits in his native Australia, released a brand new song, co-written by Frank Farian entitled "Doin' Fine". It is described as "paying tribute to the sound of Boney M." and features the famous string arrangement from their first number 1 hit, "Daddy Cool".

Boney M. (featuring Marcia Barrett) made a live appearance at the 37th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which took place on November 23, 2006 in Panaji, the state capital of Goa, India. The group is also popular in the Vietnamese diaspora^{[citation needed]}, and was featured in Thuy Nga music productions.

In the UK, a new album of their greatest hits, entitled The Magic of Boney M. was released via BMG on November 27, 2006. Special additions to this release were a Mousse T. remix of "Sunny" and a brand new song from 2006, featuring Liz Mitchell, entitled "A Moment Of Love".

On April 10, 2007, Boney M.'s first four albums were reissued on compact disc with bonus tracks, this time also in the United States (the first time these were available to the U.S. music market since their original releases in the 1970s).

In September 2007, Boney M.'s last four original albums, Boonoonoonoos, Ten Thousand Lightyears, Kalimba de Luna - 16 Happy Songs and Eye Dance were reissued on compact disc in Europe and the United States, all including bonus tracks. In November 2007, a new Christmas compilation was scheduled for release as well as the DVD Fantastic Boney M. - On Stage and on the Road featuring a live performance recorded in Vienna on 1 November 1977 (the DVD cover erroneously states it to be a live show from Hamburg), and a film from the band's 1981 visit to Jamaica (made to promote the Boonoonoonoos album that year).

Bobby Farrell's Boney M. performed a concert at the Amphi in Ra'anana, Israel in May 2007. On June 28, 2007 Boney M. featuring Matthew Felsenfeld and Liz Mitchell performed at the "Oktiabrsky" concert hall in St. Petersburg, Russia. In September 2007, Maizie Williams' Boney M. line-up performed live at the Royal Albert Hall, UK, to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in Africa, performing her own renditions of "Brown Girl in the Ring" and "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday".

The legal rights to the name "Boney M." have been a matter of controversy, and even court cases, between the former members of the band and producer Frank Farian ever since the late 1980s. Farian, the man who in effect created the group, has continued to work with Liz Mitchell and her line-up all through the 1990s and 2000s. In January 2007, Zanillya Farrell (daughter of Bobby Farrell) and Yasmina Ayad-Saban (ex-wife of Farrell) renewed the trademark to the name Boney M. in Germany for a 10 year period.

In November 2008, French disco star Amanda Lear recorded a version of "Doin' Fine" for her new studio album,^[6] which she announced on French television is scheduled for release in spring 2009.

In January 2009 Frank Farian released a brand new single called Felicidad America (Obama Obama) under the name-check Boney M. feat. Sherita O. & Yulee B. featuring two new vocalists. The song is a remake of the 1980 Boney M. classic with new vocals and re-written lyrics now referring to the new US president Barack Obama.

2010s[link]

In July 2010, Maizie Williams headlined a Boney M. performance at Ramallah's Cultural Palace, in the West Bank, as part of the Palestine International Festival. The band played "Daddy Cool", "Ma Baker" and "Brown Girl in the Ring", but refrained from playing "Rivers of Babylon", rumored to be at the event organizers' request because of its description of the Jewish yearning for Zion.^[7][8][9]

On December 30, 2010, it was announced that Bobby Farrell had died at the age of 61 from heart failure. His agent said Farrell was complaining of breathing problems after performing with his band the evening before.^[10][11] Farrell lived in Amsterdam until his death. The singer was found dead in a hotel room in Saint Petersburg, Russia, where he had been performing.^[12]

Members[link]

• Liz Mitchell, Lead and backing vocals (1976–)
• Marcia Barrett, Lead and backing vocals (1975–)
• Maizie Williams, Dancer, live vocals (1975–)
• Bobby Farrell, Dancer, rap, live vocals (1975–81, 1984–2010)
• Reggie Tsiboe, Lead and backing vocals (1982–86, 1989–90)

UK sales mark[link]

In 1978, "Rivers of Babylon", a cover of a track by The Melodians with lyrics partly based on Psalm 137 and partly on Psalm 19,^[13] became (at the time) the second highest-selling single of all time in the UK. After reaching no.1 for five weeks, "Rivers of Babylon" began dropping down the chart, at which point the B-side "Brown Girl in the Ring" was given extensive radio airplay, and the single climbed back up the chart to #2. The single spent 6 months in the UK Top 40, including 19 weeks in the Top 10. It eventually sold 5000 copies short of two million.

