Exuma - Fire in the Hole

It’s a people explosion here on Merry Picnic, as we bring you the largely forgotten Bahamian musician Exuma. Taking his stage name from the island of his birth, Exuma’s musical output defies classification, combining aspects of reggae, African folk, and protest songs into his own frantic blend of energetic shout-singing. Perhaps his uniqueness was an impediment to his success, as people were unsure what exactly Exuma was. Were they a band? Was it a solo act? Was it something to do with the island itself? The album art and packaging gave little in the way of clues, requiring would-be listeners to make a greater leap of faith than normal. Those brave souls that took the plunge would find themselves brought into Exuma’s world of junkaroo, rake and scrape, and other aspects of Bahamian culture. No track takes you there better than “Fire in the Hole” of 1970’s Exuma II. Give it a listen (embedded below), because to quote the man himself, you can’t kill human emotion.