Gramacks

Biography

The band is from Saint-Joseph, a village from Dominica. The lead singer Jefferson "Jeff" Joseph and keyboard player McDonald "Markie" Prosper along with the other members were former students of the Dominica Grammar School and St Mary's Academy, hence the name Grammacks. The band rose to fame in the early seventies and eighties with hits like “Mis Debaz”, and “Soukouyant”.

Grammacks and Exile One were influential figures in the promotion of cadence-lypso in the 1970s. They were an inspiration for the French Antilles band Kassav and the emergence of zouk in the 1980s. The full-horn section kadans band Exile One led by Gordon Henderson, and Grammacks (led by Jeff Joseph) introduced the newly arrived synthesizers to their music that other young cadence or compas bands from Haiti (mini-jazz) and the French Antilles emulated in the 1970s.

Grammacks rose to prominence in the 1970s to the early 1980s with a Super Bowl performance. They headlined the first World Creole Music Festival in Dominica in 1997. Creative differences and financial mismanagement caused the band to break up with members pursuing individual solo projects. Jeff Joseph later formed Volt Face and Grammacks New Generation.

Jefferson "Jeff Joe" Joseph

Jeff Joseph "Jeff Joe" of Saint Joseph, Dominica was the leader and founder of Dominica's cadence musical group "Grammacks". His musical career with Grammacks began in the early 1970s in Guadeloupe.

The late Joseph will be remembered for his energetic performances of songs such as ‘Soucouyant’, ‘Soleil Trop Chaud’, and ‘Woy Mi Debas’. Many of his recordings were done in the Debs Studio in Martinique. Joseph is known for adding various Caribbean styles to his musical identity such as reggae, calypso and mostly cadence or compas music. Joseph was lead member Grammacks New Generation and a founding member of the Antillean group Volt Face along with Georges Decimus; one of the founders of Kassav in the 1980s.

Joseph was one of Dominica’s goodwill ambassadors and he played a part in the promotion and marketing of the World Creole Music Festival. At the 13th World Creole Music Festival in Dominica, compas musician "Sweet Mickey" (now Haiti's president) gave tribute and recognition to Joseph on a Dominica source video interview for his influence on his music. At the 15th Annual WCMF, he was honored by Dominica's bouyon music band "Triple Kay International" during their performance for his influence on the band.

Musicians

Gramacks

Grammacks new generation