The group achieved a second UK million-seller with their version of the calypso classic "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord", which was previously a million-seller for Harry Belafonte. On the list of the all-time best selling singles in the United Kingdom, Boney M. appear in fifth place (with "Rivers of Babylon") and tenth place (with "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord"). The single sold almost 1.8 million copies and achieved sales of over 1.6 million in the 4 weeks the song was at number one in December 1978. Paul McCartney is the only other artist to appear twice (once with The Beatles, once with Wings) in the Top 10 of that list.

Back catalogue[link]

Compared to other best-selling artists of the 1970s like ABBA, Donna Summer, and the Bee Gees the Boney M. discography is quite unusual – while the greater part of the band's back catalogue has been remixed, remade, remodeled and reissued all through the 80s, 90s and 2000s by producer Frank Farian and record company BMG-Ariola (now Sony BMG), most of the original 7" and 12" versions issued on vinyl in the 70s and early 80s remained unavailable on CD until 2008 and the release of the box set The Collection and the single CD compilation Rivers Of Babylon (A Best Of Collection).

Popularity outside the West[link]

During the 2002 presidential election campaign of South Korea, then-candidate Roh Moo-hyun, who eventually won the presidency at that event, took Bahama Mama to promote his aim of positive political reform.^[14]

The 2005 Chinese film Shanghai Dreams features a scene depicting a rural Chinese disco in 1983, with teenagers dancing to Rivers of Babylon and Gotta Go Home^[15]

In the 2008 Kazakh film Tulpan, the tractor driver Boni continually plays a cassette of Rivers of Babylon, an example of his fascination for all things Western.

In the 2008 Chinese film Cheung Gong 7 hou (English title: CJ7), "Sunny" is a vital part of the soundtrack.

The song "Rasputin" appears in the 2010 video game Just Dance 2 for the Nintendo Wii.

In the Soviet movie "Repentance", "Sunny" is played at a party of high-ranked communist officials.^[16]

Boney M's song "Sunny" is played during few parts of the successful Korean movie of the same name "Sunny"(2011).^[17]

The song "Rasputin"'s tunes are copied in the Bollywood Movie Agent Vinod (2012 film) song "I will do the talking tonight".

The song "Daddy Cool" is partly used in a disco scene in the Indian movie "Suhaag".

Discography[link]

Studio album releases[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Boney M.

