Rokotto
British funk band
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rokotto was a Britfunk band from Dundee, Scotland, active in the late 1970s. It was made up of vocalists Sister B (Lorna Bannon),[1] Hugh Paul, and Cleveland Walker, backed by guitarist Derek Henderson, bassist Lloyd Wisdom, keyboardist Stewart Garden, and drummer Bongo Macleod.[2]
Rokotto | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Dundee, Scotland |
| Genres | Britfunk |
| Years active | 1975–81 |
| Label | State Records |
| Past members |
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Overview
The band was formed in September 1975,[3] when Caribbean musicians McLeod, Walker, and Wisdom travelled to Dundee as part of a steel drum band, and fell in with musicians on the local funk scene; the name Rokotto being "the word for 'making love' in some African dialect".[4] The band soon gained a residency at Ronnie Scott's club in London[5] and in August 1976 signed to State Records,[6]
The band made its television debut on ITV show The Entertainers on 10 April 1977, the episode consisting of 30 minutes of a concert.[7] Rokotto enjoyed two top 40 hits in the UK singles chart; "Boogie On Up", which reached number 40 in November 1977, and "Funk Theory", which reached number 49 the following June,[8] the band performing each single on Top of the Pops.[9]
The band's final single releases came in 1981. McLeod and Walker later formed the funk band McLeod,[10] Sister B - under a new nom de disque, Lorna B - became a backing vocalist and singer on television themes (including children's' television show Fun House) and adverts, and also sang with Shakatak on the Night Birds album.[11][12] In 1995 she scored a pair of top 40 hits as guest vocalist with DJ Scott.[13]