Zombie Jambouree

Repertoire description: 

In 1953 Lord Intruder, a forgotten calypso musician from Tobago, located in the southern Caribbean Sea, performed his "Jumbie Jamberee" at the Old Brigade Calypso Tent in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

The song was about spirits dancing "back to back, belly to belly" in a cemmassetery. Intruder had the lyrics printed in a calypso book but never recorded it. This song was first performed live in Trinidad in 1953 by Lord Intruder, and being unaware of copyright law, did not publish or record his song. The Mighty Charmer and King Flash first recorded the song in the 1950s in the United States, where the reference to the Trinidad graveyard was swapped out for Woodlawn Cemetary in New York. The song became widely known as the "Zombie Jamboree" during the late 1950s, with recordings by the Kingston Trio, Lord Jellicoe, Harry Belafonte, Bob Marley and the Wailers, (as Jumbie Jamboree), Rockapella, Ninety Nine and a Half and others.

Repertoire Style: 

Rep music by: 

Various versions - see below, arranged Rockapella, transcribed G Smith

Rep lyrics by: 

Various versions