v t e Boney M. Marcia Barrett Liz Mitchell Maizie Williams Bobby Farrell † Reggie Tsiboe Studio albums and main compilations (1976–1985) Take the Heat off Me (1976) Love for Sale (1977) Nightflight to Venus (1978) Oceans of Fantasy (1979) The Magic of Boney M. - 20 Golden Hits (1980) Children of Paradise - The Greatest Hits of Boney M. - Vol. 2 (1981) Boonoonoonoos (1981) Christmas Album (1981) Ten Thousand Lightyears (1984) Kalimba de Luna - 16 Happy Songs (1984) Fantastic Boney M. (1984) Christmas with Boney M. (1984) Eye Dance (1985) Main compilations and remix albums (1986–present) The Best of 10 Years - 32 Superhits (1986) The 20 Greatest Christmas Songs (1986) Greatest Hits of All Times - Remix '88 (1988) Ma Baker (1989) Greatest Hits of All Times - Remix '89 - Volume II (1989) The Collection (1991) Daddy Cool - Star Collection (1991) The Most Beautiful Christmas Songs of the World (1992) Gold - 20 Super Hits (1992) The Greatest Hits (1993) More Gold - 20 Super Hits Vol. II (1993) Hit Collection (1996) Best in Spain (1996) The Best of Boney M. (1997) Norske Hits (1998) Ultimate (1999) 20th Century Hits (1999) 25 Jaar Na Daddy Cool (2000) The Complete Collection (2000) Their Most Beautiful Ballads (2000) The Greatest Hits (2001) The Magic of Boney M. (2006) Hit Collection (2007) Christmas With Boney M. (2007) The Collection (2008) Rivers of Babylon (A Best of Collection) (2008) Ultimate Boney M. - Long Versions & Rarities, Volume 1 (2008) Christmas Time (2008) The Complete Boney M. (2008) In the Mix (2008) The Magic of Boney M. - The Danish Collection (2008) Ultimate Boney M. - Long Versions & Rarities, Volume 2 (2009) Let It All Be Music - The Party Album (2009) Ultimate Boney M. - Long Versions & Rarities, Volume 3 (2009) Main single discography "Baby Do You Wanna Bump" (1975) "Daddy Cool" (1976) "Sunny" (1976) "Ma Baker" (1977) "Belfast" (1977) "Rivers of Babylon"/"Brown Girl in the Ring" (1978) "Rasputin" (1978) "Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord" (1978) "Painter Man" (1979) "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday" (1979) "El Lute"/"Gotta Go Home" (1979) "I'm Born Again"/"Bahama Mama" (1979) "I See a Boat on the River"/"My Friend Jack" (1980) "Children of Paradise"/"Gadda-Da-Vida" (1980) "Felicidad (Margherita)" (1980) "Malaika"/"Consuela Biaz" (1981) "We Kill the World"/"Boonoonoonoos" (1981) "The Little Drummer Boy"/"6 Years of Boney M. Hits" (1981) "The Carnival Is Over"/"Going Back West" (1982) "Zion's Daughter" (1982) "Jambo - Hakuna Matata (No Problems)" (1983) "Somewhere in the World" (1984) "Kalimba de Luna" (1984) "Happy Song" (1984) "My Cherie Amour" (1985) "Young, Free and Single" (1985) "Daddy Cool (Anniversary Recording '86)" (1986) "Bang Bang Lulu" (1986) "Rivers of Babylon (Remix)"/"Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord (Remix)" (1988) "Megamix" (1988) "The Summer Mega Mix" (1989) "Malaika (Lambada Remix)" (1989) "Everybody Wants to Dance Like Josephine Baker" (1989) "Stories" (1990) "Christmas Mega Mix" (1992) "Megamix" (1992) "Brown Girl in the Ring (Remix)" (1993) "Ma Baker (Remix)" (1993) "Papa Chico" (1994) "Somebody Scream - Ma Baker" (1998) "Daddy Cool '99" (1999) "Hooray! Hooray! (Caribbean Night Fever)" (1999) "Sunny (Remix)" (2000) "Daddy Cool 2001" (2001) "Sunny (Mousse T. Remix)" (2006) "Felicidad America (Obama-Obama)" (2009) Book

Kate "Ma" Barker (born Arizona Donnie Clark; October 8, 1873 – January 16, 1935) was the mother of several criminals who ran the Barker gang from the "public enemy era", when the exploits of gangs of criminals in the U.S. Midwest gripped the American people and press.

Early life[link]

Ma Barker is believed to have been born October 8, 1873, in Ash Grove, Missouri, near Springfield, and named Arizona Clark. On September 14, 1892, she married George Elias Barker in Aurora, Lawrence County, Missouri. At that time, her age was given as 17. George Barker was the informant on Arizona Barker's amended death certificate. He gave her date of birth as October 8, 1877.

In 1920, "Arrie" appears on the Census of Stone County, Missouri, as age 45. In 1930, Arrie appears on the Census of Tulsa County, Oklahoma, as the wife of Arthur W. Dunlop. Her age is there given as 53.

Family life[link]

George and Arizona had four boys named Herman, Lloyd, Arthur, and Fred. Arrie did everything she could to protect her boys and to keep them out of jail.

Some accounts claim that George Barker was an alcoholic^{[citation needed]}. It appears from the 1910 to 1930 censuses and the Tulsa City Directories from 1916 to 1928 that he was regularly employed. From 1916 to 1919, he worked for the Crystal Springs Water Co. In the 1920s, he was variously employed as a farmer, watchman, station engineer, and clerk. George is last listed with Arrie in the 1928 Tulsa city directory. Whether he was thrown out by Arrie, as some claim, or he left on his own accord when life with her and the family became intolerable, isn't known, but it is clear that he didn't desert his family when the boys were young.

George and Arrie's son Herman committed suicide on August 29, 1927, in Wichita, Kansas. He shot himself after a shootout with police that lasted hours. In 1928, Lloyd was incarcerated in the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas, Arthur "Doc" Barker was in the Oklahoma State Prison, and Fred was in the Kansas State Prison. Miriam Allen deFord, in her 1970 biography titled The Real Ma Barker, wrote, "This was the period when George Barker gave up completely and quietly removed himself from the scene."

Controversy[link]

"Ma" and Fred Barker died in the upper left bedroom.
29°02′29″N 81°56′00″W / 29.041319°N 81.933408°W / 29.041319; -81.933408 (Ma Barker hideout in Ocklawaha, Florida)

Though her children were undoubtedly criminals and their Barker-Karpis Gang committed a spree of robberies, kidnappings, and other crimes between 1931 and 1935, the popular image of her as the gang's leader and its criminal mastermind has been found to be fictitious.

Ma Barker certainly knew of the gang's activities, and even helped them before and after they committed their crimes. This would make her an accomplice, but there is no evidence that she was ever an active participant in any of the crimes themselves or involved in planning them. Her role was in taking care of gang members, who often sent her to the movies while they committed crimes.

Alvin Karpis, the gang's second most notorious member, later said that:^[1]

This view of Ma Barker is corroborated by notorious bank robber Harvey Bailey, who knew the Barkers well. He observed in his autobiography that Ma Barker "couldn't plan breakfast" let alone a criminal enterprise.

Many, including Karpis, have suggested that the myth was encouraged by J. Edgar Hoover^[2] and his fledgling Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to justify his agency's killing of an old lady.^[3]

Death[link]

FBI Agents discovered the hideout of Ma Barker and her son, Fred, after Arthur "Doc" Barker was arrested in Chicago on January 8, 1935. A map found in his possession indicated that the other gang members were in Ocklawaha, Florida. Agents surrounded the house at 13250 East Highway C-25 on the morning of January 16, 1935. Ordered to surrender, Fred opened fire; both he and his mother were killed by federal agents after an intense, hours-long gun-battle. According to the FBI, a Tommy gun was found lying in the hands of Ma Barker (It is a common belief that this was a fabrication by the FBI in order to justify her violent death.^[4]) Their bodies were put on public display, and then stored unclaimed, until October 1, 1935, when relatives had them buried in Welch, Oklahoma, next to the body of Herman Barker.

Williams Timberhill Cemetery - Welch, Oklahoma 36°52′51″N 95°00′14″W / 36.880831°N 95.004009°W / 36.880831; -95.004009 (Williams Timberhill Cemetery in Welch,Okla.)

Summary of Barker sons and Barker-Karpis Gang activities[link]

1900–1920

• 1910—Herman Barker arrested for highway robbery in Webb City, Missouri.
• March 5, 1915—Herman Barker arrested for highway robbery in Joplin, Missouri. (Herman and Lloyd Barker reportedly involved with the Central Park Gang of Tulsa, Oklahoma.)
• July 4, 1918—Arthur "Doc" Barker involved in US automobile theft in Tulsa, Oklahoma; arrested (#841) (escaped).

1920–1929

• February 19, 1920—Arthur Barker arrested in Joplin, Missouri (#1740); returned to Tulsa, Oklahoma.
• 1921—Lloyd "Red" Barker arrested for vagrancy in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
• January 15, 1921—Arthur Barker aka "Claude Dade" involved in attempted bank robbery in Muskogee, Oklahoma; arrested (#822).
• January 30, 1921—Arthur Barker aka "Bob Barker" received at the Oklahoma State Prison (#11059); released June 11, 1921.
• August 16, 1921—Arthur Barker and Volney Davis involved in killing of night watchman Thomas J. Sherrill in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (According to other sources, Thomas J. Sherrill. was a night watchman at St. John's Hospital in Tulsa.)
• January 8, 1922—Central Park Gang involved in attempted burglary in Okmulgee, Oklahoma; shootout results in one burglar dead while police Captain Homer R. Spaulding dies of his wounds on January 19, 1922. One gang member is sentenced to life in prison while another had his sentence overturned.
• January 16, 1922—Lloyd Barker received at Leavenworth Prison (#17243) after arrest for robbing mail at Baxter Springs, Kansas and sentenced to 25 years; released 1938.
• February 10, 1922—Arthur "Doc" Barker received (#11906) at Oklahoma State Prison for the murder of Sherrill.
• 1926—Fred Barker robbed bank in Winfield, Kansas; arrested.
• March 12, 1927—Fred Barker admitted to Kansas State Prison.
• August 1, 1927-Herman Barker cashed stolen bank bonds at the America National Bank in Cheyenne, WY. Sheriff Deputy Arthur Osborn flagged down Barker's car. Barker picked up a gun from the vehicle's seat and shot Osborn. Osborn died as a result.
• August 29, 1927—Herman Barker commits suicide in Wichita, Kansas after being stopped at police roadblock. (Wichita Policeman J.E. Marshall had been killed on August 9, 1927 by the Kimes-Terrill gang that Herman was associated with. Five other policemen were killed by the Kimes gang. See ODMP).

1930–1939

• March 30, 1931—Fred Barker released from Kansas State Prison after serving time for burglary; met Alvin Karpis in prison.
• June 10, 1931—Fred Barker and Alvin Karpis (alias George Heller) arrested by Tulsa, Oklahoma Police investigating burglary. Karpis sentenced to 4 years but paroled after restitution made; Fred Barker also avoided jail sentence.
• November 8, 1931—Fred Barker killed an Arkansas police chief Manley Jackson.
• December 19, 1931—Fred Barker and Alvin Karpis robbed a store in West Plains, Missouri and involved in the killing of Howell County, Missouri sheriff C. Roy Kelly.
• January 18, 1932—Lloyd Barker received at Leavenworth Prison.
• April 26, 1932—Body of A.W. Dunlap found at Lake Franstead, Minnesota; killed by Fred Barker and Alvin Karpis.
• June 17, 1932—Fred Barker, Karpis and five accomplices robbed Fort Scott, Kansas Bank.
• July 26, 1932—Fred Barker, Karpis (with an augmented gang) robbed Cloud County bank at Concordia, Kansas.
• August 13, 1932—Attorney J. Earl Smith of Tulsa, Oklahoma found killed at Indian Hills Country Club north of Tulsa; he had been retained to defend Harvey Bailey over the Fort Scott bank robbery, but the man was convicted.
• September 10, 1932—Arthur "Doc" Barker released from prison.
• December 16, 1932—Fred and Arthur Barker, Alvin Karpis and gang robbed Third Northwestern National Bank in Minneapolis, killing policemen Ira Leon Evans and Leo Gorski and one civilian. (One gang member Lawrence DeVol in this shooting was also involved in four other police killings-two police officers, Sheriff William Sweet and City Marshal Aaron Bailey, in Washington, Iowa and Marshall John W. Rose in Kirksville, MO on November 17, 1930 and killing officer Cal Palmer and wounding another officer before being gunned down in Enid, OK in 1936.)
• April 4, 1933—Fred and Arthur Barker, Alvin Karpis and gang robbed Fairbury, Nebraska bank.
• June 1933—William Hamm of the Hamm's Brewery family kidnapped by Barker-Karpis gang; Hamm released June 19, 1933 after ransom paid. It is believed by some that the gang turned over half of the Hamm ransom money to the Chicago Mob under Frank Nitti after Nitti discovered that they were hiding Hamm in suburban Chicago and demanded half the ransom as "rent".
• August 30, 1933—Barker-Karpis Gang robs a payroll at Stockyards National Bank of South St. Paul, Minnesota in which one policeman Leo Pavlak is coldly executed and one disabled for life.
• September 22, 1933—Two bank messengers held up by five men identified as Barker-Karpis gang; Chicago policeman Miles A Cunningham is killed by gang while investigating a nearby traffic accident. (Barker-Karpis gang associate Vernon Miller was allegedly involved in the killing, and reportedly also involved in the Kansas City Massacre in which four lawmen were killed).
• January 17, 1934—Gang kidnaps Edward George Bremer; Bremer released on February 7, 1934 after ransom paid.
• January 19, 1934—Gang wounds M.C. McCord of Northwest Airways Company, thinking he was a policeman.
• March 10, 1934—Barker gang member Fred Goetz (also known as "Shotgun George" Ziegler, a participant in the Bremer kidnapping) killed by fellow gangsters in Cicero, Illinois.
• July 1934—Underworld doctor Joseph Moran last seen alive.
• January 6, 1935—Barker gang member William B. Harrison killed by fellow gangsters at Ontarioville, Illinois.
• January 8, 1935—Arthur "Doc" Barker arrested in Chicago; Barker gang member Russell Gibson killed and his colleague Byron Bolton captured at another address.
• January 16, 1935—Fred and Ma Barker killed by FBI in Ocklawaha, Florida (Marion County). Ma Barker was discovered by the FBI tracking her letters sent to her other son. She was writing to him to tell him about a large gator in Lake Weir that everyone had called "Gator Joe," which led to the name of the local restaurant known as "Gator Joe's".
• September 26, 1935—The supposed body of underworld doctor Joseph Moran found in Lake Erie; believed killed by Fred Barker and Alvin Karpis. (However, Karpis himself said that Moran had been buried.)
• November 7, 1935—Karpis and five accomplices robbed a Erie Railroad mail train at Garrettsville, Ohio.
• May 1, 1936—Karpis and accomplice Fred Hunter arrested in New Orleans, Louisiana.
• January 13, 1939—Arthur Barker killed trying to escape from Alcatraz Prison.

(Of Barker-Karpis gang/associates: 18 arrested; 3 killed by lawmen; 2 killed by gangsters)

1940–1949

• World War II—Lloyd Barker is US Army cook, at POW camp Fort Custer, Michigan; receives US Army Good Conduct Medal and Honorable Discharge.
• March 18, 1949—Lloyd Barker killed by his wife; he is manager of Denargo Market in Denver, Colorado; she is sent to Colorado State Insane Asylum.

Popular culture[link]

• Lurene Tuttle portrayed Ma Barker in the low-budget feature film Ma Barker's Killer Brood (1960).
• In the 1966 Batman series, one of the villains in series one was Ma Parker (played by Shelley Winters), a villainous mob boss based on Ma Barker. Ma Parker along with her three sons and one daughter almost managed to defeat the Dynamic Duo in the series.
• Barker's story was also adapted in the low budget film Bloody Mama (1970). Ironically, the movie also starred Shelley Winters as Ma Barker. ^[5]
• In 1977, German disco band Boney M. released a hit single titled Ma Baker. The song's title and lyrics clearly reference Ma Barker.
• Another retelling of the legend occurred in the 1996 movie Public Enemies starring Theresa Russell.
• "Ma Barker and Her Boys", an episode of The Untouchables, pits Federal Agent Eliot Ness against the Barker clan, and depicts Ness as leading the assault on Ma Barker and her sons at their Florida hide-out. In real life Ness was not a member of the FBI at the time of the shoot-out, and had nothing to do with the Barker/Karpis case.
• The DuckTales version of Disney's Beagle Boys, a gang of criminals, is led by their mother Ma Beagle, who is based on Ma Barker. She is absent from the original comics by Carl Barks.
• The band Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster are named after the group of criminals and their songs are based on the gang's history.
• While The Daltons of the Lucky Luke comic book series, were originally based on the real Dalton Gang, their mother Ma Dalton is clearly inspired by Ma Barker. Coincidentally, their gang consists of four instead of three Dalton brothers.
• Crime author James Hadley Chase based some of the characters in his first novel, No Orchids for Miss Blandish, on Ma Barker and her sons.
• John Eaton composed an opera, Ma Barker, in 1955.^[6]
• The 1959 movie The FBI Story starring Jimmy Stewart portrays a number of deaths of 1930s-era criminals, including Ma Barker (portrayed by Jane Crowley, though it was uncredited.^[7]

See also[link]

• List of Depression-era outlaws

References[link]

Footnotes

Bibliography

• Hornberger, Francine (2002) Mistresses of mayhem: the book of women criminals Alpha, Indianapolis, IN, ISBN 0-02-864260-0
• Hamilton, Sue, and Hamilton, John (1989) Public Enemy Number One: The Barkers Abdo and Daughters, Bloomington, MN, ISBN 0-939179-65-2
• Winter, Robert (2000) Mean Men: The Sons of Ma Barker Routledge, Danbury, Connecticut, ISBN 1-58244-090-5
• deFord, Miriam Allen (1970) The Real Ma Barker: Mastermind of a Whole Family of Killers Ace, New York
• Perkins; Jack; Drummond, John; and Cara, Mark (1996) Ma Barker crime family values (television documentary on VHS tape) A & E Home Video, New York, ISBN 0-7670-1060-4
• Federal Bureau of Investigation. Barker-Karpis Gang (summary). Washington: GPO, 1937. <http://foia.fbi.gov/filelink.html?file=/barksumm/barksum1.pdf>

External links[link]

• Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Barker Gang
• Ma Barker & Son Morgue Photograph
• Alvin Karpis
• Barker-Karpis Gang Summary FBI file